Is Next Year Finally Here for Arkansas?
 
By: Charlie Shields
Date: January 10, 2003

There is always next year. That has been the Arkansas fan's mantra since the Hogs came up shy in 1999, losing in their own Regional after winning the Southeastern Conference. The Hogs lost a lot more than the Regional that season, as the core of the team graduated or left to pursue professional careers.

In 2000 and 2001 the Hogs finished dead last in the SEC West, but in both of those seasons there was reason for hope. At the end of the 2000 season, in the last home series, Arkansas took two of three games from the then ranked #1 South Carolina Gamecocks. And in 2001, in the last homestand of the season, Arkansas swept #1 LSU. It seemed like playing way above their heads was becoming a habit for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

And in 2002, the Hogs defied all expectations. They squeaked into the SEC Tournament, grabbing up the eighth and final spot and then got a somewhat unexpected bid to the Wichita State Regional. And to the joy of all the Arkansas fans who made the trip to Wichita (including yours truly), Arkansas won the Regional from their third seeded spot, beating Oklahoma in the final game. Perhaps, Arkansas fans thought, perhaps it's not next year, but this year.

The only thing standing in the way of a date with Omaha was Clemson, the number 2 seeded team in the entire tournament. It was the Tigers that walked out of Fayetteville in 1999 with the Regional Championship, so destiny, it seemed, was placing Arkansas squarely into those Cinderella shoes.

Nobody knew that it would be Coach DeBriyn's last season, but we all suspected that his tenure at Arkansas was at least nearing its end. And more than anything we wanted this man who had built the Arkansas program from nothing (and that is no exaggeration) to go out on top. It seemed so RIGHT.

While in Wichita, my group and I went to a restaurant to find that the wait would be well over an hour. Instead of waiting, we walked across the street to another restaurant and were seated right next to Coach DeBriyn. We talked briefly to the Coach and wished him luck. He thanked us for making the trip up, and he meant it.

The final day of the Regional, when the teams were introduced, Coach D did something that none of us had ever seen him do. The usually subdued, quiet coach, jogged out along the line of players, slapping high fives. Maybe I knew then. This was going to be the last hoorah.

But the last hoorah would not end with a CWS trip. Arkansas took Clemson right down to the wire. The Hogs won the first game but came up just short in the second and third games. Soon after, Coach DeBriyn announced his retirement.

Most Arkansas fans have never known Arkansas baseball when Coach D hasn't been out there on the field with them. Most Arkansas fans never wanted to see the day when Coach D wasn't out there. But here it is. And, there is ALWAYS next year.

And this year, THIS year, perhaps Arkansas fans have even more hope than the past few years. The Hogs were so close to Omaha last year that it takes very little imagination to see a red flag with Arkansas written on it waving above Rosenblatt Stadium. And when you factor in a core of returning stars and one of the best baseball coaches in the country, and it's not hard to understand why the excitement surrounding the Arkansas program is at a level never before seen.

Drive by Baum Stadium today and you will see construction. Seats are being added in anticipation of what Dave Van Horn is going to bring to the table. It's clear that he has confidence in his team and that the administration has confidence in his abilities. And all of this makes for some very excited Arkansas fans.

When the Hogs take the field on February 9th, just weeks away, it will be the first time since 1970 that Norm DeBriyn won't be there with them. I wasn't even alive in 1970. In fact, almost an entire decade would pass before I would come into this world. A decade of baseball under Norm DeBriyn before I was even born. Amazing.

Seeing the team run out without Coach D will be hard, but it will be made much easier by the fact that taking his place is a man whose achievements in his young career are also nothing short of amazing.

Dave Van Horn (pictured) has quickly made a name for himself in the college baseball world. His first year as a head coach, at Texarkana College, he set a new team record for wins. He won a Division II National Championship at Central Missouri State and was named National Division II Coach of the Year. He was the Southland Conference Coach of the Year twice in three years while at Northwestern State. And in his first two years in Division I baseball, all he did was take Nebraska to two College World Series appearances and win a National Coach of the Year Award.

And not only that, Van Horn is a former Razorback. He played under Norm DeBriyn and was a graduate assistant on the last two Arkansas teams to go to Omaha, in 1987 and 1989. Van Horn is a man that knows how to "Call the Hogs" and who knows baseball.

And even if Arkansas fans don't yet know much about his two assistant coaches, Matt Deggs (hitting) and Dave Jorn (pitching), they most certainly know a thing or two about the new volunteer assistant, Tom Pagnozzi. Yes, THAT Tom Pagnozzi. The former St. Louis Cardinal great has decided to come back to Arkansas and help coach the Hogs. Pagnozzi has always been very active in donating to the program and credits DeBriyn with his success in baseball.

So, if Arkansas fans can't have their beloved Coach D, at least they can have his hand picked successor and one of the greatest former Hogs of all time.

And unlike the last time the Hogs got so close to Omaha, in 1999, the "Almost" team from last year has a good core of the starters coming back for another go at it.

Arkansas lost just two position players, one to graduation and one to transfer. The loss of catcher Cody Clark, who transferred to Wichita State, will hurt, but Brady Toops backed Clark up last year, and should be a more than suitable replacement.

The Hogs return seven position starters, and only two of those are seniors this season. First baseman and MVP of the Wichita Regional Nick Pitts, and right fielder Ryan Fox. In fall practice, Fox saw some action at pitcher and should be able to help the team in that area, possibly in a closer role.

Also back are Scott Bridges, Scott Hode, Kirk McConnell and Clay Goodwin, who all started as freshman last season. Andrew Wishy returns for his junior season.

Among the newcomers, the person who looks to make the most impact is slugging first baseman Haas Pratt, a transfer from the University of Miami. The Hogs lacked power last season, so Pratt will be a welcome addition if he can put up the numbers he's expected to. Some of the incoming Freshmen may be expected to contribute right away, as well.

The Hogs are also young on the pitching side, but will probably be led by Juniors Scott Roehl, who pitched a no hitter his freshman year, and Jonathan Richmond, and Seniors Jarrett Gardner (pictured) and Josh Merryman.

The first pitch of the new season is 2pm on February 9th, and only time will tell if this is the year of the Razorback.

Charlie is the webmaster of HogNation (http://www.hognation.net), the online (and only) source for information on former Razorbacks. When she isn't watching sports, she works as a Marketing Assistant at the University of Arkansas Press.

This story originally appeared on SEBaseball.com.