Hog piles symbolize Arkansas' success in baseball

Arkansas players dog pile after defeating South Carolina 14-4 on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks advanced to the College World Series for the ninth time in program history.
Arkansas players dog pile after defeating South Carolina 14-4 on Monday, June 11, 2018, in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks advanced to the College World Series for the ninth time in program history.

I've listened on occasion to discussions on sports talk radio about whether the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville is a football or basketball school.

Arkansas is neither. The Razorbacks have long been known for their domination in track and field with 45 national championships, including the five times the Hogs have swept NCAA championships in cross country and indoor and outdoor track in the same school year. I was reminded of Arkansas' reputation for excellence during an award ceremony last fall at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville. Runners from all over the country took turns taking pictures at the podium with the words "Arkansas Cross Country" overhead.

That's respect.

Fans could argue Arkansas is a baseball school under Dave Van Horn, who hits the trifecta in what college coaches are paid to do. He wins, he puts fans in the seats, and he prepares players for possible professional careers on a consistent basis.

The hog pile that followed after Arkansas clinched a trip to the College Word Series last week is not a rare sight. It was similar from 2004 when Arkansas defeated Florida State 4-2 before a crowd of 10,007 at Baum Stadium. Instead of Jake Dugger leaping atop the hog pile it was current stars like freshmen Casey Martin and Heston Kjerstad, who joined in the fun while a crowd of 11,217 stood and cheered the Razorbacks following a 14-4 victory over South Carolina.

There were also hog piles home and away in 2009, 2012 and 2015.

Qualifying for the eight-team College World Series is equivalent, I suppose, to making the Final Four in basketball or playing in a top tier bowl game in football. So, Arkansas will take the field today at the College World Series for the ninth time in school history and the fifth time under Van Horn. The opponent is Texas, which has caused more misery for longtime Arkansas fans in football than LSU, Alabama and Auburn combined.

Arkansas' best finish in the College World Series came in 1979 when the Razorbacks finished as national runners-up to Cal State-Fullerton under Norm DeBriyn. Younger fans should be aware that DeBriyn was a longtime coach who built the Razorback baseball program and helped Van Horn to succeed the same way Eddie Sutton paved the way for Nolan Richardson in basketball.

Van Horn is a former Razorback who led Nebraska to consecutive World Series appearances before returning to Arkansas as coach in 2003. The Arkansas coaching staff, which includes Wes Johnson from Sherwood, lead a team with 11 in-state players on its roster.

Carson Shaddy and Grant Koch are former high school teammates from Fayetteville who received SEC honors along with Blaine Knight of Bryant and Casey Martin of Lonoke. Shaddy, a first-team selection, hit a three-run home run to highlight Arkansas' 14-4 win over South Carolina that clinched another trip to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series.

"It's gotten better and better as time goes on," Van Horn said when asked about the quality of baseball in Arkansas. "We get to go recruit these kids and see them in bunches on the weekends most of the time."

It's common to see Van Horn scouting area high school baseball games for talent, and fans are excited when one of their own gets to suit up for the Razorbacks. That contributes to the large crowds at Baum Stadium, which averaged nearly 11,000 fans and led the nation in attendance for the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

The focus now turns to TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha, where Mississippi State and Florida from the SEC have also advanced. This Arkansas team could provide some excitement for Razorback fans like Brett Eibner did in 2009 when he hit a two-out, tying home run in the ninth inning against Virginia. Arkansas went on to win the game 4-3 in 12 innings and finish in a third-place tie at the College World Series.

Regardless of how high Arkansas finishes in Omaha this year, another batch of Razorbacks will continue to follow their dreams as professional baseball players. Arkansas had 11 players drafted this year, including Knight, the ace of the staff who was selected in the third round by the Baltimore Orioles.

Don't be surprised to see some of these guys in the big leagues one day like the nine former Hogs who've appeared in major league games this season.

It's part of the process at Arkansas, where hog piles have come to symbolize the success the school enjoys in baseball.

Sports on 06/17/2018

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