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It was inevitable.
In the world of sweat arts, there are always a few that need a specific reason why a team lost.
Whether it’s Little League or the World Series, those who have to blame usually find the easiest target to be the manager or the coach.
In the aftermath of the University of Arkansas losing two games to North Carolina State No.17, 6-5, 3-2, some called up at least one of the many sports shows on KABZ , 103,7, The Buzz to point a finger at Dave Van Horn.
Hosts usually let them say what they have to say, then remove them from the phone.
One of the two most heard criticisms is that Van Horn pitched Kevin Kopps for too long.
This season, Kopps was the relieving Ironman pitcher for the Razorbacks, and in my opinion. he won the right to start what turned out to be the last game of the season.
Other than a few pitches he was once again spectacular, and what pitcher didn’t have a few pitches he would have liked to have pitched differently or not to pitch.
The other major complaint was that the Hogs weren’t aggressive enough at home plate and were looking for ways to get to base, instead of swinging towards the fences.
First, Van Horn had no batting presence in the three-game series, and second, this team has won 50 games hitting home runs, leading the nation in that statistic.
It was a long ball hitting team, and yes, hitting was part of the strategy, but in the final game the Hogs were almost always one home run to win it.
In his 19 seasons with the Razorbacks, Van Horn led the Razorbacks to six College World Series and has a 750-402 record.
Looking for someone to blame is only part of what a coach goes through, and Van Horn has always said he prefers to be blamed on him than on his players.
For over 50 years, the Razorbacks baseball team has been good.
It all started in 1970 when Norm DeBriyn was hired by Frank Broyles, far from driving education.
In its fourth season, the Hogs were in the NCAA tournament and in 1979 a national powerhouse.
DeBriyn, one of the nicest people in the world (and an ordained deacon in the Catholic Church), missed two innings of winning the national championship in 1979 and the very few who were so disappointed they were unhappy probably blamed the coach, who blamed himself. .
DeBriyn took the Razorbacks to four College World Series and retired from the Hogs with a 1161-650-6 record.
He chose Van Horn, one of his former players, to take his place, then DeBriyn achieved the greatest feat of his career: he took a step back.
He was still there, but he didn’t linger in the background or hang out in the shadows.
He let Van Horn have the team, and that was great altruistic leadership from DeBriyn.
He looked after the Razorback Foundation, and when Harold Horton took over as president he wasted no time handing over his duties to DeBriyn, including parking the football which is one of the toughest jobs in the foundation.
Like Horton, DeBriyn handled it perfectly.
In recent years, the lack of success of football and basketball teams has put baseball and its success in the spotlight even brighter.
Razorbacks fans were starving for a few wins, and over the past five seasons the baseball team has grown to 200-78, including last season’s shortened covid-19 schedule.
Over the past 50 years, the Arkansas baseball team has averaged over 38 wins per season, and while there have been lows, there have obviously been many more highs.
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