FAYETTEVILLE — While Hog fans are anticipating what should be a very exciting football season and possibly dreading what will be the 2010-11 basketball season, Dave Van Horn’s No. 7 Razorbacks baseball team continues to craft what could be an outstanding season.
It’s already been pretty good.
The Hogs are 34-8 after Tuesday’s 5-4 gut-check victory over Missouri State. They lead the SEC West by two games at 13-5and are just one game back of South Carolina, the SEC’s overall and Eastern Division leader at 14-4 in SEC play and 32-8 overall.
The Razorbacks are a shoo-in to host a Regional — season ticket holders go their order forms this week — and if they finish SEC play as strong as they have performed up until now, they will be in the hunt to be a national seed to the NCAA Tournament,which would give them right to host a Super Regional if they make it that far.
While there is a long way to go, this Razorback squad is stacking up to be one of the best if not the best in the Dave Van Horn era. It has just the right combination of power and consistency at the plate and pitching and fielding on defense.
No matter how you size the Hogs up or with whom you match them, they will be a hard out of tournament play. Yes, the Razorbacks have lost two key road series at LSU and Florida, but each and everyone of those games were close, and could have been victories had a play or two or a call at the gone their way.
There have been Razorbacks teams in the past that would have wilted after such setbacks, but this Hog baseball team keeps plugging away. There is a quiet confidence about them that doesn’t let them get shook up. They know they are good and they don’t let a loss or an atrocious anticipated call knock them off their stride.
That’s a great quality to have in a sport like baseball in which no one game or no one performance during the regular season can make or break a team.
This Razorback team, too, is mature enough to not get caught up in the trivialities of the game. A 5-4 victory over a squad like Missouri State could worry a less confident team coming off back-to-back losses to Florida.
It might make another team tighten up for a pivotal series like the one the Razorbacks have with Auburn (28-14, 10-8 SEC) this weekend. But don’t expect that to be the case when the Tigers invade Baum Stadium. The Hogs fully understand midweek games this late in the season are just meant to be survived. It’s a good opportunity to work the bullpen and avoid a day of practice.
In the end, whether the Hogs run a midweek opponent out of the stadium or clip them by a single run, a victory is still a victory. The main thing is to stay healthy for the weekend.
The Hogs accomplished that Tuesday night with no muss and very little fuss.
