Razorbacks Ready to Put it All Together Ahead of Regional
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With their path to Omaha laid out, Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn hopes that the additional time off will help the team perform better that the 3-7 record that capped off the final 10 games heading into the NCAA Regional.
"We basically had an optional lift and hit," Van Horn said. "[It] didn't take much, wearing shorts and t-shirts. Kind of a day off, they all like to lift and they were short lifts.
Then again today, kind of the same type workout going on right now. Still resting up a little bit, trying to get some energy, get some strength and get everything [everyone's] mind right. Just be ready to play."
When the Hogs take the field again, it will have been eight days since Arkansas last played a game of baseball. Its opponent in the first game, the Southeast Missouri Redhawks, went 3-1 to win the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament and didn't punch its ticket until Saturday afternoon with a 9-6 win in the championship game over Morehead State.
"A lot of people don't realize the grind that the kids go through at this level [and] the coaches go through," Van Horn said. "We don't play once a week. We don't play two or three times a week. We travel all over the place and we're playing four and five games, pregame. There is a lot going on, a lot of hotels and you have to learn how to mentally handle this grind."
Van Horn also hopes that the extra time between going 0-2 in the SEC Tournament and the start of the regional can patch up any nagging injuries that his team may be facing.
"It’s all about getting to this point," Van Horn said. "It’s about finding a way to get to a regional and hopefully we’re fairly healthy now, maybe as healthy as we’ve been all year, at least on the offensive end."
Arkansas opted to play the day game of the regional to open the four-team bracket to keep the team in a similar routine and more leeway to fight through any potential weather.
The Razorbacks will open the Fayetteville Regional against the Redhawks 2 p.m. Friday. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Kansas State and Louisiana Tech will play in the other game at 7 p.m.
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DANIEL SHI