Days After Heart-Breaking Super Regional, Rivalry with Oregon St. Showed Again

Scene in, around Razorback diamond not typical natural feel for Arkansas baseball, but never felt more right

(This story orginally ran on June 12, 2023)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Nothing about the scene taking place over at Baum-Walker Stadium Monday felt right other than the kids.

Roughly a week out from the official start of summer, the sun lit up the road between the stadium and indoor hitting facility, but couldn't produce enough light through the clouds to punch the cool morning temps up into the 60s. Crews were slowly trickling in to get a head start on breaking down the concourse areas behind the main stadium seating. Not long afterward, a group of young men filed in with their families to check in for the first of two camps to get started Monday. 

One parent quipped that he was worried the camp might get cancelled for this week, one of multiple dates players could choose, because he had heard some sessions were forced to be cancelled in the past. A nearby parent overheard and mentioned that probably happened because weather and a Game 3 might have forced Arkansas to play on a Monday. 

There was no threat of shutdown for an extended super regional this year. There were no distractions. TCU had made sure of that. 

The focus was fully on the young men who were present, so much so that one young man who rolled his bat bag from the first base dugout to the third base dugout got a truly kind worded pre-camp lesson on respecting the hallowed college baseball grounds upon which he walked while also keeping in mind that players don't want to upset the people in charge of keeping the field in pristine condition. 

If the feel wasn't different enough from the typical second week in June, Razorbacks John Bolton, Will McEntire and Koty Frank, who were on hand to help coach, had their roles spoken of in the past tense instead of what they were about to do in Omaha in a few days. Introductions included an announcement that not only does Frank intend to return to the team, but that he will enter next season as a married man. 

Pop-ups and grounders were fielded while leftover drinks were gathered up and moved out of the stadium. By the time the players got back from hitting lessons at the indoor hitting facility to be sorted into Royals and Rangers for four inning baseball games set up in right and left field, a catering truck filled the right field side of the concourse as two men struggled to lift what appeared to be a condiment stand into the back. 

The afternoon featured an intense hitting camp that shuffled a few players from the morning out for a handful of older teenaged faces. While coaches had them break down film of Tavian Josenberger, Jared Wegner and Kendall Diggs, requiring them to determine the relationship of belt angle in the swing process to quality of hit, golf carts zipped around the now open lanes of the concourse putting the finishing touches on the cavernous feel. 

While the younger group took turns using what they had been taught across the street to drive balls just past the outfield fringe, a gentleman from Oregon wandered around asking if anyone could point him to who he might be able to talk to about getting his son's highlight video as a catcher into the hands of Dave Van Horn. They live next to Oregon State, he explained, and the young man in the video had received several offers, but he only wants to be a Razorback. The gentleman revealed he had tried to send video via Twitter, but didn't know if it had been received, so he loaded up and made the 4, 240 mile round trip to find a way to make sure his grandson got on the radar. 

Everything Monday was about the future, which seems off brand for Razorback baseball this time of year. But what wasn't off was the young men talking about all the things they learned in the first of what for some will be five three-hour sessions that their coaches either couldn't or hadn't taught them yet. That was a future that felt right in every way, no matter how cold it was in the South just over a week from the formal start of summer.

HOGS FEED:

BEAVERS BRING ELITE MLB PROSPECT, NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

OREGON STATE WILL BE ULTIMATE TEST OF HOGS' PATIENCE, FOCUS

TRANSFER TRACKER SEASON OFFICIALLY BEGINS FOR ARKANSAS BASKETBALL

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