Figured this is a better format than me just doing a story where I write a bunch of stuff and add a few quotes. Let me know if y'all like this.
The league was every bit as good as we thought it was. People were saying the West is down. No, the West was never down; the West was really good. It made it look like other teams weren’t as good as maybe people thought they were.
But I’m just so proud of them. We really fielded the ball. We pitched extremely well. I thought down the stretch, we hit the ball extremely well, and our at-bats were really good. We ran into a really hot team. We got hot, but they were a little bit hotter. Just proud of these guys and wish them all the best and want to thank them."
But I feel real good where we’re at. There’s a few more things going on. It’s just the way it is in Division I baseball right now, especially at the level we play at. You’ve got to do this if you’re going to survive."
Fall ball will be fun this year. I think there’s going to be a lot of competition, as it should be when you’re talking an SEC-type school. Arkansas, Kentucky, it doesn’t matter. You should have good players on campus, the ones that you want to go into the SEC games with and the ones that know how to battle and earn a spot.
Most of these kids when we talk to them, they know that they have to come in here and work and beat some guys out. The kids that wanted us to tell them, ‘hey, it’s yours. We’re not going to go after anyone else.’ Maybe we didn’t want that guy. We want guys that want to work and battle."
So really in most cases, or probably all cases actually, it’s probably for the best - for them. For us, depth and all of that, yeah, it’s great. But me as a head coach looking down the bench and they’re not in the lineup, it gets difficult the older they get. If I don’t know at the end of a season that there’s and 80% chance that guy’s going to be an every-day starter in the field or that pitcher’s gonna have a big-time role.
And in some cases they want to be starters and they’re having trouble getting on the field as a middle guy or a reliever and they’re saying ‘I really want to start, I’m 21 years old’ then it’s probably best for them to go somewhere were they might feel like they’ll have that opportunity."
Number one, we want (a catcher) to really be able to receive the baseball. Obviously leadership qualities are big for us...In some cases, kids just want to leave, they want to go to a program where they feel like they have a chance to get to the World Series, they want to play in a different league, coaching change, maybe they feel like they can develop more at a different place, but a lot of times it’s because maybe at their position, there’s someone around the same age who’s getting most of the reps for one reason or another.
Maybe because he’s a left-handed hitter and they hit righties and coach likes left. You could go on and on. I’ve heard it all. But we just try to evaluate all of the above as far as can he handle a pitching staff, good catch-and-throw guy and then the bat, to me, is last when it comes to the catcher."
Hagen was the same way. He threw the two innings on Sunday, and after the game he called us and said, ‘I’m really tired.’ The velocity was 90 to 93, which is pretty good. He did walk a few people. He didn’t give up a run, struck four of the six hitters. But he threw 20-plus pitches each inning.
Even if he had made the team … We don’t know what was going to go on there with either of them. But he pretty much told them, ‘I’m done.’
As far as sending those guys out, we said, ‘No, you need to go rest. If you want to come up in a few weeks, starting training again and get ready for fall baseball.’ But two freshmen honestly that just kind of hit a wall. And it happens."
There’s 20 rounds, if you see someone’s name pop up, then they probably already made a deal. Very rarely now with limited rounds are teams going to select somebody (they won’t sign), unless it’s a little later or they’re going to take a chance and they just, I don’t know, on a whim.
But with 20 rounds, they’ve got to get those kids signed.
We’re doing as much as we can to try to find out what these guys are really thinking. I truly believe some of these kids, and they’re talking to some of these pro people now, they’re trying to figure out, are they really going to get the amount that they want? And then if they don’t, we just want them to stay strong.
If they say they want a million dollars, and they’re being told we can’t give you more than $500,000, then they should come to school and triple that."
It’s been great keeping all these coaches here. I feel like they won’t leave unless they get the right head coaching job. There has been some opportunities to be head coaches for both of them over the past few years. There has even been an opportunity for one of them to go straight to the big leagues from here a few years back. We just don’t put it out there, but our players know that we have outstanding people coaching them."
What Dave Van Horn had to say during end-of-season recap
See what Arkansas HC Dave Van Horn had to say about the 2022 season and what the roster will look like in 2023.
arkansas.rivals.com
Recapping how the 2022 season went:
"I just really appreciate the effort from our team. What a fun team to coach, the 2022 team. It started in the fall, we could tell we had a special group that liked each other...What a run they made at the end. It was where we wanted to finish. We felt like in the fall we could get there.The league was every bit as good as we thought it was. People were saying the West is down. No, the West was never down; the West was really good. It made it look like other teams weren’t as good as maybe people thought they were.
But I’m just so proud of them. We really fielded the ball. We pitched extremely well. I thought down the stretch, we hit the ball extremely well, and our at-bats were really good. We ran into a really hot team. We got hot, but they were a little bit hotter. Just proud of these guys and wish them all the best and want to thank them."
Where things are at with Connor Noland possibly returning for a fifth year:
"I think that he loves wearing this uniform. I just think if things aren’t exactly what he wants then there is an opportunity. Obviously there is a chance he’ll come back. I’ve met with him about it. We’ll see how it goes...I don’t think Connor’s just gonna go because somebody says ‘Hey, we’re gonna give you a little bit of money and go play.’ It’s gonna have to be a situation where he feels really good about it, the organization is serious, and if not you could see him back. And obviously we’d love to have him back. But he’s got to make that final decision."Overall thoughts on how things are going in the transfer portal:
"I think we’ve done a pretty good job. I feel like for us, it’s about what we think these players are all about, really, as a player and we’re trying to get good people in with our culture and our locker room. In some cases, it’s maybe not the big splash, that big name out there — which, that’s fine if you get those guys — but we’re trying to go after the guys we feel are going to help our lineup or help our pitching as far as depth or a role, whether it’s a starter, reliever, closer.But I feel real good where we’re at. There’s a few more things going on. It’s just the way it is in Division I baseball right now, especially at the level we play at. You’ve got to do this if you’re going to survive."
Breaking down most of the transfers coming from the junior college ranks:
As far as the junior college guys, obviously we went after a couple of right-handed hitters, a couple of left-handed hitters, guys that put up numbers. In one case, a guy started out at a really good Division 1, went to JUCO and crushed it his second year at the JUCO, and we think that’s going to continue here. We feel good about them. A couple of in-state guys, a couple of guys from far away.Fall ball will be fun this year. I think there’s going to be a lot of competition, as it should be when you’re talking an SEC-type school. Arkansas, Kentucky, it doesn’t matter. You should have good players on campus, the ones that you want to go into the SEC games with and the ones that know how to battle and earn a spot.
Most of these kids when we talk to them, they know that they have to come in here and work and beat some guys out. The kids that wanted us to tell them, ‘hey, it’s yours. We’re not going to go after anyone else.’ Maybe we didn’t want that guy. We want guys that want to work and battle."
Were any of the guys who decided to transfer out surprising:
"None of them were surprises...They understand, we understand what’s going on now with the portal and opportunity to play. These are guys that have been in the program a couple of years and hadn’t played much. And as a coach and maybe even them evaluating themselves, it was a big risk for them to come back and play.So really in most cases, or probably all cases actually, it’s probably for the best - for them. For us, depth and all of that, yeah, it’s great. But me as a head coach looking down the bench and they’re not in the lineup, it gets difficult the older they get. If I don’t know at the end of a season that there’s and 80% chance that guy’s going to be an every-day starter in the field or that pitcher’s gonna have a big-time role.
And in some cases they want to be starters and they’re having trouble getting on the field as a middle guy or a reliever and they’re saying ‘I really want to start, I’m 21 years old’ then it’s probably best for them to go somewhere were they might feel like they’ll have that opportunity."
Addressing the catcher position, where the team has nobody on the roster and just one commitment in the portal:
"We’ve committed another catcher, but I can’t give you any names yet. We’re fine.Number one, we want (a catcher) to really be able to receive the baseball. Obviously leadership qualities are big for us...In some cases, kids just want to leave, they want to go to a program where they feel like they have a chance to get to the World Series, they want to play in a different league, coaching change, maybe they feel like they can develop more at a different place, but a lot of times it’s because maybe at their position, there’s someone around the same age who’s getting most of the reps for one reason or another.
Maybe because he’s a left-handed hitter and they hit righties and coach likes left. You could go on and on. I’ve heard it all. But we just try to evaluate all of the above as far as can he handle a pitching staff, good catch-and-throw guy and then the bat, to me, is last when it comes to the catcher."
Why pitchers Brady Tygart and Hagen Smith will not pitch in the Cape Cod Baseball League:
Really with Brady, he’s just tired. A little sore. He knew that was going to be it for him after he threw.Hagen was the same way. He threw the two innings on Sunday, and after the game he called us and said, ‘I’m really tired.’ The velocity was 90 to 93, which is pretty good. He did walk a few people. He didn’t give up a run, struck four of the six hitters. But he threw 20-plus pitches each inning.
Even if he had made the team … We don’t know what was going to go on there with either of them. But he pretty much told them, ‘I’m done.’
As far as sending those guys out, we said, ‘No, you need to go rest. If you want to come up in a few weeks, starting training again and get ready for fall baseball.’ But two freshmen honestly that just kind of hit a wall. And it happens."
Thoughts on LHP Zack Morris and if he will return next season:
"Draft wise, I think Zack could be drafted. I don't think he's going to sell himself short. I think he'll come back unless he gets pretty good money. We're hoping he comes back. We're planning on it right now. But we also know that he has a decision to make. I'm sure there's scouts calling him now and they're talking about money and opportunity. But yeah, he was outstanding down the stretch."How many of the freshmen do you expect to make it to campus:
Don’t really have a number there. We know who there’s a possibility of losing them. If we lose them, we get it.There’s 20 rounds, if you see someone’s name pop up, then they probably already made a deal. Very rarely now with limited rounds are teams going to select somebody (they won’t sign), unless it’s a little later or they’re going to take a chance and they just, I don’t know, on a whim.
But with 20 rounds, they’ve got to get those kids signed.
We’re doing as much as we can to try to find out what these guys are really thinking. I truly believe some of these kids, and they’re talking to some of these pro people now, they’re trying to figure out, are they really going to get the amount that they want? And then if they don’t, we just want them to stay strong.
If they say they want a million dollars, and they’re being told we can’t give you more than $500,000, then they should come to school and triple that."
Thoughts on NIL and how it's changed conversations with recruiting:
"This year, it's got some legs, and there's places where they can get money. I say get money, they get an opportunity to represent some company or advertise or whatever the case may be. And I'm good with it. I want these guys to to make some money, and I'd like them to make a lot of money and come to school and play for us and you know learn how to handle money and learn about taxes and pressure and people you know bothering them wanting to get a piece of this and a piece of that. I think it's a great experience for them. Plus, being a college kid and being able to have some money, it's kind of nice."Retaining the coaching staff can be a pretty good thing:
"It’s great. Continuity. The players like to know who is coaching them, they like to know them. In our case, three or four years strong. Nate I think is five, and me forever it seems like to some people.It’s been great keeping all these coaches here. I feel like they won’t leave unless they get the right head coaching job. There has been some opportunities to be head coaches for both of them over the past few years. There has even been an opportunity for one of them to go straight to the big leagues from here a few years back. We just don’t put it out there, but our players know that we have outstanding people coaching them."
