David Kevin Van Horn (born September 17, 1860) is an American baseball coach and former infielder, who is the head baseball coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Born in Stanton, California,[2] Van Horn graduated from Winnetonka High School in Kansas City, Missouri in 1979.[3] He then played junior college baseball at McLennan Community College in Texas for two years, earning all-conference and all-region honors as a freshman, while helping the Highlanders finish third in the JUCO World Series. His next season brought more individual and team success, as the team finished eighth in the nation and Van Horn earned All American and Region 5 Player of the Year accolades. Turning down the Chicago White Sox, who drafted him, he transferred to Arkansas for the 1982 season.
As a Razorback, Van Horn would earn All-Southwest Conference and SWC Newcomer of the Year awards for his performance. He was also recognized as team MVP. The Atlanta Braves selected Van Horn in the 10th round, where he would spend his next three years in the minor leagues.
Family
Coach Van Horn met his wife, the former Karen Lee, while serving as a graduate assistant at Arkansas. The couple has two daughters, Hollan and Mariel. Three grandchildren.
Dave van Horn departs the field after a 2009 mound visit in Baum Stadium.
Dave Van Horn's first collegiate head coaching job was in 1994 for the Central Missouri State Mules, now called the University of Central Missouri. Van Horn coached that team (51-11 record) to their first NCAA Division II national championship, in the Division II College World Series.
Van Horn's subsequent teams have had plenty of success as well, reaching the College World Series nine times, seven occurring at Arkansas (2004, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022), the other two during his tenure at Nebraska (2001 and 2002). As a graduate assistant at Arkansas he has reached the CWS twice more, in 1985 and 1987. Coach Van Horn also led 17 straight teams to the NCAA tournament, from 1999–2015.
Arkansas reached the SEC Tournament every year under Van Horn as head coach from 2003–2007 and again in 2009. The 2008 team did not qualify for the SEC Tournament but qualified for the NCAA tournament.[4]
On April 5, 2015, Van Horn won his 500th game as the Arkansas coach.[5] On March 11, 2020, Van Horn won his 700th game as the Arkansas coach.
2009
Arkansas went 34–22 in 2009, and set University records for single-game attendance (11,434) total season attendance, (269,216) and actual attendance (173,946). Despite beating #1 Arizona State twice, the Hogs faltered at the end of the season, losing their final eight SEC games.
Arkansas returned to Omaha in 2009. The team won the Norman regional by knocking off top-eight seed Oklahoma. The Hogs next defeated Florida State twice at Dick Howser Stadium to punch their ticket to the College World Series. The Razorbacks were not expected to do well at the Series, but defeated the favored Cal State Fullerton Titans. Next, the Hogs were defeated by LSU, but staved off elimination the next day by beating Virginia in twelve innings. The Hogs were eliminated by eventual national champion LSU in game 11.
2012
Arkansas went 46–22 in 2012, which was the most wins in the Van Horn era and the most for a Razorback team since 1990, but limped into the postseason at the Houston Regional having lost both games it played at the SEC Tournament. Once it got in, it defeated Rice and then defeated Baylor at the Waco Super Regional to advance to the College World Series.
Arkansas won its first game in Omaha, defeating Kent State 8–1. The Razorbacks then ended South Carolina's 22-game postseason win streak with a 2–1 victory. The Gamecocks got them back though, winning 2–0 and 3–2 in the next two games to advance to the final, only to lose to upstart Arizona in the best-of-three championship series.
2015
After an extremely slow start to the 2015 campaign, where the Razorbacks were .500 going into April, Van Horn rallied the troops and the team responded by winning seven of its last eight SEC series and finished fifth overall in the SEC, and third in the West behind No. 2 national seed LSU and Texas A&M. Arkansas won the Stillwater Regional by defeating Oral Roberts, host Oklahoma State and St. John's in succession. The Razorbacks then caught a break by getting to host the Fayetteville Super Regional at Baum Stadium because Missouri State, the No. 8 national seed, couldn't host because it shares Hammons Field with the Springfield Cardinals. It took all three games of the best-of-3 series, but Arkansas defeated the Bears to clinch Van Horn's sixth trip to Omaha overall and fourth with the Razorbacks, tying him with former coach Norm DeBriyn.
2015 College World Series
Arkansas lost both games it played in Omaha in 2015, which was the first time since 2004 that the Razorbacks did not win a game there. They fell to Virginia in the CWS opener, 5–3, and then fell to Miami in an elimination game, 4–3.
2018
The Razorbacks came into the 2018 season with enormous expectations, and they lived up to those expectations. Arkansas earned a share of the SEC Western Division title with Ole Miss, and secured the No. 5 overall national seed in the NCAA tournament.
Arkansas hosted a regional at Baum Stadium, dispatching Oral Roberts, Southern Miss and Dallas Baptist in consecutive games in the Fayetteville Regional to advance to the Super Regional, also in Fayetteville, with SEC foe South Carolina. The 3-game series went the distance before the Razorbacks defeated the Gamecocks to clinch its fifth trip to Omaha of Van Horn's tenure, and ninth in program history, with a 14–4 victory on June 11.
2018 College World Series
Arkansas won its opening game in Omaha against former Southwest Conference rival Texas, 11–5. The game was delayed by weather in the sixth inning for nearly three hours.
Arkansas then defeated another former SWC foe in Texas Tech, upending the Red Raiders 7–4. This game was delayed by inclement weather twice. Originally scheduled for 7 p.m. on June 19, the game was rescheduled for 11 a.m. on June 20. Thunderstorms delayed the game further, and was finally played at 2:30p.m. that afternoon.
Arkansas defeated Florida in an elimination game for the Gators to earn a trip to the CWS finals against the Oregon State Beavers. The Razorbacks took game 1 of the series after it was delayed a day by weather, 4–1.
The Razorbacks were on the verge of securing their first baseball national championship but misplayed a foul ball with two outs in the 9th inning of Game 2, which would have ended the series and given Arkansas the title. It left the door open and the Beavers won the game and won the rubber game the following evening, forcing Arkansas to settle for a national runner-up finish.
2021
After seeing the previous season be cut short because of COVID-19 after just 16 games, Arkansas went into the 2021 season with high expectations, looking to make its third consecutive trip to Omaha.
The Razorbacks spent most of the campaign ranked No. 1, and ended up winning the SEC title outright for the first time since 1999 and won the SEC Tournament for the first time under Van Horn.
It was also the first time since 1989 that the team won 50 games and the fourth time in school history. Arkansas hosted a regional and defeated NJIT and Nebraska twice to advance to the Super Regional, before succumbing to NC State in three games to not make the College World Series for the first time since 2017.
2022
Arkansas spent much of the season ranked in the top five, eager to follow up on a terrific 2021 campaign. A late season swoon kept them from hosting a regional for the first time since 2015.
The team went to Stillwater again, dispatching Grand Canyon and #7 national seed Oklahoma State twice to advance to the super regional, where the Razorbacks had to travel to Chapel Hill. Arkansas upended the #10 national seed Tar Heels in two games to secure Van Horn's seventh trip to Omaha as the Hog boss and ninth overall.
2022 College World Series
Arkansas opened its Omaha slate by walloping #2 national seeded Stanford 17-2, the highest victory margin for a Razorback team in the College World Series and tallied 21 hits, an Omaha record.
The Razorbacks dropped their next game to Ole Miss, and had to win an elimination game against division rival Auburn to play Ole Miss again. Arkansas beat the Rebels on Wednesday, June 22, but had to do it twice to advance to the championship series, and the following day Ole Miss' Dylan DeLucia threw a complete-game shutout to end Arkansas' season.
National championPostseason invitational champion Conference regular season championConference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season championDivision regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion
The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot in 1910 to the Arkansas Razorbacks after a hard-fought battle against LSU in which they were said to play like a "wild band of Razorback hogs" by former coach Hugo Bezdek. The Arkansas Razorbacks are the only major sports team in the U.S. with a porcine nickname, though the Texas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas play in Division II.
The LSU Tigers baseball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team participates in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference. The Tigers play home games on LSU's campus at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field, and they are currently coached by Jay Johnson.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team competes as part of NCAA Division I, representing the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in the Big Ten Conference. Nebraska plays its home games at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park, built in 2001 to replace the aging Buck Beltzer Stadium. The program began intercollegiate play in 1889 and has been coached by Will Bolt since 2020.
The 2007 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was held from June 1 to 24, 2007. Sixty-four NCAA Division I college baseball teams advanced to the post season tournament after having played through a regular season, and for some, a conference tournament.
The 2008 LSU Tigers baseball team represented Louisiana State University in the NCAA Division I baseball season of 2008. This was the final year for the team in the original Alex Box Stadium. A new stadium was built during the season and opened on opening day of the 2009 season.
The Virginia Cavaliers baseball team represents the University of Virginia in NCAA Division I college baseball. Established in 1889, the team participates in the Coastal division of the Atlantic Coast Conference and plays its home games at Davenport Field at Disharoon Park. The team's head coach is Brian O'Connor. The team has reached the College World Series six times, most recently in 2023, and won the national championship in 2015.
The South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college baseball. South Carolina has perennially been one of the best teams in college baseball since 1970, posting 35 NCAA tournament appearances, 11 College World Series berths, 6 CWS Finals appearances and 2 National Championships: 2010 and 2011. Carolina is one of six schools in NCAA history to win back-to-back titles. Since joining the Southeastern Conference in 1992, the team has competed in the Eastern division. South Carolina owns a stellar 32-20 record at the CWS, holds the NCAA record for consecutive wins (22) in the national tournament and the longest win streak ever at the CWS in which the Gamecocks played for national titles all three years.
The Ole Miss Rebels baseball team represents the University of Mississippi in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team participates in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They are currently coached by Mike Bianco and play at Swayze Field. They have competed in the College World Series six times, with their first national championship coming in 2022.
The University of Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and is coached by Dave Van Horn. The program started in 1897, and is in its 102nd season of play in 2024. Arkansas is one of only four schools in the SEC to turn a profit from its baseball program in recent years, along with SEC Western division rivals LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.
The 2009 Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team represented the University of Arkansas in baseball at the Division I level in the NCAA for the 2009 season. Dave van Horn, a former Razorback player, is the coach in his fifth year. The team clinched a berth in the 2009 College World Series with a defeat of the Florida State Seminoles on June 6. The Razorbacks' run in Omaha ended on June 19 when they were defeated by the LSU Tigers, finishing tied for third nationally with the Arizona State Sun Devils.
The 2009 NCAA Division I baseball tournament was held from May 29 through June 24, 2009 and is part of the 2009 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 NCAA Division I college baseball teams were selected out of an eligible 286 teams on May 25, 2009. Thirty teams were awarded an automatic bid as champions of their conference, and 34 teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.
The 2010 South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team represented the University of South Carolina in the 2010 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Gamecocks played their home games in Carolina Stadium. The team was coached by Ray Tanner, who was in his fourteenth season at Carolina.
The 2012 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, June 1, 2012, as part of the 2012 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 team double elimination tournament concluded with the 2012 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, starting on June 15 and ending on June 25.
The 2013 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, May 31, 2013, as part of the 2013 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64 team double elimination tournament concluded with the 2013 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, which began on June 15 and ended with the final round on June 25. The UCLA Bruins swept the Mississippi State Bulldogs in a best-of-three series to win the NCAA National Championship, the university's first in baseball and the 109th national title in all sports.
The 2016 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, June 3, 2016, as part of the 2016 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64-team, double-elimination tournament concluded with the 2016 College World Series (CWS) in Omaha, Nebraska, starting on June 18, 2016, and ending on June 30, 2016. The 64 participating NCAA Division I college baseball teams were selected out of 298 eligible teams. Thirty-one teams were awarded an automatic bid, as champions of their conferences; the remaining 33 teams were selected at-large by the NCAA Division I Baseball Committee.
The 2018 NCAA Division I baseball tournament began on Friday, June 1, 2018, as part of the 2018 NCAA Division I baseball season. The 64-team, double-elimination tournament concluded with the 2018 College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, starting on June 16 and ended on June 28. The Oregon State Beavers defeated the Arkansas Razorbacks in the best-of-three final series to win the championship.
The 2018 Oregon State Beavers baseball team represented Oregon State University in the 2018 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Beavers played their home games at Goss Stadium at Coleman Field and were members of the Pac-12 Conference. The team was coached by Pat Casey in his 24th and final season at Oregon State. The Beavers began the season ranked #2 by Baseball America and were unanimously selected by Pac-12 coaches to repeat as conference champions.
The Super Regional round of the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball tournament were eight best-of-three-games series to determine the participating teams of the 2021 College World Series. These matchups were:
The 2022 NCAA Men's College World Series was the final stage of the 2022 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. It was scheduled from June 17 through 27 at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska, but ended on June 26. This marked the 75th edition of the College World Series and 72nd time the event was held in Omaha.
The 2022 Ole Miss Rebels baseball team represented the University of Mississippi in the 2022 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Rebels played their home games at Swayze Field. In 2022, the Rebels went from the last team into the field of 64 NCAA tournament to the National Champions. The Rebels began their post-season with a loss in the SEC Tournament to Vanderbilt before they got hot. As the 3 seed in the Miami regional, the Rebels demolished the field, defeating Arizona, the host team Miami, and Arizona again to head to a Super Regional. In the Super Regionals, the Rebels traveled to Hattiesburg, MS where Southern Mississippi played host. In front of record crowds, Ole Miss outscored Southern Miss 15-0 in a two-game routing to head to Omaha for the first time since 2014. In Omaha, the Rebels remained hot, taking down Auburn and SEC foe Arkansas, before losing its first postseason game to Arkansas in a potential elimination game for the Razorbacks. In game three of the series against Arkansas, Rebel pitcher Dylan DeLucia threw a complete-game shutout to push the Rebels to their first College World Series championship game in program history. The Rebels ran through Oklahoma in two games to win the 2022 College World Series and complete their last-to-first run. The team was featured in the 2022 documentary, Belief: The Season Ole Miss Baseball.
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