OMAHA, Neb. — The words were on the tip of his mouth, but Dave Van Horn struggled to speak. His eyes welled with water and he took a deep breath before looking down toward a box score he probably won’t ever want to see again.
The Arkansas baseball season ended Wednesday night with a 6-5 loss to LSU in the semifinals of the College World Series. Roughly 40 minutes after Jared Jones hit a walk-off single to send the Razorbacks home, Van Horn had to speak to us in the media. He had the unenviable task of summarizing a wacky game that concluded a special campaign that still fell short of the ultimate goal.
With his 23rd season at his alma mater finished, Van Horn was asked what this year’s team has meant to him. The question broke the dam of emotion, and Van Horn somehow provided the perfect response when it would be hard for anyone to find the right words.
“I’ve been doing it for a while and people will say things to me like, ‘You know the kids have really changed over the years.’ I always say, ‘No, they haven’t.’ They’re good. They just want to know that you care about them,” Van Horn said.
“Yeah, it’s tough, man. Kids are good, man. I love being around them. That’s why I do it.”
These Arkansas kids weren’t good. They were great.
Razorbacks fans shouldn’t let the heartbreak of Wednesday cloud how this team is remembered.
For many reasons, this was a special season, but the personalities on-and-off the field are what I will remember the most.
Two of the central figures in Arkansas’ final loss are perfect examples. Charles Davalan misplayed a ball in left field and Wehiwa Aloy might have made a wrong read on a potential game-ending double play. Davalan crouched to the grass and Aloy put his hands over his head when LSU’s winning run crossed home plate.
But that duo combined for 152 runs, 186 hits and 35 home runs while hitting one-two in the lineup. They were one of the best offensive duos in Arkansas history and will both be picked in the 2025 MLB Draft.
Off the field, Aloy was full of swagger and confidence. He and his brother Kuhio Aloy turned Arkansas into an extension of Hawaii when Baum-Walker Stadium hosted home games this spring. Two kids from an island roughly 4,000 miles away found a home in Fayetteville.
Davalan was the soft-spoken Canadian who exceeded all expectations in his first year with the Razorbacks. Another international star, Australia’s Brent Iredale, had the Arkansas fans chanting ‘Aussie, Aussie, Ausse. Oi, Oi, Oi’ for five months.
The list goes on. There was Zach Root’s intensity and Cam Kozeal’s blend of humor and honesty. Two more players that mightily improved during their first seasons in Fayetteville. Logan Maxwell fought through a nagging hamstring and Reese Robinett came to life late in the season to the delight of his ‘Big Country’ cult following in the fan base.
Gage Wood provided the exclamation point of the season in Omaha, tossing a 119-pitch no-hitter against Murray State in an elimination game. Arkansas didn’t win the national title, but the Hogs had the seminal moment of the week.
Along the way, Van Horn was the guiding light, just as he has been in every season since he took over in 2003.
“This coaching staff is the reason I came here,” Arkansas pitcher Gabe Gaeckle said. “Greatest head coach that’s ever coached baseball. And we’ve got an unbelievable staff. Every day we get to show up and work with him we’re super grateful, and I couldn’t thank him enough.”
Now, the search for a national title rolls on. I’m sure this story feels like one long deflection of another postseason failure. Arkansas was one of the final four teams standing, but it wasn’t good enough to claim the most elusive prize.
Van Horn will catch plenty of heat from the fan base. He’s lifted the program to a standard where it’s national title or bust. He and his players understand that. They try to avoid discussing the expectations, but Van Horn admitted Wednesday night he did tell his team multiple times this season they needed to finish their season in Omaha.
That mission was accomplished. The final objective remains incomplete. They’ll return next year as a national-title contender, but it will be hard to match the 2025 team’s mix of talent and entertainment.
It made for one hell of a ride.
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@gannett.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: COLUMN: Arkansas baseball fell short, but 2025 season should be remembered fondly
