Dave Van Horn describes feeling of relief as Arkansas gets back to Omaha

Dave Van Horn is bringing Arkansas back to Omaha for the eighth time during his tenure with the Razorbacks. His team secured their spot via sweeping Tennessee in the Fayetteville Regional, outscoring the Volunteers 15-7 over the two-game span.

Afterwards, Van Horn spoke about what it meant to be heading to the College World Series. Evidently, he felt a bit of relief more than anything, as the overjoyed head coach explained while speaking with the media.

“A little bit of relief, to be honest with you,” Van Horn responded, regarding his reaction. “You know, the last couple of years have been a little tough, losing on your own field. So, relief.”

Arkansas has been among the best teams in the nation all season long, and missing out on Omaha would’ve been a major disappointment for Van Horn. He waxed poetic about how special this team is, and why he’s elated they’re going to experience the College World Series as a group, even if their job isn’t finished.

“I’ve said this all year, this is a special group,” Van Horn added. “These guys have fun. They get along. They’re fun to coach, they’re fun to be around. They’ve got some personality. … It would’ve been hard, for me, if this good a team didn’t get to Omaha, without winning a championship somewhere. They didn’t win a trophy, they didn’t get a ring, they didn’t get the SEC Championship, didn’t get the Tournament championship.

“If we would’ve lost this series, it would’ve been like, this is the best team that didn’t do anything. Now, it’s one of the best teams that’s ever come through here. You never know how it’s going to go from here, but they’re down to the final eight, and that’s a championship to me. That’s big.”

Moving forward, Arkansas will now open play in the Men’s College World Series against LSU on June 14 at 7:00 pm EST. The Razorbacks and Tigers played earlier this season in Baton Rouge, where LSU won the first two games of the series but failed to finish off the sweep.

There’s no guarantees for Arkansas and Dave Van Horn in Omaha, but they’re heading to the dance with a chance of becoming immortal. The ball is in their court now, and it’s up to the Razorbacks to finish the job. Time will tell if they’re able to, or if they come up short of their ultimate goal in 2025.

— On3’s Daniel Hager contributed to this article.