Dave Van Horn offers initial reaction to Fayetteville Regional draw

The Field of 64 is set and, with that, the Arkansas Razorbacks are getting ready to host the Fayetteville Regional. That includes the Kansas Jayhawks, Creighton Bluejays, and North Dakota State Bison who will round out the Regional.

For his part, Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn wasn’t particularly surprised by the draw. Now, he knows it’s time to get ready for that group of teams coming into town next weekend.

“That’s pretty much who I thought was coming,” Dave Van Horn said. “Obviously, Nebraska winning yesterday, there was a possibility of them coming in as a three. I did feel like KU would come in being three hours up the road as a two. They’ve had a great season. I felt like it was going to be either North Dakota State or [Arkansas] Little Rock coming in as the four. So, pretty much what I thought.”

Arkansas is coming off a 43-13 season overall that saw the Razorbacks go 20-10 in SEC play. That includes a 32-4 record at home, where the Fayetteville Regional will be played. Despite losing in their first SEC Tournament game, it was a phenomenal season for Van Horn and the Razorbacks. Now, they’re looking to leave their mark on the postseason.

Last season, Van Horn led Arkansas to hosting a NCAA Regional. However, they were bumped out of the NCAA Tournament at that point. It’s now since 2022 when the Razorbacks got past the Regional stage. That season, they made it all the way to the College World Series.

During his time at Arkansas, Dave Van Horn has coached 23 seasons, won 926 games, and has gone to the College World Series seven times. He previously went twice with Nebraska as well. However, Van Horn has never won a College World Series, which he’s hoping to change this season.

Standing in Arkansas’ way is a handful of interesting teams. North Dakota State went just 20-32 but made the Field of 64 as a Summit League Tournament champion. Just 11-26 in road games, the Bison have a long road ahead of them. Kansas, meanwhile, had an excellent season in the Big 12. At 43-15 overall, and a 20-7 record in road games, the Jayhawks will be a major threat. Creighton, also, can’t be overlooked coming off a 41-14 season with a 20-8 record in road games.

Arkansas is going to open the NCAA Tournament on Friday at 2:00 p.m. when the Razorbacks host North Dakota State. Their following game is going to depend on if Arkansas wins and the result of the other opening matchup. The ultimate winner of the Fayetteville Regional is going to take on the winner of the Knoxville Regional.