Dave Van Horn: Tony Vitello helped 'get this thing going again' at Arkansas

One of the multiple storylines during the Fayetteville Super Regional between Arkansas and Tennessee came from the head coaches. Tony Vitello once worked under Dave Van Horn, spending four seasons with the Razorbacks as an assistant. The two have stayed close since Vitello left in 2018 despite competing at a high level in SEC play.

Celebration came from Van Horn when Arkansas punched its ticket to the College World Series. But he also took a moment to speak with Vitello, giving him some credit for where the program is today. Van Horn knows Arkansas would not be where they are without some talent infusion that Vitello is responsible.

“I hated that one of us had to lose, honestly,” Van Horn said. “Tony did a great job when he came in here, recruited some really good players, and then left, and then we stayed good. I told him that. He helped us get this thing going again. We had a couple years where it didn’t go great, just okay. He helped bring some good players in here, coached them up, then he got a great job, and doing a tremendous job there. But we’ve maintained it and even accelerated it even more.”

Arkansas made the NCAA Tournament in three of the four years Vitello was on campus. Only once did they advance past the regionals but it was a trip to Omaha in 2015. More to Van Horn’s point about Vitello having a long-term impact, the program has not missed an NCAA Tournament since his time and is one of college baseball’s more consistent teams.

With Tennessee hiring Vitello ahead of the 2018 season, Arkansas made a trip to the College World Series championship series to finish runner-up. The following year was another appearance in Omaha. Making it back this season meant the Razorbacks have been one of the final eight teams in four of the seven opportunities since Vitello’s departure.

To be fair, there has been plenty of success for Vitello since he left to become a head coach of his own. In fact, the resume might be even more impressive. Tennessee has made the Super Regionals in five consecutive seasons and the College World Series on three occasions. Nothing will beat winning a national championship as the Vols did in 2024.

Van Horn has the chance to match his former assistant with a few more wins in Omaha. If Arkansas is able to get the job done, he knows Vitello deserves some of the credit.