When Dave Van Horn and Arkansas dispatched the University of Texas in a three-game sweep last weekend, you could hear a metaphorical pin drop. First, sweeping any Southeastern Conference team is not the easiest task. Those victories really resonate when it’s Texas, the top-ranked team in the nation.
Dave Van Horn Outfoxes Longhorns, Earning Praise
In outscoring UT by a score of 28-9, the Hogs proved they could not only outscore the Longhorns but shut them down at the plate as well. Dave Van Horn, Arkansas’ ever-evolving manager, borrowed a pitching tip from his Texas counterpart, Jim Schlossnagle.
One of the co-hosts of “The D1 Baseball Podcast,” Aaron Fitt, detailed Van Horn’s brilliance using long reliever Gabe Gaeckle, from the 36-minute point in this video.
“Having Gabe Gaeckle is a scary proposition. For whatever reason, he’s just wired for that role. That’s not saying he can’t be a starter down the road, but right now, he’s electric. He can shorten a game. We’ve all seen how valuable that is. The stuff is really good. It’s four real pitches”.
Gaeckle, the sophomore from Aptos, California, picked up a new role as the long reliever, a bridge between the starters and the closer. After starting nine games, he began his new role on April 18.
In his three appearances out of the bullpen, the 2024 Freshman All-American stifled opponents with eleven innings of one-earned-run baseball with 15 strikeouts. One of Fitt’s co-hosts, Kendall Rogers, mentioned where the use of a long reliever looked familiar to him, stating:
“The way they’re using Gaeckle right now reminds me of the way Schlossnagle used Chris Cortez last year for A&M. It was kind of that long relief, bridge guy, the elite arm.”
Familiarity Between Arkansas and Texas
Rogers brought up former Texas A&M pitcher Chris Cortez, who could not be a better example. In 2024, Cortez appeared in 25 games, 22 out of the bullpen. In 64.2 innings, he struck out 107 batters, posting a 2.86 earned run average.
Van Horn saw this up close when the Hogs played the Aggies on May 18, 2024. On that day, Cortez pitched three innings in relief, striking out eight and walking three on his way to a victory.
The coach saw what worked against his team and implemented it against others.
Van Horn understood what the series meant, and his team played accordingly. Schlossnagle was impressed and taken aback by watching Arkansas send his team back to Austin on the negative end of a sweep. In a quote to Sports Illustrated, the Texas skipper praised the opponents, stating:
“You can’t play this kind of baseball and expect to even be competitive in the postseason. Give all the credit to Arkansas. They outplayed us in every shape, form, and fashion they possibly could.”
Van Horn’s team served notice and let the rest of the conference and nation know that the Razorbacks are for real and need to be taken seriously.
Granted, the Texas sweep serves as a watershed moment for the University of Arkansas. However, they cannot rest on their laurel. With the SEC Tournament at the end of this month, UA cannot look too far ahead.
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Arkansas needs to finish strong to finish the season with six games against LSU and Tennessee.
Van Horn is the new coach and comprehends the magnitude of the moment. At this point in the season, no one expected his team to play this week. SEC attrition affects many teams as they dream of playing in the College World Series.
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