A season with strange start could end with biggest prize

In retrospect, we probably should have known Arkansas’ baseball season was going to be special back in the opener against Bucknell on February 16.

Shortstop Jax Biggers, the first batter of the season, got on base with a bunt single.

Yes, a bunt single kicked off the season. Nobody can remember that happening before.

Now, in Omaha, the Razorbacks could end the season with something they’ve never had — a national championship.

Considering the start, well, this really shouldn’t be surprising. Even the weather issues in Omaha the last couple of weeks can’t be that surprising. As Dave Van Horn has mentioned on a couple of occasions, this team has had weather issues all year.

This team has played in 60-degree weather one day, then in the 30’s the next day. Some games were colder than that.

As good as the Hogs were in Baum Stadium this year, they struggled just as much on the road. They were even swept in a road series against Mississippi State.

To be honest, this team has played better when folks were ready to throw up their hands during the season … and, yes, there were a few of those situations. Even after their three losses at home, the team always bounced back.

Van Horn knows it and he’s hoping to use that for tonight’s game.

“I just want them to come out tomorrow with the attitude that tomorrow is do or die,” he said after Tuesday night’s 4-1 win over Oregon State in the first game of the finals. “I think we play a little better that way.”

Winning that game one was strange all by itself. The Hogs had a big fifth inning that resembled several this year.

The opponent’s pitching gave Arkansas free passes via walks or hitting batters. At the plate, the Razorbacks were working the count deep. Then the other team screws something up in the field and the track meet is on.

We’ve seen that play out time and again this year.

“We put together one good inning, and they walked a couple people and got a couple of hits, hit a batter or two, and we felt like we left a couple runs out there, but it ended up holding up,” was how Van Horn summarized in his opening postgame remarks.

For a finals series that was supposed to feature a lot of hitting, the first game was the direct opposite. There wasn’t a single home run in the entire game.

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That means tonight could be interesting for Hog fans. This team’s bats haven’t remained silent two games in a row very often.

If it does turn into one of those hitting festivals, Razorback fans could be celebrating late into the night with their first national championship in a major sport since 1994.

A championship season that started with a bunt.