Van Horn named top coach in league, Kopps top pitcher

Arkansas will have to make more room in the trophy case at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Kevin Kopps was named the SEC Pitcher of the Year and Dave Van Horn took home SEC Coach of the Year, the conference announced Monday.

Arkansas covered the ballot from top to bottom, with six others earning awards.

Kopps is 10-0 with a nation-best 0.75 ERA in 60.1 innings of work this season, striking out 97 batters while allowing only five runs on the year. He is the first Arkansas student-athlete to win the league’s Pitcher of the Year award since Nick Schmidt in 2006.

Van Horn, in his 19th season as Arkansas’ head coach, was voted SEC Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. He led the unanimously top-ranked Razorbacks to an outright SEC championship and 22 conference wins in the regular season.

Three Razorbacks were selected as First Team All-SEC honorees, including Robert Moore, Matt Goodheart and Kopps. Christian Franklin and Patrick Wicklander, meanwhile, picked up Second Team All-SEC recognition.

Cayden Wallace was named to Freshman All-SEC Team. Moore and Peyton Pallette earned spots on the Newcomer All-SEC Team.

Arkansas placed three student-athletes on the conference’s All-Defensive Team, including Moore, Franklin and Kopps.

Pitcher of the Year
Kevin Kopps, Arkansas

Coach of the Year
Dave Van Horn, Arkansas

First Team All-SEC
• 2B: Robert Moore, Arkansas
• DH/UT: Matt Goodheart, Arkansas
• RP: Kevin Kopps, Arkansas

Second Team All-SEC
• OF: Christian Franklin, Arkansas
• SP: Patrick Wicklander, Arkansas

Freshman All-SEC Team
Cayden Wallace, Arkansas

Newcomer All-SEC Team
Robert Moore, Arkansas
Peyton Pallette, Arkansas

SEC All-Defensive Team
• 2B: Robert Moore, Arkansas
• OF: Christian Franklin, Arkansas
• P: Kevin Kopps, Arkansas

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Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.