Jorn bids farewell as praise flows

Longtime Arkansas pitching coach Dave Jorn speaks Wednesday May 25, 2016, about his departure from the program during a press conference at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- The phone calls, texts and accolades have poured in for Dave Jorn since he announced Monday he was stepping down as the team's pitching coach.

Twenty-year assistants with track records such as Jorn's tend to draw those reactions.

"I didn't bring a towel with me. Hopefully I won't cry," Jorn said to open his farewell news conference Wednesday at Baum Stadium.

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Gracious, humble and soft-spoken as always, Jorn, 61, explained that the grind of the year-round calendar of college baseball had been on his mind the past couple of years.

"I don't think most people really know what goes in to what we do," Jorn said. "The amount of time you've got to put in, it just got to the point that I really didn't want to spend that much time anymore. All of that kind of went into my decision."

Jorn's final pitching staff, with an SEC-worst 5.02 ERA this season, will be viewed as an outlier from his two stints with the Razorbacks, which covered 1983-88 and 2003-16. Jorn's 2012 staff helped power Arkansas to the College World Series, and his pitchers compiled a 1.89 ERA the next year -- the best in college baseball since 1976.

"We've had some teams here that if it wasn't for his pitching staffs, we never would have made it to Omaha or finished in the top of our division or whatever the case may be," Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said. "The year that jumps out at me is 2012, when we couldn't hit the ball out of the infield and we made it to Omaha and was 2-0 at the College World Series."

Jorn said Arkansas' postseason trips, including six College World Series appearances and another he likes to claim, stand out as his best memories.

"I think I've been a part of like seven College World Series teams," he said. "And I count that '89 team too because I coached those guys all fall before I left."

Yet Jorn saved his most poignant remarks for the quality of relationships he built with the players at Arkansas.

"The main thing is, as I look back and I get all these texts from all these kids, just seeing the impact that you're able to have on their lives and the influence you can have ... as you try to get them to understand what it's all about. I think that's probably the most gratifying thing that I've experienced as I look back on it for 20 years."

Jorn said a daily devotional time with the pitchers helped him stay strong through the disappointment of this year's 26-29 record and the program's first year without a postseason since 2001.

"That might have been the one saving grace that kind of keeps you grounded as to what life is all about and what's really important," he said. "It was very rewarding."

Nick Schmidt, a two-time All-American at Arkansas in 2006-07, attended Jorn's news conference.

"He's just an incredible guy," Schmidt said. "You guys heard that his heart is in it for the kids. He could care less for the baseball side of it. It's more about developing the individual to be who the Lord intended them to be.

"I can speak first-hand for what he's done in my life. I consider him a mentor to this day."

Current and former Razorbacks -- pitchers and position players alike -- paid tribute to Jorn's time at Arkansas the past few days on social media.

"Always hard on us but always knew he wanted the best for us and for us to be successful men not just players. Thanks PapiJ," 2013 All-American Ryne Stanek wrote on his Twitter account.

"A great coach and an even better human being," former outfielder Tyler Spoon wrote. "It was truly an honor and a privilege to play for Coach Jorn."

"Made me a better baseball player and an even better man. Words can't describe how thankful I am for him," wrote junior right-hander Zach Jackson.

"You're the baseball wizard. Thank you Papa Jorn for being such a great father figure for the Razorbacks. Mahalo!" added senior second baseman Rick Nomura.

Jorn has been making recruiting calls on behalf of the program, and he said he would continue to help Van Horn and assistant coach Tony Vitello in recruiting and other areas as his contract runs through the end of June.

Sports on 05/26/2016