OMAHA, Neb. — Arkansas assistants Wes Johnson and Nate Thompson came up short of the College World Series just days before accepting their jobs with the Razorbacks.
Johnson, the second-year pitching coach, was part of the national seed Mississippi State team that lost a home super regional to Arizona in 2016. Thompson, the hitting coach, was part of the Missouri State team that lost a super regional at TCU after beating Arkansas in regional play last year.
"That was something I have been talking to my wife, Karen, about kind of down the stretch, that I want to get these players there, but I really want to get these coaches there, as well, because they’ve never been," Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. "I tried not to think about it, to be honest with you. When you lose a game, you’re thinking you’re one game away from going or going home, you start thinking about it a little bit. You have to try to put it out of your mind, but I was really happy for those coaches and I know they were ecstatic after" Monday's 14-4 win over South Carolina to clinch a trip to the College World Series.
Van Horn embraced his coaches in the dugout after the final out of the South Carolina win and told them, "You guys are going!"
"Anytime you get a chance to come up here, it's special, and it's so hard," Johnson said. "Coach Van Horn and I have talked a lot about it, that you get to that point where you get so close and just can't get there."
Johnson had been part of a couple of teams at Dallas Baptist that he thought were capable of playing in Omaha, in 2012 and 2015. The '12 team lost two straight games to Baylor in the regional round and was eliminated (Arkansas beat Baylor in the super regional the following week) and the '15 team was eliminated on its home field by Virginia Commonwealth.
Thompson's only previous experience in Omaha came as a spectator, watching his older brother, Mitch, assist at the College World Series as part of staffs at Mississippi State, Auburn and Baylor.
"I can't thank Coach Van Horn enough for bringing me in and being a part of this program," Thompson said. "I'm an Omahog now. It's like a dream come true."
Van Horn was quick to point out the recruiting efforts of former assistants Dave Jorn and Tony Vitello for helping assemble this year's team. Jorn resigned after 14 seasons as pitching coach in 2016 and Vitello was hired last year as head coach at Tennessee.
"I called Tony on the way home (Monday), after that game, about 11 o’clock at night," Van Horn said. "He really appreciated it. I just thanked him for all of his hard work and helping get some of these players in here. He was really good about it. He said it was a team effort and, ‘You got a lot of those guys and backed me up on those guys.’
"I text back and forth with Jorn, telling him, ‘Hey, I appreciate it. Some of your guys are still here.’ His comment was that it’s good to see those guys continue to get better. To me, you have to give credit where credit is due. I feel like if I can get some decent players, I can handle them a little bit, but you have to get guys that can get them. We all go out there and look and then you have to talk them into coming here. It’s gone pretty good over the last 10 years."
Johnson said he also called Jorn and Vitello earlier this week.
"Those guys get a piece of this (experience), too, in my mind," Johnson said.