FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas baseball coach Dave Van Horn had a little fun at his own expense on Thursday at the opening press conference for the 2019 season.
Van Horn was asked if he was ready for his “deal” on Friday night and his response was “What deal is that?”
The former Razorback infielder and 17th year head coach knew, of course, the deal is his induction ceremony into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Van Horn, 58, had actually been voted in for the 2017 class but could not match his schedule up to the grand, formal induction ceremony in Little Rock. This time around, the ceremony came to him.
Van Horn will be honored at the Fayetteville Town Center with a reception tonight at 5 with the ceremony to follow an hour later.
The timing could hardly have been better for Van Horn to join the ASHOF. He led the Razorbacks to the College World Series for the fifth time in his tenure last June and to a runner-up finish for the second time in school history.
Norm DeBriyn, his predecessor as Arkansas baseball coach, a mentor, and the first coach to lead the Razorbacks to the championship round in Omaha, Neb., in 1979, will be one of the speakers tonight.
Van Horn downplayed his status among Arkansas sports legends.
“We’ve rounded up a few tickets,” he said. “Honestly, I was worried about people showing up, but I guess it’s going to be OK, so I’m excited about it.
“You know, normally there are seven or eight people going in, you’re up speaking for five minutes and they’re trying to get you off stage because they need to get to the next guy. I almost feel like I should speak for a little longer, so I’ve planned for that.”
The formal induction ceremony for the 2019 class will take place at the Statehouse Convention Center on March 29, a date that conflicts with an Arkansas baseball game against Ole Miss.
Noteworthy
Van Horn enters his 17th season as head baseball coach at Arkansas with a 963-523 overall record in Division I and a 643-364 mark with the Razorbacks. … He has led five Arkansas teams to the College World Series, including a runner-up finish in 2018. … A UA graduate, he is married to the former Karen Lee and has daughters Hollan and Mariel. … Van Horn is the sixth man with ties to the Razorback baseball program to enter the ASHOF, joining Coach Norm DeBriyn and players Kevin McReynolds, Melvin McGaha, Tom Pagnozzi and Cliff Lee. ... Tickets are $75 apiece and can be purchased by calling 501-313-4158 or online at www.arksportshalloffame.com.