Dave Van Horn's Razorbacks baseball squad seems to be heating up at just the right time.

A month ago, it appeared the Hogs were on the ropes and almost down and out as far as postseason play was concerned, but slowly and surely they seem to be turning things around.

The Razorbacks have won six of their last eight games and their last three Southeastern Conference series to pull within a half game of second place and 1 1 / 2 games behind Ole Miss in the clogged Western Division.

With three SEC series to play, the Hogs (27-18, 9-11 SEC ) have one fewer victory than Alabama (26-21, 10-11 SEC ) because of a game lost to rain at Vanderbilt. And LSU (29-16-1, 9-11-1 ) has a tie game that leaves the Tigers' percentage points ahead of the Hogs in the Western Division race.

Why is that important ?

Well, the team that finishes second in the SEC West earns a spot in the eight-team Southeastern Conference Tournament, and while making that event does not guarantee the Razorbacks will move on to an NCAA Regional, history would be on their side.

The biggest obstacle in the Razorbacks' way of earning a bid to the SEC Tourney is their Western Division record.

Going into this weekend's series with Alabama, the Hogs are 4-5 in the West, while Alabama is 7-5 and LSU is 5-4.

In case of a tie, the team with the best record within the division gets the nod.

So, basically, the Razorbacks just need to keep doing what they have been doing of late - win and keep winning, particularly this weekend.

While the Razorbacks have nine SEC games left, the trio this weekend can do them a world of good.

If the Hogs win the series this weekend, they leapfrog past Alabama in the standings in the loss column. If Arkansas sweeps, the Hogs would pull ahead of the Crimson Tide period.

A series win would not guarantee the Hogs anything as far as the postseason goes, but a series loss this weekend might put such goals out of reach. So, any way you stack it up, this weekend's series is a pivotal one. If you only attend one Razorbacks baseball series this season, this is the one where the Hogs can certainly use your support. With a little luck, the weather will even cooperate. According to The Weather Channel, today's thunder showers should let up by noon, and Saturday and Sunday the skies are supposed to be partly sunny with temperatures in the 60 s.

Holtz in the Hall Lou Holtz joins the likes of Troy Aikman, Billy Cannon and a number of others as this year's electees in the College Football Hall of Fame. While Holtz spent his final seasons coaching against Arkansas at South Carolina, he, of course, made his first big splash on the college scene as the Razorbacks' head football coach and Frank Broyles' on-the-field successor.

When he stepped down as the Razorbacks' head football coach, Broyles left the cupboard fully stocked for Holtz. Lou made the most of it, guiding the Razorbacks to a 11-1 season in 1977.

The only loss was a 13-9 defensive struggle against the Earl Campbell-led Texas Longhorns in Fayetteville, but by the end of the season fans weren't worried about that loss. The Razorbacks pulled off one of the biggest upsets in bowl history in the 1978 Orange Bowl, stunning second-ranked Oklahoma, 31-6.

The Hogs were regarded as such a longshot because Holtz had suspended starters Ben Cowins (tailback ), Michael Forrest (fullback ) and Donny Bobo (wide receiver ) for breaking dorm rules.

Holtz coached the Razorbacks through the 1983 season, leading Arkansas to six consecutive bowl games, one shared SWC title and four top-10 rankings.

Outside of the Oklahoma victory, Holtz's other standout win at Arkansas was a 42-11 blowout of No. 1 Texas at Fayetteville in 1981.

Holtz resigned under duress in December of 1983, citing burnout, but less than a month later, he was back coaching at the University of Minnesota.

Years later, Broyles admitted that he fired Holtz and also called it a mistake.

Holtz, of course, went on to coach at Notre Dame from 1986-96 and won a national title there in 1988.

To the public, Holtz was known for his wit and one-liners, but some in the Arkansas media who covered him still tell horror stories about the experience.

But, most Hog fans remember Holtz's days at Arkansas fondly and much to their chagrin, Arkansas hasn't been ranked in to the top 10 of a final national poll since his 1982 team finished ninth in the Associated Press Poll and eighth in the United Press International / USA Today Poll.

Terry J. Wood is the sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times.