Jacob House didn’t realize a couple of weeks ago he had met his match.

No way the University of Arkansas freshman first baseman-outfielder could fathom he and Brady Toops, a catcher last playing at the UA in 2004, would link like ham and eggs in Razorback baseball history.

“ I had met Brady a couple of weeks ago and he talked to me personally, ” House said. “ Then he came out and talked to us in the locker room [the Tuesday before last weekend’s SEC series with South Carolina ]. After what happened, it’s kind of ironic. ”

What happened is Brady Toops and Jacob House indelibly becom- ing coach Dave Van Horn’s grandest grand-slammers.

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Toops, the Norm DeBriynrecruited catcher, hit the ninth-inning grand slam for then second-year coach Van Horn’s 2004 Razorbacks surpassing Wichita State, 11-9 in the semifinals of the NCAA Regional at Baum Stadium.

Staring at Regional elimination had they lost, those 2004 Hogs went on to beat Wichita State, 4-3 in the winner-takeall final and then swept Florida State in Super Regionals to advance to the College World Series in Omaha.

Last Friday night at Baum Stadium with the Razorbacks staring at a two-out, 11-8 deficit, lefty pinchhitter House hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to beat nationally 17 th-ranked South Carolina, 12-11.

No way now to know if House’s homer has the Hogs Omaha-bound. But it did precipitate Arkansas beating South Carolina, 6-3 and 4-2 last Saturday and Sunday for the Hogs’ first SEC series sweep of 2008.

Now the Hogs, in ninth last week and needing to finish eighth at minimum to qualify for the 12-team SEC’s eight-team conference tournament next week, have at 13-13 in the league forged ahead of South Carolina, 13-14, into eighth place.

Arkansas concludes its SEC season at Mississippi State Thursday through Saturday in Starkville.

The sweep plus a 12-3 nonconference rout of Mississippi Valley State last Monday has the Hogs, 32-20 overall, rolling on a five-game winning streak. Combined with a high RPI from playing a tough schedule, the Hogs make a suddenly strong case for NCAA Regional at-large consideration.

Arkansas came into that South Carolina series having just lost two of three at home to SEC West rival Alabama.

Toops last week told the team about the miracle of 2004. He also related how the DeBriyn-coached Razorbacks of 2002, Toops ’ freshman year, teetered on not qualifying for the SEC Tournament but came together down the stretch. Those 2002 Hogs won the Regional at Wichita, Kan., and took Clemson to the best two of three wire at Super Regionals in Clemson, S. C.

Van Horn had told the squad about Arkansas ’ strong past record against South Carolina, even when the Gamecocks have been the more talented team.

Just words, though, Van Horn said, until House’s home run.

“ When that ball landed in the bullpen, they really believed it, ” Van Horn said last Sunday with the sweep completed. “ It propelled us. ”

Seems to have propelled House, too.

Last month when left fielder Casey Coon and first baseman Andy Wilkins were both injured, House was tried at both spots.

He couldn’t catch a cold at either.

“ Just a freshman, ” Van Horn explained at the time as House struggled in left against Tennessee and at first against Northern Colorado.

Last Monday against Mississippi Valley, House played first for the first time since those April 23 and 24 games with Northern Colorado. He fielded flawlessly, Van Horn observed, while going 2 for 4 with an RBI in his first atbats since Friday’s slam.

“ I think he was a little nervous a month or so back when he was playing a little bit, ” Van Horn said. “ I think he’s grown up some. That home run Friday advanced him mentally a long way. ”

House said he felt fine at first Monday and would feel fine in the outfield, too.

“ I guess something like that, ” House said of the grand slam, “ will always ease the nerves a little bit, if you have any, and get you a little more comfortable with what you are doing. ”

He did admit Monday it’s still taking a while to realize fully what he did with that grand slam.

“ Not yet, ” House said of it all sinking in. “ I’ve watched it a couple of times and it kind of has been surreal. People were asking me what pitch was it ? Do you remember the swing ? Do you remember running around the bases ? I didn’t — but now that I’ve seen it — it’s coming back to me. ”

He does fully appreciate what it means to be linked with Brady Toops.

“ I’ll take that comparison any day, ” House said. “ He’s a great guy. Being compared to Brady will humble you a little bit and make you smile. ”