Hogs' Dave Van Horn Preview James Madison Series
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Dave Van Horn announced his starting rotation on the mound and just avoid injuries so it can last awhile ahead of the season-opener against James Madison on Friday afternoon at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
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00:00 >> Start off, do you have your starting rotation set for this weekend?
00:03 >> Yeah, we'll go with Hagen Smith Friday.
00:06 We'll go with Tigert Saturday, Molina Sunday, and Colin Fisher on Monday.
00:13 And how many years, maybe never I've been able to tell you a rotation.
00:17 So hopefully, we'll stay healthy all year.
00:20 We'll be able to figure this one out.
00:22 >> Guess if I knew those top three guys would be there,
00:24 maybe a little bit of question on the order between Tigert and Molina.
00:26 Was there any strategy with that order there?
00:29 >> Yeah, not really.
00:30 Just figured, I don't know, you could probably talk to Coach Hobbs about it.
00:33 But I think left, right, left, it doesn't,
00:36 I guess it really doesn't matter and it could change.
00:40 Just maybe the two guys that have been in our program the longest,
00:45 I mean you could go through a lot of things.
00:47 It's maybe how they pitched.
00:50 But I think they're pretty equal.
00:53 They're both really good.
00:55 So we'll go that way, but no particular reason.
01:02 >> So what went in the decision to go with Fisher there in the fourth game?
01:05 >> We were thinking about Bobby, we've got some other guys as well.
01:08 Bobby tweaked his hamstring a little bit and pitch count was down.
01:13 He tried to pitch last weekend and we were inside.
01:18 He didn't have his best stuff and have the command that he's had.
01:21 But that's kind of what we're looking at.
01:23 I mean if you really look at it, Gabe Gackles pitched really well lately.
01:27 He threw great last weekend and he would be a candidate and
01:33 there's a couple others.
01:34 So it's a good problem to have.
01:37 Some of these guys are young, but their stuff is really good.
01:41 So we'll play it out.
01:44 It's like I told the team yesterday before practice started,
01:46 we had a little meeting in the dugout.
01:48 I just talked about, it's just the beginning of the season.
01:52 And the game will tell us what to do.
01:57 You guys will show us what to do.
01:59 And the cream will rise to the top and we'll figure it out.
02:02 >> Coach, just how tough was it to hear Peyton Stovall broke his foot this
02:08 close to the season?
02:09 >> Well, it was tough.
02:10 It was tough for Peyton.
02:11 It was tough for me personally, for Peyton.
02:13 And I think our team feels really bad for him.
02:16 I mean, he was upset about it when he found out.
02:19 He just, why me, why does this keep happening?
02:22 And missed games last year.
02:24 He was really swinging the bat well, played good too.
02:27 So I just told him, you're one of the stronger guys mentally,
02:33 you can handle this.
02:34 And that's why I was put on you, I feel like.
02:35 And I think that he'll be even more ready to go once he gets it going.
02:41 Gets his live at bats.
02:45 But yeah, it was tough.
02:46 And when it happened, when the ball hit him, we're like, ooh,
02:50 that is not a good spot.
02:51 Even though it was a change up, it hit him flush.
02:54 And he didn't move.
02:55 He's leading off the game and he's mad at himself for not jumping out of the way.
03:01 And I said, well, you play the game the right way.
03:05 And got those, you change up, you just kinda let it hit you.
03:07 And you take your base and you didn't do anything wrong.
03:11 It's kinda the way you're trained.
03:12 And we're sure excited to get him back when he comes back.
03:17 >> And just not having him at second, how do you feel about, I guess, Holt,
03:21 Sprague-Lott, anybody else maybe?
03:23 >> Yeah, Holt will play there.
03:26 And played there the last third of the season, did a great job.
03:30 He was gonna be our starting third baseman.
03:34 So Sprague-Lott, who is gonna probably play a little bit everywhere, will start.
03:39 And he started in college for a few years.
03:41 So I feel good about those guys defensively.
03:46 >> Hey, what can you tell us about James Madison?
03:48 Do you do much of an advanced scout on one?
03:50 >> Yeah, and it's still going on right now.
03:52 I mean, basically what I can tell you is that what we can do is we know
03:57 what they did last year with who's coming back.
04:02 And maybe we've got velocities and tendencies and those type of things.
04:08 But I mean, this is a team that last year hit right at almost 300,
04:13 won a lot of games.
04:14 They're competitive, and
04:19 I don't feel like they would have scheduled to come here a couple years ago
04:24 if they didn't feel good about what they had in the program at the time.
04:27 And then also what's coming in to start the season on the road,
04:32 a long way from home like this.
04:34 >> And their downfielder, Trimble, I think, has got some,
04:37 I believe Trimble's got some really big numbers.
04:38 >> Really good stats, just a tough out.
04:41 You look at his numbers, his strikeouts to walks and batting average.
04:45 I mean, he's the guy that probably built their lineup around, and
04:49 he had a tremendous year last year.
04:51 So really, you try to watch batting practice the first day and
04:57 see if some of the reports are your visual, your eyes, you put on them.
05:02 It looks like what you've read.
05:05 A lot of times you make some changes too.
05:07 And then what does our pitchers throw compared to maybe
05:13 what they're seeing with these numbers?
05:15 So you might switch, you turn the field a little bit on it with those position
05:18 players because of velocity or different things.
05:21 So, yeah, it's the beginning of the year.
05:24 You don't know much about a lot of people.
05:25 So really, I just told our guys, we'll get as much as we can on them, but
05:29 we just need to really take care of what we can take care of.
05:31 And that's for us to play good defense and throw strikes.
05:35 >> Hey, with your batting order with Stovall,
05:37 what's the chain reaction to moving someone else in lead off and go for that?
05:41 >> Pretty much just kinda basically what you said,
05:45 we're just gonna move everybody up.
05:46 We'll probably hit our catcher lead off.
05:48 This might be the first time I've ever done that.
05:50 I know that Biggio was a pretty good lead off hitter in college back in the day.
05:55 And so White's a tough out if he's catching.
06:02 If he's not catching, then we'll flip it around.
06:04 But if White's not catching, he'll be DHing on Friday or Saturday.
06:09 So that's what we're looking like.
06:12 And I'll go left after that, then right, then left, and
06:16 then pretty much right after that.
06:19 If Stovall was in the lineup, he might be hitting lead off for us.
06:23 And then you go left, right, left, right, left, right, probably.
06:26 And then you can finish up with a few right handers at the end.
06:29 So if we get into the game, we feel like the righties are struggling.
06:34 With a right hander,
06:35 then I'll bring a couple of these lefties off the bench and let them hit.
06:38 >> You mentioned the catchers and Hudson's a starter.
06:40 Do you have any plans already in place with the depth that you have to give him
06:45 a day off this weekend, or is it gonna be- >> Yeah,
06:47 I won't catch him all weekend, no doubt.
06:50 I think Helfrich's gonna definitely catch, and you might see another one.
06:54 Just see how it goes.
06:55 But we feel really good about our catchers, and
07:00 I'm sure it's gonna be an ongoing question throughout the year.
07:03 And unless guys just really do well and separate themselves,
07:07 how am I gonna handle it?
07:09 I don't know, I'm gonna let it handle itself right now.
07:12 >> And I'm just wondering, the season's here, any one, two players that maybe did
07:16 the most for themselves in terms of either earning a starting job or
07:20 figuring into the competition as we get to opening day?
07:23 >> I think for the last two weekends,
07:26 I've kind of put together the starting lineup a couple of times.
07:31 And the lineup's done pretty well, has outscored the other team pretty good,
07:36 which is a good thing.
07:37 Doesn't mean everybody in the lineup's done great, but
07:41 as a team, they play pretty well together.
07:44 Again, I told the team yesterday, the lineup will change throughout the year.
07:49 And just cuz you make the starting lineup day one doesn't mean you're gonna be
07:54 there in the 15th game, so you gotta keep working.
07:59 So I can't say that one individual's really jumped himself up.
08:06 I think there's been some separation already going into spring.
08:12 >> Six or seven years ago, you might have had a lot of sophomores and
08:15 juniors in your opening day lineup.
08:17 This year, it's gonna be a lot of third, fourth, fifth year type guys.
08:20 How does that change, maybe, does it change your expectations at all that you
08:24 have older players on the first day?
08:27 >> I don't think it changes my expectation.
08:29 I just feel like that this is basically the way it is, and I've said it for
08:34 two years now, that teams are always gonna be old now, especially in our league.
08:38 You know who you feel like as a coach, a coaching staff, who's in your program,
08:45 who's gonna be back for the next season, and who's gonna be an impact guy, start,
08:51 whatever, and then you've got some young guys coming in.
08:55 But with the way everything works these days, you gotta fill in with some guys.
08:59 And usually the guys you're gonna fill in with,
09:02 they're gonna be a minimum of a sophomore.
09:04 You look at Aloy, who's done a great job of swinging the bat,
09:08 playing defense, great teammate, players love him.
09:10 Well, he's only a sophomore, but he had a really good freshman year.
09:14 And you think he would get better, and he has.
09:18 He's really coachable, and he's done a great job for us.
09:22 And freshman getting in lineups in the SEC, there's gonna be one here,
09:27 one there, I think where you can really do it is on the mound.
09:31 Cuz when you're on the mound, you got the ball, and
09:32 if you get them out, you're pitching.
09:34 And if you can control the running game, and you can feel the position a little bit,
09:38 you don't panic, you throw it over the plate, and you got good stuff,
09:42 you're gonna pitch.
09:42 And I think it's maybe easier to prove it than maybe a position player that's
09:48 gotta do a bunch of things as far as playing defense, hitting,
09:51 knowing the signs, base running.
09:54 And a lot of times it takes a little longer for that guy.
09:57 But we've always had, for the most part, we've had one freshman that plays a lot or
10:02 two that play a lot as a young guy, and they're our dudes as sophomores and juniors.
10:09 >> Maybe expectation's not the right word, and
10:10 I think you were kinda alluding to this.
10:12 But there's more consistency with older guys early in the season.
10:14 Do you think that's fair?
10:15 >> Yeah, I think that that would be true.
10:18 You think about our outfield last year, really three guys transferred in,
10:23 two, and then one that had been here the year before that transferred in.
10:29 And when you just take care of needs like that, and then they come in and
10:33 they do what you think they're gonna do.
10:35 And I think the expectation is that you're older,
10:38 you're experienced, so we should be pretty good right out of the block.
10:41 And I guarantee every team in our league thinks the same thing,
10:44 cuz every team in our league right now says they're going to a regional and
10:49 they have a chance to play in Omaha.
10:50 And maybe talent-wise, that's true, but you gotta play the games.
10:56 >> And then with an older clubhouse where you've got a lot of 23,
10:59 24-year-old types, do you see the freshmen come in and
11:02 mature quicker because they're put into more of an older setting?
11:05 >> That's a good question.
11:06 I don't know if we have any 24-year-olds in there, maybe one.
11:10 But I think the freshmen probably realize they don't have as big a group of young
11:15 guys to go running around and doing silly things.
11:18 So that might help them grow up a little bit,
11:20 because these older guys, they're at the end of their college careers.
11:24 They wanna win, they wanna do well now, they work harder.
11:27 Like you said, they're more mature.
11:29 And I think the younger guys usually follow that lead.
11:33 And if you get one that's really serious when they come out of high school,
11:36 we've got a couple of those in there right now.
11:38 It's interesting, and those are the guys that may be the closest ones to playing
11:43 and pitching right away.
11:45 >> Going back to Peyton Holt and moving him to second, was there any thought to
11:48 maybe keep him at third and put Sprague-Lott at second?
11:51 Or was it a pretty easy choice for you because of the defense and that kind of thing?
11:55 >> It was an easy choice for me, cuz we had already talked about it.
11:59 You gotta plan cuz things happen in the middle of a game that if Stovall was to
12:04 get hurt, how would we handle it?
12:06 If Aloy was to get hurt, how would we flip it around?
12:10 Things like that.
12:11 And Holt has better range than Jared does.
12:19 No knock on him, Jared can field with anybody in the country.
12:22 His glove is outstanding.
12:23 But the experience that Holt gained last year playing here and
12:29 Sprague-Lott has been more of a third baseman in college and
12:33 a little bit of a shortstop.
12:35 Played some second as well as a freshman, but we just feel like that
12:39 double play combination up the middle might be a little more athletic
12:44 with Holt at second.
12:46 >> And Robinette seemed to be really swinging the bat well lately.
12:49 How is he looking defensively?
12:51 And is he a guy that could maybe get some action this first weekend?
12:53 >> Yeah, if you look at him physically and probably from the stands,
12:56 I think you can see that he's in the best shape of his life.
12:59 He pretty much stayed here in the summer and worked out and
13:03 really worked on his body, got stronger.
13:05 And he's a little heavier footed, obviously, than Wagner is.
13:11 But his hands are good, his arms very accurate, and he is strong.
13:14 So that's been a good battle over there.
13:17 I see both of those guys for a while just kinda rotating out.
13:21 Probably DH playing first, probably see that the first couple of days.
13:24 And we're gonna let the games tell us, see what we see in the games.
13:28 And we're talking range and picking balls out of the dirt.
13:32 And the advantage that McLaughlin has, he's a bigger target.
13:35 Wagner has probably better range.
13:39 They both pick the ball out of the dirt.
13:41 So I'm not gonna say one's ahead of the other.
13:44 They both have their pluses and negatives, I guess.
13:47 But they both bring something to our lineup, and that's a little bit of sock,
13:51 and they're tough outs.
13:52 And again, it's not a problem whatsoever.
13:59 It's just a matter of figuring out who to play in the field.
14:02 >> I was looking at James Madison's stats from last year.
14:04 They stole a lot of bases, had a lot of bunts.
14:07 Is that something you've maybe focused on a little bit extra leading up to
14:10 the season?
14:11 And is that maybe a good test for your infield and your new catchers?
14:15 >> Yeah, I think they stole about 90 bases last year or something.
14:18 But they also got thrown out 30 some times.
14:20 So what that tells me is they're gonna keep doing it.
14:23 That's part of their game.
14:24 Some of those are probably on swing and miss hit and runs.
14:28 So they're not just sitting trying to single, single homer.
14:32 They're gonna hit and run, try to advance runner,
14:33 probably give up and out to move somebody to score in a position.
14:36 Yeah, we work on it a lot.
14:39 We talk about, especially early in the season,
14:41 we're playing teams from normally east or the north.
14:46 They're inside a lot.
14:49 They'll try to run a first and third offense on you, try to steal a run from you.
14:52 And if we're up five runs in the fifth, we'll give it to them.
14:55 Let's get in there and hit.
14:57 If it's late in the game, you gotta defend it a little better.
15:01 Bunch, you gotta be on your toes.
15:03 So we know that that is a major possibility.
15:07 And the SEC, they don't run as much cuz pitchers are quick to the plate and
15:11 the catchers can really throw.
15:13 You gotta really pick and choose your time and you gotta really work at it.
15:16 Kentucky and Vandy do it a lot.
15:18 They have those type of players.
15:20 They play on turf.
15:21 So you know what you know with the league.
15:24 But the non-conference guys, you just know that they're gonna probably doing
15:30 something to score, besides hitting the ball all over the field.
15:34 They're gonna try to manufacture runs.
15:36 >> With the wireless communication that your players are using now,
15:40 was that much of an adjustment the last few weeks?
15:43 >> Yeah, I was just feeling comfortable with it's probably the biggest adjustment.
15:46 And that includes me because I'm calling signs or
15:50 calling plays with someone standing next to me that's plugging it in.
15:54 And what if that someone who's plugging in and gets sick that day?
15:57 I gotta make sure that I know what I'm doing or somebody else so
16:00 we can get it in.
16:01 Cuz we really don't have physical signs cuz it's a better system and
16:06 it's quicker.
16:07 The opportunity to run pick off plays and
16:11 because with what I call the shot clock, the 22nd clock,
16:16 it's hard to put stuff on cuz the catcher,
16:21 we used to have to get out and put signs on at everybody.
16:23 And now you gotta go.
16:28 Like you gotta be, and I'm always thinking a pitch or two ahead,
16:32 even when we're on offense.
16:33 But on defense, if you see something, you plug it in.
16:38 Let's pick this guy off first, runner first and second, nobody out.
16:42 One out, we're gonna slide that guy in there and pick.
16:44 You probably see more picks than normal just because it's easier to get them in.
16:48 We wanna do it during the game, but
16:50 a lot of times we just can't get his attention or whatever the case may be.
16:54 Now they're trained to look at that and it says, catcher picked it first.
16:59 The catcher gets a sign, he's given the pitches.
17:04 If we wanna call in a pitch, we can still radio it into his ear.
17:09 And our pitchers, like the big leagues, they have it in their hat.
17:12 And it's talking to them.
17:14 Slider away, I mean, if you were standing next to him, you'd hear it.
17:17 And every now and then it probably doesn't work like it does in the big league.
17:19 And I guess we get to hopefully not have to use one of our
17:24 offensive, defensive timeouts on that.
17:28 I'm sure there's gonna be some times where we're just shaking our head,
17:32 like what are we doing with all this?
17:33 But it does speed up the game.
17:36 And if technology works correctly, I think it's a good thing.
17:43 >> Now that we're almost to the season, do you have a feel for Dylan Carter and
17:46 Adam Hatchman and what they might be able to do for you, if anything?
17:50 >> Yeah, Dylan threw a bullpen the other day and he was really good.
17:52 And I mean, it's amazing, he's way ahead of schedule.
17:57 Cuz when he heard it last year, I didn't think he'd pitch this year.
18:00 Just going off of history and what's going on with guys that have had this
18:05 injury, but he's way ahead of the game, so to speak, as far as recovery.
18:10 And he wants to pitch this year.
18:15 He's got two years of eligibility left.
18:17 If he only had one, then I would probably have a little more serious conversation
18:23 with him like, hey, this is what we're gonna do.
18:25 We're gonna redshirt you.
18:26 Come back next year and be right in the middle of it again.
18:29 This year's like, you could still be right in the middle of it, but
18:32 if it doesn't work out, you still have another year.
18:37 If we get into it, when it's about time for him to possibly pitch for us,
18:41 we will talk with him.
18:43 And it'll be the conversation will be, do you wanna use a year to try?
18:49 And if it doesn't go good, it is what it is.
18:52 And Hatchman, he's a big old guy with a big arm.
18:56 He's starting to get there, and if he's ready to go in a few weeks,
19:00 we'll ramp him up and we'll see what happens, see if we can go there.
19:05 [BLANK_AUDIO]
19:07 >> Anything else, Coach?
19:08 >> I wanted to ask about Dean Weber.
19:10 >> Yeah, yeah, sad deal.
19:12 I've known Dean since I was a player here, 1981, '82.
19:17 I mean, Dean, I just have a lot of memories of him,
19:19 cuz we all were in the same area.
19:20 Up there in the Broyles Center, football, baseball, everybody.
19:25 It was football's area, but we were all in there.
19:28 We didn't feel comfortable in there all the time.
19:30 Didn't wanna be in there getting any treatment.
19:33 But Dean, he took control of that room.
19:37 I mean, you could hear him snapping around and popping off and
19:42 getting right back with those young guys and getting after guys he didn't feel
19:45 that should be in there and just, his career.
19:48 He spent so many years here at the University of Arkansas and
19:52 finished up in the foundation.
19:54 And he's always been a big fan of baseball here.
19:56 And he'd come by and we'd talk a little bit.
19:59 Every time I'd go by there, we'd talk.
20:01 And he'd always want me to just come and sit in his office and
20:04 we'd talk about the old days for a little bit.
20:06 But just, it's super sad, super sad to see someone that we all loved and
20:14 he loved this university and this athletic department pass on.