Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

1/27/2012 at 3:40pm

Scan the various preseason baseball rankings and you’ll see Arkansas ranked among the nation’s Top 10 teams. One poll has the Razorbacks as high as No. 4 nationally, and once again they’re expected to be competitive deep into the season.

This is what happens when you return 19 lettermen from a team that won the SEC West and advanced to a 10th consecutive NCAA Tournament. Arkansas added another well-regarded recruiting class, despite some high-profile prospects electing to go pro. So when you blend in the guys who made it to campus with the ones who return, it is easy to understand why outsiders expect the Razorbacks to be a factor in the postseason.

But if you really want a sense of where Dave Van Horn has his program, check out the most recent construction project at Baum Stadium. Crews have been working to bring the right-field fence in 10 feet, meaning the ball will have to travel 365-plus feet to get out of the park instead of 375.

What does this have to do with the Razorbacks’ standing nationally? How is this a better measure of progress than rankings?

Moving the fences was done to counter one of the biggest knocks against the Razorback program by prospects. Van Horn and his staff were constantly met with questions from hitters — particularly left-handed ones — about the depth of right field at Baum Stadium.

Those fears from recruits were often planted in their heads by opposing schools.

People view the Razorbacks as a real player nationally. All the signs are there, including rivals doing all they can to ensure kids don’t sign with Arkansas.

Frustrating as fighting the whispers of opposing coaches has been, Van Horn also finds it somewhat flattering. If competitors are resorting to fear tactics to recruit against Arkansas, that says a lot about the state of the program.

“Yeah, I think it's a compliment,” Van Horn said during a media appearance Friday. “We are in good shape. We have been pretty good since '09.”

As Arkansas began extending its streak of NCAA Tournaments and made the College World Series in 2009, more and more programs started to take notice. They were, Van Horn said, constantly in recruits’ ears about Baum Stadium being too tough for batters, especially left-handed hitters.

Never mind the numbers put up by former left-handed-hitters-turned-pro prospects like Zack Cox and Andy Wilkins. Cox, working his way through the Cardinals’ organization, hit .400 in his final season and had 22 home runs in two years with the Razorbacks. Wilkins, drafted in the fifth round by the Chicago White Sox, hit eight home runs his first season with Arkansas, 19 as a sophomore and 15 as a junior.

Maybe those numbers could have been better, but Cox and Wilkins were drafted after helping Arkansas get to the College World Series in 2009 and a Super Regional in 2010. Their success was making Fayetteville a consideration for top prospects, all while making competitors nervous.

Van Horn, who took note shortly after his arrival of Baum Stadium's outfield depth and the way a prevailing southwest wind could blow balls down, eventually grew tired of fielding the questions and seeing the stadium — considered the best in college baseball — actually used against the Razorbacks in recruiting.

“I think some of these coaches are trying to make sure left-handed hitters know it,” Van Horn said. “[Moving the fence] is really going to help us. ... That's why we did it, for recruiting more than anything. I like left-handed hitters and I think it makes it more fair.”

What’s great for Arkansas this year is that even with a park that is potentially more hitter-friendly, opponents might not have an easier time generating offense in Baum Stadium. Arkansas has assembled perhaps its deepest pitching staff of Van Horn’s tenure and it’s no secret that a solid starting rotation and quality arms in the bullpen are keys to postseason success.

There are no guarantees, of course, but the preseason prognosticators and Van Horn seem optimistic about the 2012 season, which officially kicks off with a three-game home series against Villanova on Feb. 17-19. Those aren’t always perfect indicators of success, but they’re definitely reasons to expect the Razorbacks’ success to continue.

And when you consider how hard opponents are working to steer players elsewhere, that’s yet another reason to feel good about Arkansas’ chances for continued national prominence.

Email: cbahn@abpg.com or follow Chris on Twitter @cbahn.

Tagged: Arkansas Razorbacks, College World Series, Zack Cox, Andy Wilkins, Dave Van Horn, Baum Stadium