Arkansas' Van Horn hopes for more good fortune

LITTLE ROCK (AP) A day after the Arkansas Razorbacks watched the Ole Miss Rebels sweep them aside in the final series of the regular season, Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn was quick to point out how lucky his team was to be among the eight schools participating in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.<br> <br> ``We feel very fortunate,&#39;&#39; he said Monday in a teleconference. ``It&#39;s been a little up-and-down this year with a couple of suspensions and injuries and just having to fight weekend to weekend in this league.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Arkansas (37-18 overall, 13-17 SEC) barely qualified for the eight-team conference tournament. The Razorbacks lost three straight games at home to Ole Miss and needed losses from Auburn and Vanderbilt on Sunday to ensure a trip to Hoover Ala., where Arkansas will play top-seeded Florida (38-18, 20-10) on Wednesday.<br> <br> Less than two months ago, it was hard to imagine that Arkansas would find itself in this position. The Razorbacks started the season 21-2 and were ranked among the top five teams in the nation. But the March suspensions of two of Arkansas&#39; top hitters, Casey Rowlett and Scott Bridges, proved damaging and accelerated a mid-season slide that saw the Razorbacks lose as many games as they had won in their final 32 contests. Meanwhile, recent injuries to pitcher Shaun Seibert and second baseman Ben Tschepikow have also proved costly.<br> <br> ``Every week was a battle for us,&#39;&#39; Van Horn said. ``Our kids hung in there. We had an up-and-down season, especially the last couple of months due to personnel changes and things that have gone on amongst the team.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Still, Arkansas did secure some important victories during a difficult stretch, including two wins in a three-game series against Florida earlier this month at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville. Gators coach Pat McMahon said his players were wary of the Razorbacks in the double-elimination tournament.<br> <br> ``We have great respect for their program,&#39;&#39; McMahon said. ``They are well-schooled and are well-prepared. I think anyone can win this tournament. I firmly and strongly believe that.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> For Arkansas, an invitation to the NCAA Regionals could hinge on its performance against No. 7 Florida. The Razorbacks will send freshman pitcher Nick Schmidt, who is 7-1 and a 2.60 ERA, to the mound to face an undetermined Gators hurler. But Van Horn said it shouldn&#39;t come down to nine innings against the top rated SEC team. He believes the Razorbacks already have a strong enough resume to get a shot at making a second straight appearance at the College World Series in Omaha.<br> <br> ``I know we want to win and we have a good RPI and beat some good people this year and we have done it on the road,&#39;&#39; Van Horn said. ``We feel like we have earned it.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> But Van Horn also realizes that this could be the last week of baseball the Razorbacks will be playing in 2005 and he is taking no chances.<br> <br> ``We&#39;re going to try to win the tournament, naturally,&#39;&#39; Van Horn said. ``We&#39;re not going to save anybody waiting for the next weekend because you never know if that&#39;s going to be there. We&#39;re going to go all out.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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