Ask Mike: Hogs To Omaha, Players Rush the Stands & Vitello’s Emotional Presser

Q. Our first question is from sgiles who asks: Now that you have been proven wrong about it being hard to win a series twice against a tough opponent in the same season what surprised you about Arkansas 2-0 sweep of Tennessee. It was easier the second time than the first time.

A. What surprised me was Arkansas beating Liam Doyle for the second time this season. He’s one of the best pitchers in college baseball and the SEC pitcher of the year. Arkansas hammered him three weeks ago. I didn’t think that would happen twice. He gave up six earned runs in game two of the regular season series against the Hogs and five runs in super regional game two. Safe to say that the Hogs had his number.

What worried me was game one against Marcus Phillips. Arkansas scored just three runs on him back on May 15th and Tennessee won 11-7. If he did that a second time and Arkansas pitchers struggled again I felt like there was a good chance Tennessee would take the super regional two games to none. Phillips was still good on the mound on Saturday giving up 4 runs. The difference was Arkansas pitchers, Zach Root and Gabe Gaeckle. Wood was touched for four runs in the regular season series and Gaeckle 3 runs. In the super regional Root gave up just one earned run and Gaeckle allowed just one run.

Q. Lanny asks: Any idea why Van Horn was so emotional after the game? He’s been to Omaha maybe 10 times over the years. This isn’t his 1st rodeo. I mean he about lost it in his presser. Just buried his head.

A. I’d never seen him do that before. I think most of us had gotten so used to Van Horn being rather matter of fact after wins or losses that we didn’t realize how losing that 2018 CWS title affected him or losing a regional in front of Arkansas fans the last two years.

Finally I think we saw the pressure he’s put on himself to make sure this team, with the best talent he’s ever had, got to Omaha. I also think that self imposed pressure will continue in Omaha. It was really good to see him get emotional because when he had to stop and almost broke down in that presser, Charles Davalan, who was sitting beside him, started crying too. These players know the responsibility their head coach feels about getting them all the way to the top.

Q. HawgRedneck asks: Is it safe to say that Van Horn completely outcoached Tony V in this super regional? Sure looked like it to me. Gotta believe that a lot of Tennessee fans are really mad about that.

A. I haven’t looked at enough Tennessee social media to have a feel for how their fanbase is reacting but I have to believe that the vast majority of their fans are standing by him. However there is no question that he got outcoached in the super regional in one key area. Van Horn’s pitching decisions paid off. He used four relievers from the 3rd to through 9th inning. Tennessee scored just 3 runs in that stretch. Vitello’s choices backfired on him. Arkansas scored 9 runs from the 4th to the 9th inning with Vitello using six relief pitchers. That was the ballgame.

Q. Arkansas Orange says: I got news for all you thick headed Hog baseball fans in this state. Tennessee is going to win the College World Series again and Tony V will never go back to Arkansas. We pay him three times what Van Horn makes. He’s a Vol.

A. Well he was wrong on that first point and maybe he will be the second point. Obviously Tennessee is not going back to Omaha and after listening to what Vitello said in his press conference it sure sounded like he still has very special feelings about Arkansas. Also after listening to Van Horn’s presser and the way he got choked up some think if Arkansas wins it all he might possibly hang it up after this season. Until I watched those two pressers I thought Van Horn would coach four or five more seasons and I thought Vitello was at Tennessee for good. Now I’m not for sure.

Q. Another Tennessee fan thinks it could happen. Volboy says: He (Vitello) will go back eventually-mark the prediction, I’ll take the opening bets now.

A. Volboy certainly could be right about that. However, after Sunday’s game I did talk to a fan who knows Vitello’s dad very well. His dad told him that Tony’s committed to staying at Tennessee. For now possibility of him returning to Arkansas will remain in the rumor category.

Q. CajunHog wants to know: Did you see the video of the players going around the concourse and into the Hog Pen high fiving the fans? I can’t describe how incredible it was. You have to watch it to understand. Wow!

A. I did see it and you are correct. I’ve never seen anything like that in baseball. Fan storming the football field and surrounding the players after Texas in ’81 and 2001 along with Tennessee in ’99 was amazing. What made Sunday different was the way Wehiwa Aloy took that super regional trophy and led his teammates into the stands to interact with the fans on their turf.
The only other time I remember anything like that was when Musselman used to go into the stands with his players and mix with the students after a big win.

This is really the way to do this. Instead of getting the school fined by the SEC for fans rushing the field, let the players go into the stands. It might be impractical for football but obviously it works for baseball.

Q. RazorAlex88 says: I have a special song for Tennessee baseball after how their fans talked so much trash recently on X: Na na na na! Hey, hey, hey! GOOD BYEEEEEE!

A. This has developed into Arkansas biggest SEC rivalry, bigger than Ole Miss and even Texas. It’s likely to get even bigger after this year. However if Vitello end up here long term I think Texas will eventually develop into Arkansas biggest SEC rival.

Q. HillCountryHog asks: What was Root yelling about when he came off the field in the 6th inning of game one of the Super Regional? He was really mad.

A. He was very evasive about explaining it. Said it was the emotion of the moment. Said he kind of blacked and and doesn’t remember much about it. Van Horn said he didn’t like it. Said he doesn’t like his players expending that kind of adrenalin toward other teams or players. They need to save it for making things happen on the field.

There’s some indication that Fisher ticked him off the first time Root pitched against Tennessee this season. It may have been the way Fisher reacted earlier in Saturday’s game when Root struck him out or it could have been some of the things Fisher said to the fans in the stands across from his position at first base. Likely it was a combination of all of that.

Q Mousetown says: You and Courtney have been talking about this revenue sharing plan for college sports for months. I was starting to think it was just talk but it finally got approved. How big is this?

A. To me, without it, college athletics was going to turn into something a lot of fans don’t want. Buying championships through rich boosters, outbidding your competition for the best players, what do you really have if you win a national championships that way? The concept of taking schools out of the mix for those championships because they don’t have boosters willing to pony up millions for the best players is a turnoff for a huge segment of the total fan base.

With revenue sharing and proper controls on NIL deals traditional recruiting returns. Texas, LSU or Tennessee can’t win the SEC in football because they spent 30 million dollars more on their players every years than most other SEC teams.

With caps in place Texas spends what everybody else spends if each school can meet the salary cap.

NIL deals offered by boosters will be limited to $600. Any amount larger that that would have to come from companies with no ties to the school in question and would need to be a legitimate endorsement deal, not buying the player to go to a certain school.

This plan (and thankfully it’s no longer a plan) is a new way of allowing athletes to make money beyond their scholarships. A reasonable amount of money will be paid instead of the millions offered by boosters intent on buying titles.

Q. T. Henderson says: So revenue sharing passed. Big deal. It will be thrown out in court.

A. I think you are wrong. This wasn’t just a decision by the NCAA or the Power Four Committee that pushed it through. This was a ruling by a federal judge and not just any federal judge but the very judge that ruled against the NCAA in the original NIL case.

I think any ruling by a lower court judge in any of the states that have NIL laws will be overturned. Again those states have laws that paying players in recruiting is not illegal. The NCAA has never argued that point. What the NCAA and now this Power Four committee is saying is that to participate in their organization you have to abide by their rules. If you don’t like it drop out and start your own organization where buying players in recruiting is allowed.

Q. Hotdogger asks: Is it true that Tennessee could be kicked out of the SEC based on the house settlement agreement and its recommendations? Tennessee would likely be in violation of the settlement wouldn’t they?

A. Nothing that happened before the settlement will result in disciplinary action. However, to me, the ruling means that Tennessee or any other SEC school that wants to continue to try to outbid other schools for players won’t be allowed to stay in the SEC or the Power Four. They can drop out and form their own organization but the likelihood of that seems remote to me.

Q. Eddylynn says: When he was the temporary head coach I remember Barry Lunney Jr. saying that Arkansas needed to add more Arkansas kids as walk-ons because being a Razorback meant more to them that most players coming in from out of state. Many of them would go on to earn scholarships and become key players at Arkansas, he said. However, with roster limits it looks like revenue sharing will put an end to this. No more Morgan’s or Burlsworth’s. Not good.

A. Courtney believes that walk-ons will still exist. I’ll let her explain that. I think the ruling on no walk-ons will push those players to mid major schools who will give them scholarships. If they excel there they still could end up getting scholarships at the school where they wanted to walk on. It might take a season or two but in this instance both Power Four schools and mid majors would benefit.

Q. WV Hogfan says: There was another instance in the WCWS where the replay booth took 10 minutes on a call that they ruled was not reviewable. What is going on with that system?

A. I didn’t see that particular situation but it sounds like college softball has a limited number of replay booth personnel. If a coach or an on the field umpire wants a play reviewed but they are not familiar with the replays rules that make it unreviewable it make take a couple minutes for that rule in question to be found.

Q. KyHog wants to know: Is Cal adding any more players this season? Also won’t the new cap on spending for recruits hurt Cal’s recruiting? Thanks to Tyson Arkansas has one of the biggest basketball recruiting budgets.

A. On the first part of that question, it does look like that Cal is about to bring in another foreign player or maybe two. He has the scholarships available and you don’t pay foreign athletes NIL money. The NCAA doesn’t allow it.

As far as recruiting without several million in NIL money at his disposal I think Cal will be just fine because of his proven ability to get players into the NBA. However, Courtney thinks he will still be able to get the NIL money he needs to attract top players.

This settlement will likely be a work in progress. It will take a while before we fully understand how it will work.