New Era Emerges for Razorback Athletics

Trevor Stephan walks off the field after throwing 8 and one-third innings in a 3-2 win over Rhode island on March 10. Stephan threw for 13 strikeouts and no walks in the game. Photo by Kevin Snyder

Wins and losses are just numbers on a board to some, but to others, it’s a matter of pride. Razorback fans are famously resilient, but even the most hardcore fanbases can only handle so much defeat. This year the Hogs have seen an upward trend in performances across their major sports, so what does this mean for fans?

Arkansas’ football, baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, softball and soccer teams went 30-78 in Southeastern Conference play in 2015-16, and they finished with a 78-111 overall record. This year, however, those same teams have already gone 34-40 in SEC play and 108-56 overall, a major improvement.

What the Students Think

“It’s always nice knowing that your team is winning, as a fan and as a student,” junior Andrew Wright said. “I think it kind of brings everyone together and it gives people a sense of pride knowing that their teams are doing well.”

Razorback fans, and fans in general, have a lot invested in their teams’ success. In Arkansas, a good chunk of kids grow up as fans of the Hogs, and emotionally, it’s tough to deal with losing seasons. For people who come to the university from out of state, it’s hard to get excited for losing teams.

At the UofA, 47 percent of the student body comes from outside the state. That means a lot of people are coming from out of state who haven’t grown up around the Razorbacks. This recent surge in production can help increase the responsiveness of out-of-state students to the athletic program, which means more ticket sales, more loyal fans and more money for the school.

“I didn’t grow up an Arkansas fan. I don’t have any sort of connection to Arkansas, so I didn’t grow up with this,” senior Johnny Carver said. “So, when I got here, I realized very quickly how important the Razorbacks are to everybody in the state, because they don’t have another professional team. This is what they have, and they live and breathe this program. To be a part of that has been amazing.”

Carver is an assistant for the men’s basketball team, and he helps with player analytics and data analysis for the program. He grew up in Kansas, and since arriving at the UofA, he’s developed a sense of pride and accomplishment from the success of the programs. He said fan involvement is a major reason out-of-state students look at Arkansas and other SEC schools.

“I think it’s really just their reputation,” Carver said. “(They’re known) as a supreme football school that has a lot of school spirit, and the fans are always at the games. You know, I grew up in Kansas City where the closest football team in college was KU, and they don’t even fill up their lower bowls. When I would watch games on TV of (SEC schools), it was amazing to actually see a stadium that was actually filled.”

He said he’s proud of the direction this program has gone.

“I think that this athletic program and the city, and the community as a whole has treated me very well, so I think regardless of success, the pride for this program will always be important to me,” Carver said. “But definitely, seeing the success makes me happy and (it’s) something I want to see more (of) going forward.”

Looking at the timeline and stats for each team over the past few years, it becomes apparent that there is a trend which could be contributing to the rise in performances: new coaches.

Coaching Changes

Apart from baseball, each team has head coaches who are within the first six years of their hiring. It takes time to turn around a program, and it seems this renaissance for Razorback Athletics started to shape with the relatively recent hires.

After losing 2015 Golden Spikes Award winner Andrew Benintendi to the MLB draft, head coach Dave Van Horn’s baseball team took a turn, going 7-23 in SEC play the next year. This year, they lead the SEC and are the No. 20 in the country.

Coach Mike Anderson’s basketball team seemed to hit their stride this season after losing star forward Bobby Portis to the NBA draft after the 2014 season. In 2015, they went 9-10 in conference and 16-16 overall, but they turned it around in 2016, going 12-6 in the SEC and 26-10 overall.

Second-year coach Courtney Deifel has made an early impact in softball, starting off 22-12 this year after finishing with a dismal record of 10-31 in her first season.

Fifth-year soccer coach Colby Hale has made the SEC Championship every year since his hiring, other than 2015, and he led the team to beat two top-five opponents in the 2016 season.

Unlike the other major programs, the football team has seemed to stall out in big moments the past few years under coach Bret Bielema, and women’s basketball is going through a transition period after the resignation of head coach Jimmy Dykes and the hiring of Washington’s Mike Neighbors.

Going forward, it looks as if Razorback fans nationwide have something to be proud of, and something to look forward to for years to come.

A new era of Razorback sports could be on the horizon.