A retrospective of a year lost, Pearls About Swine
Over the past two months, I have been venting my frustrations on the Razorback athletics season in 2023–24 in “Pearls,” but this is the final word: What a total, depressing, and annoying fiasco.
Students already have to undergo the grind of an academic year; the sports programs shouldn’t have to suffer. However, I have a special place in my heart for University of Arkansas students right now, as the hype machine broke down all year long and probably killed the school spirit in the last ten or so months. Reliving the disastrous football season and the turbulent basketball seasons is futile. Commenting on Arkansas’s baseball and softball teams’ unexpected, abrupt withdrawals from the Fayetteville Regionals would also be foolish.
This year, despite their continued status as elite coaches, Courtney Deifel and Dave Van Horn were unable to take advantage of the potential or heritage. During the last legs of their schedules, both teams’ vulnerabilities throughout the entire season returned to haunt them. Given the current state of NIL and portal noise, I suppose we still had to hold out hope that the diamond sports’ relative status and constancy would prevail. In terms of Deifel and Van Horn’s past performances, the regular seasons were spot on, as they have been lately.
From a baseball perspective, this was probably Van Horn’s greatest returning roster. How could this go wrong with Kendall Diggs, Peyton Stovall, and Ben McLaughlin in the lineup, with Hagen Smith and Brady Tygart returning to head the rotation? A number of attractive transfers were signed by Arkansas, while some talented rookies chose to attend college rather playing Rookie League baseball. In the end, the results were a mixed bag. Arkansas dominated the standings for several weeks, and even with a few slip-ups, they were firmly within the Top 3 for much the entire season. However, Diggs and Tygart had less than impressive seasons overall, and nobody was reliably reliable when it came to a clutch hit.
Deifel’s squad appeared ready for a memorable postseason after putting together yet another excellent regular season. Then, her squad experienced nearly the identical problems that afflicted Van Horn’s starting lineup. After losing two of three games to Ole Miss in the previous series, Arkansas was defeated 3-1 by Missouri in the SEC Tournament, then in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, they managed just six runs in three games at Bogle Park.
And all of that seemed to fit into the story of these difficult nine months. Look, I understand that there are plenty of Hogs fans and zealots in this area, but there’s no doubting that Arkansas grows as a state when its sports teams are winning. You can choose to deny any fandom, but acknowledge that if the teams are just good, it will help the state’s economy and morale.
As a whole, they did in 2023–2024. It takes place. Even if you’re excited about having Bobby Petrino and John Calipari in the building, there should be some concern if the diamond sports aren’t performing up to standard. Sam Pittman finds himself in a difficult situation as 2024 approaches, and Calipari, Mike Neighbors, Van Horn, and Deifel all have reconstruction tasks ahead of them. I wrote months ago that the baseball and softball programs needed a successful 2024 as the basketball season was lurching to an abrupt end. Even if the softballers had a formidable arsenal of arms inside the circle and the baseball club won another SEC West title hands-down, by most objective standards, that did not happen.
Positive updates from the transfer portal continue to trickle in despite those setbacks. Notwithstanding his divisive nature, Trevon Brazile chose to return to Arkansas for a further season. In my modest opinion, he will probably succeed once more if he can avoid unnecessary pressure and diversions. For what it’s worth, I likewise believe that the upcoming football season won’t be a bust. Later this summer, I’ll go into the specifics, but for now, I have a strange feeling that Petrino and Pittman’s marriage will succeed and that Taylen Green has the makings of a superstar.
