Dave Van Horn Questions SEC Tournament Value After Arkansas Hosting Snub

There will be a lot to dissect and analyze around the NCAA Baseball Tournament and, specifically, Arkansas in the Lawrence Regional in the coming days.

For now, though, the reactions are about where Arkansas is playing its regional. The Razorbacks won’t be in Fayetteville. Instead, they’ll be going to Kansas for its first-ever hosting assignment.

It was a surprise to many who thought what the Razorbacks did in the SEC Tournament – beat No. 23 Tennessee, No. 5 Texas and No. 6 Auburn – was enough to move them over the regional hosting line. This writer thought they did and so did their coach.

“It’s interesting because everyone I had spoken with before the game and then after the game that was associated with the tournament and the Southeastern Conference said we were in good shape,” coach Dave Van Horn said after the NCAA Tournament Selection Show on Monday. “We all showered, got on the bus and were heading to the airport when they posted the 16 sites. We were a little taken back. Thought we were going to get one.”

Without the SEC Tournament, Arkansas wouldn’t be deserving of hosting a NCAA Regional. It came to Hoover knowing it needed some wins. Two might’ve been enough, but Arkansas wanted to a third to really feel good about hosting a regional and some decisions were made with that in mind.

Anybody. Anytime. Anywhere. pic.twitter.com/wFpBjhv8HM

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 25, 2026

But now it’s fair to question why teams should even bother trying in the SEC Tournament. Texas sure didn’t put out its best product, giving a pitcher with nine innings of experience his first start.

It’s a question Van Horn is asking too.

“We had heard after we won the first two that we were in good shape, but we felt like we needed to win that third one to make sure,” he said. “We used (Ethan) McElvain for about four innings, so it makes you wonder about the tournament a little bit. What’s it all about?

“Maybe we rethink it in the future, how we handle it, how we pitch it and how we play it.”

For a team like Arkansas that was barely outside the hosting line, but its spot in the tournament secured, what’s to gain in the SEC Tournament?

A conference championship is nice. It’s another number that can be added to the outfield wall. Another trophy for the trophy case. Probably some bonuses, too.

But if a team can’t improve its NCAA Resume by beating two national seeds, why bother?

Nobody wants to see the SEC Tournament go away or be devalued. It’s some of the best college baseball teams facing each other in a single elimination competition. It’s win or go home every game. Most importantly for fans, it’s exciting.

What needs to change is how the selection committee determined who the 16 regional hosts would be.

Arkansas is ranked No. 13 in both the KPI and DSR rankings, both of which are being used by the selection committee for the first time this year. In RPI, the metric with the longest history of usage in the selection committee’s room, has the Razorbacks at No. 21. That’s the most significant metric in favor of Arkansas not hosting a regional and the committee, whether it admits it or not, probably leaned on.

“Tt was easy for them,” Van Horn said. “Let’s put it that way. It was easy.”

What won’t be easy is advancing out of the Lawrence Regional and into the NCAA Super Regionals. That’ll be played against the winner of the Atlanta Regional that features Georgia Tech (host), Oklahoma, The Citadel and UIC.

However, don’t expect Arkansas to use the regional hosting decision as extra motivation.

Home regional, road regional, don't matter.

We'll see y'all at Hoglund Ballpark. Go Hogs. pic.twitter.com/cb9dyxI9hG

— Arkansas Baseball (@RazorbackBSB) May 25, 2026

“We’re not going to play that card,” Van Horn said. “I was just with the team when the sites were announced, and the guys seemed excited to just go play. Obviously, we knew we were going to be in a regional. We knew we were going to be on the road.

“I’m glad we’re in this area. It gives our families and fans in this area a little better opportunity to get there. I haven’t been to Lawrence in a while. I know they have a full turf field now. They’ve changed the dimensions a little bit, and it’s a lot different, so I’m looking forward to that.

“We know what we need to do. We need to play well on Friday against Missouri State.”

Arkansas will play Missouri State for the third time this season in the second game of the regional. First pitch is scheduled for approximately 5 p.m.