The Hog Pod with Bo Mattingly Sport & Story

For Barry Odom, Arkansas—and coaching alongside Sam Pittman—is the place to be. Odom has helped Pittman engineer an incredible turnaround at Arkansas, and has helped a once-maligned defense turn into one of the better units in the country. After the Razorbacks gave up more than 30 points per game for five straight seasons, Odom’s 2021 group allowed less than 23 a game to rank in the top half of the SEC. And perhaps no game showcased the improvement more than the win over Texas, when the Razorbacks smashed the Longhorns all over the field. The Razorbacks bookended that performance with a second-half shutout of Penn State in the Outback Bowl, setting the stage for more to come. In this episode, Arkansas radio analyst Quinn Grovey sits down with the Hogs’ DC to talk about his unit’s improvement, working alongside Sam Pittman, and why the Razorbacks are a destination in college football.

Dave Van Horn leads by example. His quiet confidence comes from being one of the best at what he does. His work ethic is second to none. And he has a burning desire to bring Arkansas baseball its first national championship—something he promised Razorback fans in his introductory press conference. That level of passion has been there in every team he's coached, but something changed at the end of this season and it's a big reason why Arkansas was able to punch their ticket for a return to Omaha. In this exclusive conversation with Dave Van Horn, Phil Elson—the Voice of Razorback Baseball—sits down with the skipper and talks about the team's growth over the course of the season, how players and coaches feed off of one of the most passionate fan bases in the country, and what he sees in this squad that makes him believe this is the year he can fulfill that press conference promise he made nearly two decades ago.

When you think about the fact that Evan Taylor grew up in Florence, Alabama, as a big Crimson Tide football fan, you wonder how he ended up a Razorback. But that’s the national pull this program has under Dave Van Horn. When you’re consistently one of the top programs in the country, that’s what happens. And Taylor became enamored with the Razorbacks during their 2018 College World Series run. But it’s not easy to join a top program. Taylor struggled early, pitching fewer than 15 innings in his first three seasons combined. That led to a conversation with DVH that helped turn his career around. This season, Taylor has turned into one of the most reliable arms in the Razorback bullpen, posting a 3.38 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 37 1/3 innings. The struggles—and the worries that came with them—are a thing of the past.

If it wasn’t for today’s transfer market, Michael Turner would likely have never been a Razorback. After four years at Kent State, where he earned All-MAC honors, the Ohio native decided to put his name in the transfer portal. There were other options closer to home … then he heard from the No. 1 team in the country. And Turner has been blown away by his experience at Arkansas, likening the fan support and atmosphere to what he’s only experienced at college football games up north. Turner has emerged as one of the best hitters on the team, with a .298 batting average and a career-high seven home runs. And even though the regular season didn’t end the way these Razorbacks had hoped, they’re ready for the challenge of the postseason.

Linnie Malkin loves hitting bombs. That approach worked for Malkin, who led the SEC and was top-10 nationally in homers in her senior season. At Arkansas, she found happiness on and off the field. It was a journey to get here, featuring a complicated relationship with her dad, and a trip from Colorado to get noticed. But head coach Courtney Deifel and the Razorbacks have Malkin living her best life. And there was plenty of good this season for Malkin and Arkansas, including a first-ever SEC Tournament title.

KB Sides is a lot of things. Kendall Beth. Razorback. SEC Player of the Year. And, most importantly: Herself. But her journey to figure that out hasn’t been a straight line. After her career at Alabama came to an unexpected end, Sides debating giving up the sport before deciding to seek a new home. And a phone call with Arkansas coach Courtney Defiel changed everything. Sides and Arkansas have been a perfect match. Her 28 steals this season were 24 more than the Razorbacks had all last year. And she’s the latest example of the Razorbacks becoming a destination for the nation’s best. KB Sides took a chance on Arkansas and rediscovered her love for the game—and herself—in the process. And as the SEC Player of the Year, she’s going out on top.