Van Horn signs new agreement to lead Hogs through 2031 season

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Dave Van Horn, the soon-to-be American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer, has signed a new agreement that will keep him in the Arkansas dugout as the program’s head coach through the 2031 season.

The new deal replaces Van Horn’s 10-year agreement he signed in 2021 while raising his annual compensation to $2.1 million with bonuses for winning a Men’s College World Series championship and for fulfilling the length of the contract.

“Over the past 24 seasons, Coach Van Horn has built and sustained one of the premier baseball programs in the country,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek said. “He embodies Razorback Baseball, and this new contract is a well-deserved recognition of his extraordinary leadership and success. Thanks to the support of our donors and stakeholders, we have made a nearly seven-figure investment of resources in Coach Van Horn and his staff over the past year, reinforcing our commitment to competing for championships and sustaining excellence in Razorback Baseball for years to come.”

The 2027 season will mark Van Horn’s 39th as a collegiate head coach and 25th as the Head Hog after he returned to his alma mater in 2003. Since returning to Fayetteville, the Razorbacks have enjoyed unprecedented success with eight College World Series appearances, including a runner-up finish (2018) and five top-five finishes (2009, 2012, 2018, 2022 & 2025). Under Van Horn’s guidance, the Hogs have played in 22 NCAA Tournaments, won three SEC regular-season titles (2004, 2021 & 2023), eight SEC Western Division championships, one SEC Tournament title (2021) and totaled 974 overall wins, including 390 SEC victories.

“I want to thank the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, Chancellor Robinson and our Athletic Department administration for their belief in and support of our baseball program,” Van Horn said. “All I ever wanted to do was coach at Arkansas, and I’m thankful to continue leading my alma mater for many more years to come. I’m extremely proud of what our coaching staff and players have accomplished up to this point, and I’m excited for our program’s future as we work hard to bring a national championship to the most loyal fans in the country.”

Since returning to The Hill, Van Horn has led one of the most competitive programs in the nation while developing elite-level student-athletes on and off the field, including three Golden Spikes Award winners in outfielder Andrew Benintendi (2015), pitcher Kevin Kopps (2021) and infielder Wehiwa Aloy (2025) with Benintendi (2015) and Kopps (2021) also claiming the Dick Howser Trophy. Under Van Horn, the Razorbacks have produced 43 All-Americans, 59 All-SEC selections and 167 MLB draft picks, including a program-record 12 selections in 2026, over his 24 seasons at the helm.

For all of his efforts, Van Horn was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2019, the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 2024 and, most recently, selected for induction into the ABCA Hall of Fame as part of 2027 class.

The highly decorated coach has received numerous individual and team honors throughout his 38-year coaching resume, beginning at Texarkana Community College through the present. Individually, Van Horn has been named national coach of the year twice, regional coach of the year three times and conference coach of the year six times. His teams have made 10 College World Series appearances, won seven outright conference championships, a Division II National Championship and made 26 trips to the NCAA Tournament in the last 28 full seasons.

Entering the 2027 season, Van Horn is one of only 12 NCAA head coaches in college baseball history, and one of only five SEC head baseball coaches in history, along with Pat McMahon (Mississippi State & Florida), Paul Mainieri (Notre Dame & LSU), Jim Schlossnagle (TCU, Texas A&M & Texas) and Jay Johnson (Arizona & LSU), to lead multiple programs to the College World Series. Not resting on his laurels, Van Horn has kept his competitive juices flowing as he seeks to bring the first national championship to his alma mater.

Including his years at Central Missouri State (1994), Northwestern State (1995-97) and Nebraska (1998-2002), Van Horn has racked up 1,345 overall wins at four-year institutions, the most among all active coaches. Including his 214 victories as head coach at Texarkana CC (1989-93), his 1,559 career wins are the most among all active Division I head coaches.

Since 1970, only two men have served as the head coach of Arkansas’ baseball program. Van Horn and legendary former head coach Norm DeBriyn (1970-2002) have combined to lead the Hogs for 57 seasons and counting while amassing 2,135 victories and 12 College World Series appearances.