Revenge not on Arkansas' mind in Oregon State rematch
For the first time since the College World Series Finals in 2018, No. 2 Arkansas (3-1) and No. 7 Oregon State (5-0) will face off against each other in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field in a matchup that has fans buzzing with excitement and the hope for revenge.
Six years ago, a team led by future MLB Draft selections like Blaine Knight, Heston Kjerstad, Casey Martin and Dominic Fletcher pushed Arkansas to a 48-21 overall record and a deep postseason run, but came up just short in Omaha with a 1-2 series finals loss to the Beavers.
Head coach Dave Van Horn spoke to the media after practice on Thursday about his thoughts toward Oregon State and whether or not the 2018 matchup affects his approach to Friday's game.
"That was a long time ago," Van Horn said on Thursday. "That was a totally different team, they had a great team that year. I think first three rounders. We probably played about as good as we could to get to Omaha, we really didn't do much against them.
"Won the first game, they gave us an inning, made some errors. We did it really in game two as well. We couldn't hold the lead, used too many of our pitchers the day before. Obviously, we wish we could have won the game, won the series, but we didn't."
Ahead of the Diamond Hogs' matchup against Oregon State, former Arkansas infielder Jared Gates spoke to HawgBeat about his feelings towards the Beavers and if he's harboring any ill will for the west-coast program.
Nicknamed "Mr. June" for his clutch postseason hitting, Gates played two seasons with the Razorbacks from 2017-18 and finished with a combined .243/.339/.420 slash line and 62 hits, nine doubles, 12 home runs and 37 RBIs.
"I don't hate Oregon State, no," Gates told HawgBeat. "That's a tough question, man. I think they beat us and I really do feel like we were the two best teams in the country playing against each other and they beat us, man. Whether you want to say that we lost or they beat us, I really believe they beat us. They earned it. So I don't hate Oregon State, I just hate how freaking good they were and I just hate that they were able to fire on all cylinders. I hate that it rained on Monday, I mean I hate that.
"I wish it went differently, but there's not hate for those guys, they're really good baseball players and that was really fun. Do I love them? No. I can't say I ever turned on an Oregon State game and said, 'Oh man I hope Oregon State wins this game.' Unless they're playing Ole Miss or something and both teams lose somehow, that would be nice."
Arkansas’ first baseman in the infamous pop-fly play that doomed Arkansas in a 5-3 game two loss to the Beavers, Gates still relives the "what-if" moment that ended up costing the Razorbacks their first-ever national title.
"Yeah, maybe I just haven't crossed that threshold mentally and I don't know if I ever will," Gates said. "I can't change it, obviously I see it all the time on Twitter, it's constant. But, there's times where I'm like, 'Dang, we could have caught that ball and we could have been national champions.'
Despite many Arkansas fans believing that the winner-take-all game three between the Hogs and Beavers was over before it even began, Gates said the team treated it like any other day.
"Right, that's what people will say, 'Ah man, as soon as y'all dropped that, I knew the series was over' and I'm like, 'Really?" Gates said. "How much did you put on game three? I just think, of course you can say that now after what happened.
"Game three, we were all juiced up for game three. It was a normal day, we were ready to win. Honestly, nothing from the night before was — it wasn't in my mind. And then we just get diced up by a freshman, pitched his butt off in the game of his life on short rest. Ended up tearing his UCL doing it. We got beat."
But Gates has been able to shift his mindset about the loss to a positive view and now looks back on the heartbreaking defeat in a more positive light. After all, that same Arkansas team produced one of the most electric offenses in the country and has plenty to be proud of after a record-breaking season.
"At the same time, the way I think about it, is dude that was really fun. I played Division I baseball at the University of Arkansas. I went to the College World Series, I played in Omaha. Made it to the final game. There were over a million people who watched those games, that is surreal to me. Every year I'm able to put it in perspective when I'm watching the basketball final four or the college football playoff, it hits me in those moments.
"It's funny when I see Hog fans more mad about it than me, and it's just like, calm down dude. No matter how much you tweet or say the Hogs are gonna Hog, it's not going to change anything, it's just not. You can either be negative and let it haunt you or try to spin it into a positive which is what I've tried to do."
Even with a boiling hate bubbling in the Arkansas fanbase for Oregon State, Gates doesn't believe revenge is on the Hogs’ mind in Arlington.
"Doesn't mean a whole lot to me, I just know — I think it's a lot of fanfare, a lot of headlines," Gates said. "I think that's the only thing that's different about this game. Some would say, 'Are we going to be able to get revenge?' No, we can't get revenge dude, they beat us in the national title.
"If we beat them tomorrow by 20 runs, is that going to do it for you? I don't think so, it'd be cool but it's not going to make up for the hardware they have in their glass case. I want to see Hagen Smith throw, top 10 matchup and I'm excited for it."
Arkansas and Oregon State will face off against each other in a non-conference bout in the Kubota College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field on Friday. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. CT and will stream on FloSports.