Dave Van Horn (Courtesy: Wesley Hitt / Arkansas)
Former Central Missouri baseball head coach Dave Van Horn has been selected as manager for the 2014 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Van Horn is currently the head coach for the Arkansas baseball program.
“I couldn’t be more excited and honored to be selected as manager for the 2014 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team,” Coach Van Horn said. “Anytime you have the opportunity to wear the Team USA jersey, it’s an honor and a privilege. Serving as an assistant coach for the team in 2011 was a great experience and I’m excited to put together a great group of coaches and players to represent our country in 2014.”
“We are pleased to announce Dave Van Horn as the manager of the 2014 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team,” said Eric Campbell, USA Baseball General Manager, National Teams. “Dave’s success at the University of Arkansas speaks for itself, and we are thrilled to have him in place as we prepare for next summer.”
In his 25 seasons as a head coach, Coach Van Horn has led his teams to five College World Series appearances, 14 NCAA Tournament appearances, four regular season overall conference titles, three regular season division titles and one conference tournament championship. He is one of 11 coaches in NCAA history to lead multiple programs to the College World Series. Coach Van Horn also won a Division II national title as the head coach at Central Missouri State.
Van Horn spent one season at the Division II level, coaching Central Missouri State in 1994 and his effects there were awe-inspiring. Taking the reins of the program with just six weeks of preparation before the season, the Mules got off to a quick start by winning 12 of its first 13 games and eventually put together a 21-game winning streak. CMSU won the MIAA Conference Championship and the tournament title before eventually dominating at the NCAA Championships to win the school’s first national championship. In 2000, Central Missouri honored Van Horn and his 1994 team by inducting them into the Central Missouri Hall of Fame.
The 2014 Collegiate National Team schedule and the remainder of the coaching staff are currently being finalized. An announcement will be made prior to the end of the year and details will be available on USABaseball.com. In 2012, the Collegiate National Team posted a 12-5 record and earned the bronze medal at the Honkbal Week tournament in the Netherlands.
