FAYETTEVILLE — When Arkansas’ football team was experiencing struggles with its kicking game early in the 2017 season, Razorbacks baseball coach Dave Van Horn went to then-freshman pitcher Kole Ramage with a message.
Don't get any ideas about playing football.
The interaction was in jest, but Arkansas’ kicking woes were real. Van Horn's comment to Ramage came after the Razorbacks lost 28-7 to TCU when kicker Cole Hedlund missed two short field goal attempts, including one from 20 yards that would have pulled Arkansas within four points early in the fourth quarter.
“He walked up to me and said, ‘You’re going to stay right here and pitch for us,’” Ramage recalled Van Horn as saying.