I will be the first to say it

Their pitching is going to be better than you think it's going to be. Their hitting will be better than it was last year, and their defense may not be the greatest, but it will be improved. I am going to be the first one to say it but the Arkansas Razorbacks are going to win the national championship in baseball this year. I know this is a long limb to predict anybody to win a national championship especially in a sport like baseball, but this team feels like Dave Van Horn's most complete team while at Arkansas.

Here's Why:

Dave Van Horn. If he's not the best skipper in the NCAA, he's top two or three. He's that good. He was successful at Nebraska. He left and they are not the same. He's now at Arkansas and they are now a baseball powerhouse. Yes, a powerhouse. He has CWS (College World Series) appearances in '04 and '09 at Arkansas. He has an SEC championship in 2004 and NCAA appearances in every year he has been at Arkansas.

Last Year's Experience: They made it to Omaha. They played great baseball for the early part of the schedule but couldn't buy a win by the end of the SEC season and by the end of the year the question was not if they were going to Omaha but if they were going to make the SEC Tournament. They made it and started getting hot and carried it all the way to the CWS. Those experiences made this team better.

The Lineup: Will be one of NCAA baseball's best. Andy Wilkins, Brett Eibner, and Zack Cox make a potent punch in the middle of the lineup. The question will be who will hit at the top, but Bo Bigham should be able to answer the question at the top. Bigham played wise beyond his years last year in big spots. Arkansas has recruited well lately so there is quite a lot of talent that redshirted or didn't play last year that will get more playing time this season.

Pitching: Dave Van Horn says that he feels like he has 10 guys who can start in the SEC. He feels that this is his deepest staff in his time at Arkansas. Many feel this will be the weakness of the Hogs, but it could turn out to be a big time strength. Mike Bolsinger bolstered the staff when he decided to come back to the Hogs and could be their top starter. Then Brett Eibner pitched very well for the most part last season and might have the best stuff on the staff. Guys like Drew Smyly, who came within an out of pitching a perfect game in the Oklahoma regional, T.J. Forrest, and newcomer D.J. Baxendale make this staff more than likely better than last year's staff.

The ingredients seem to be there for Arkansas' baseball team to be the best it has ever been. Just remember if the Saints can do it so can the Hogs.