The Hog Pod with Bo Mattingly

The 2020-21 athletic year was one of unprecedented success across Razorback sports: 10 SEC Championships, 10 SEC Coach of the Year awards, eight top-10 finishes, All-Americans, a national player of the year, a program of the year award and a national title. Of Arkansas' 19 programs, 18 made post-season appearances. We sit down with Arkansas Director of Athletics, Hunter Yurachek, and take a look back at an incredible season and what went into making it happen—as well as looking forward to what it means for the future of Razorback sports.

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Arkansas baseball had an incredible year: they broke program records, won an outright SEC Title for the first time under Dave Van Horn, won the SEC Tournament for the first time in history and had the most dominant player in the country. It was a season to remember that ended just short of Omaha. The Razorback skipper takes us behind the scenes of how everything went down and answers some burning questions: what did he tell Kevin Kopps when he took him out in the 9th inning vs. NC State? What was really behind the spat between him and Tony Vitello in Knoxville? What was he thinking in the game one blowout vs. the Wolfpack? And most importantly, where does he go from here? He answers it all in this week's episode.

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Follow The Hog Pod with Bo Mattingly on social media.

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Arkansas is widely known as "The Track Capital of the World" and has attracted some of the top talents, including distance star Katie Izzo. But Izzo's journey to national success included more than just a bump in the road. How? Well, while at Cal Poly, Izzo broke her leg in the middle of a race, leaving her stranded on the course before help finally came. After having a metal rod inserted in her leg and two years without competition, she found her way to Fayetteville where she came back with a fury—blasting past her personal bests, qualifying for Olympic trials and helping Arkansas win its first-ever cross country national championship. This is how Katie Izzo took the worst thing that could happen to a runner and became a champion.

Johnny Ray & legendary head coach Norm DeBriyn take us through the story of two-time all-Southwest Conference performer. Johnny Ray, an MLB All-Star & Silver Slugger award winner has one of the most storied careers in Razorback history. The JUCO transfer struggled early in his life after losing his father in an accident while in college. The tragedy shaped Ray into the person and player he came to be. He helped build the bedrock of Arkansas baseball as he helped take the Hogs to their first-ever College World Series appearance, coming up just short of a national title. Ray transitioned his success into the big leagues, being named the MLB Rookie of the Year. But to Ray, the success was not his alone—he wanted to give back to the program & coach that had meant so much to him. Ray and some fellow teammates came together and self-funded a project to add lights to George Cole Field—a move that helped shape the future of Arkansas baseball. Johnny Ray's footprint on the Razorback program can not be understated and echoes to this day.

Kevin Kopps has been a Razorback for six years, but his final season with the Diamond Hogs is one for the history books—and so is his story. The sixth-year senior and pitching coach Matt Hobbs take us through Kopps' journey—how reaching out to Arkansas himself as a high school pitcher, experiencing one of the worst years of his life, and considering not returning for the 2021 season all led to him becoming the best pitcher in college baseball.

Arkansas fans never expected to have their starting catcher behind the plate this season. Heading into the 2020 campaign, Casey Optiz was expected to go pro following the season. But after the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season abruptly, the standout catcher was given an option to return to the Hill for one final year. Opitz takes us inside his decision and what this unexpected season has meant to him.

Christian Franklin was a preseason All-American and is a projected first-round draft pick for the 2021 MLB draft—but players like him don't come around that often. Coming to Arkansas from Kansas, Franklin brought an unmatched love for the game and a commitment to one thing: being the best. From his dedication and preparation to his study of the game, he's a unique player. Franklin had big shoes to fill as a center fielder for the Hogs following names like Fletcher and Benintendi—but he never shied away from expectation. He came in and made a splash for the Hogs almost immediately, helping to lead his first squad to Omaha in 2019. Then when COVID hit in 2020 and the facilities shut down, he and Robert Moore would meet up and jump fences at high school fields just to get their reps in. Nothing keeps Christian Franklin from success, and no one works harder to achieve it than this Arkansas outfielder.

There are two things Robert Moore has been around for most of his life: baseball and winning. The son of Royals general manager Dayton Moore, Robert grew up on the diamond and has been a part of everything from an All-Star Game to a World Series win. And when you're around ballparks and baseball all the time, it gives you an identity early in life. But what happens when you lose that identity? It was early on in Moore's freshman year when he had that crisis. So how did he overcome it and become such an impact player for the Diamond Hogs? Now, Moore is thriving at Arkansas. He became the first Razorback to hit for the cycle since 1994, and has emerged as a fan-favorite for one of the best programs in college baseball. And for the guy known to Razorback fans as Big Shot Bob, he's just getting started.

In college athletics, the head coach is the unquestioned leader and face of the program. Most assistant coaches are completely anonymous. But that's not the case for Arkansas women's golf coach Shauna Taylor and assistant Mike Adams. You don't get one without the other. The friendship dates back to Taylor's days in junior golf, when Adams was her instructor, and continued through her college and professional playing career. And it was Adams who was there for support when Taylor's playing days came to a premature end. But getting into coaching has been one of the best decisions of Taylor's life. And when she was chosen to lead Arkansas' program in 2007, she knew who to call. Over the past 14 years, the successes have been impressive, and include an SEC title and 13 straight NCAA Regional appearances. Friends through thick and thin, Taylor and Adams have built a successful program and culture at Arkansas.