Arkansas Razorbacks baseball
Arkansas Razorbacks baseball
Main page
1280559

Arkansas Razorbacks baseball

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers
What are your thoughts?
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Arkansas Razorbacks baseball

The University of Arkansas Razorbacks baseball team is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and is coached by Dave Van Horn. The program started in 1897, and is in its 102nd season of play (77th consecutive) in 2024. Arkansas is one of only four schools in the SEC to turn a profit from its baseball program in recent years, along with SEC rivals LSU, Mississippi State and Ole Miss.

The Razorbacks have been to 32 NCAA tournaments and twelve College World Series: 1979, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2004, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2025.

The Razorbacks play baseball home games in Baum-Walker Stadium at George Cole Field, which holds 11,749. Arkansas was the first program in the nation to have an average attendance over 8,000 for the course of the season. Baum Stadium has hosted NCAA regionals in 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023. The Arkansas baseball team also hosted an NCAA Super Regional in 2004 against Florida State, in 2015 against Missouri State, in 2018 against South Carolina, in 2019 against Ole Miss, in 2021 against North Carolina State, and again in 2025 against Tennessee. One of the games in the 2015 Super Regional series against Missouri State set the all-time stadium attendance mark at 12,167. The first game of the South Carolina Super Regional series had 11, 722 in attendance making it the 3rd highest attended game in Baum stadium history. Baum stadium was voted top ballpark in collegiate baseball by Baseball America, 20 years after claiming the top spot in a 1998 poll.

In 2007, Arkansas led the nation in attendance, with 8,069 attendees per game, over 700 more per game than second-place LSU. Mississippi State, another SEC school, was third with an average of 6,795 per game.

Before Baum Stadium was built, the Razorbacks played on the original George Cole Field from 1975 to 1995, named for former all-conference quarterback, shortstop and athletic director George Cole. The field was next to John McDonnell Field, home of the outdoor track and field team, and has since been turned into the practice field for the football team.

Arkansas first fielded a baseball team from 1897 to 1930. The modern era of Razorbacks baseball began in 1947, under Deke Brackett. Bill Ferrell led the team from 1950 to 1965, and Wayne Robbins took over from 1966 to 1969.

In 1970, Cole hired 28-year-old Norm DeBriyn after another man took the job but resigned after only one day. DeBriyn inherited a program that played at a dilapidated stadium at the Washington County Fairgrounds, and whose paperwork was contained in a single manila folder. He immediately set about upgrading the program. Within three years, he had the Razorbacks in the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. He then persuaded athletic director Frank Broyles to build a new on-campus stadium, George Cole Field. Arkansas' baseball program has won six conference championships, two in the Southwest Conference in 1989 and 1990, and four in the Southeastern Conference in 1999, 2004, 2021, and 2023. They have also won two conference tournament titles, the first in 1985 as a member of the SWC, the second in 2021 in the SEC. In addition to those championships, the Razorbacks have also won nine SEC West Division championships in 1999, 2004, 2007, 2011, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, and 2024. In Arkansas' eleven College World Series appearances they have finished as national runners-up twice, in 1979 and 2018.

DeBriyn's 10th team put the Razorbacks on the national map. The Razorbacks won 49 games, lost 15, and finished second in the Southwest Conference (SWC). The Hogs defeated George Washington, Florida, and Delaware twice to move out of the East Regional (played at Seminole Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida). The Razorbacks then went to Omaha and defeated Pepperdine, 5–4 and an Arizona Wildcats club, with a young Terry Francona, 10–3. A match-up with SWC champion Texas loomed next for the Razorbacks. The Hogs had gone 1–4 against the Longhorns up to this point in the season. The Razorbacks prevailed, 9–4, and earned a contest with Cal State Fullerton for a championship. Texas was eliminated. Arkansas lost twice to the Titans, 13–10, and 2–1, to give the trophy to Cal State Fullerton. Freshman Kevin McReynolds was named to the all-tournament team as an outfielder, along with Steve Krueger at pitcher, Larry Wallace at shortstop, and Marc Brumble as an outfielder.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.