Sixteen-Straight Years of Attendance Dominance at Baum-Walker Stadium

If you build it, they will come.

Baum-Walker Stadium has consistently welcomed thousands of fans into its confines yearly since its opening in 1996. After an additional 2,600 chair back seats were added prior to the 2003 season, and 1,000 more again before 2007, the ballpark capacity shot up to 10,737, getting it ready for what would follow in the coming years.

A combination of seat and facility upgrades, as well as consistently-ranked top 25 teams, along with a genuine love for Arkansas Baseball, has resulted in 16-straight seasons ranked in the top five nationally in total and average attendance. In 2020, the Hogs finished second in the country in both categories, welcoming in 116,837 fans for an average of 8,953 fans per game.

Think about that – in 18 years as head coach of the Razorbacks, Dave Van Horn’s clubs have attracted top 5 crowds for 16 of them. That’s a testament to what he, his coaches, his staffs and his players have built in Fayetteville. It’s also a testament to how much Arkansans love Razorback Baseball.

Baum-Walker Stadium is the culmination of a vision that was possible only through the dedication of former Arkansas head coach Norm DeBriyn, former U of A Athletics Director Frank Broyles and contributions by the families of Willard and Pat Walker and Charlie Baum.

While the efforts of DeBriyn and Broyles have been instrumental in maintaining a state-of-the-art home for Arkansas baseball since the original George Cole Field opened in 1975, it was the generosity of the Baums and Walkers that allowed Arkansas to abandon plans to renovate its former facility and replace it with a new standard in college baseball venues.

The support of the George Cole family has been an integral part of the program’s growth since the former Razorback athlete, coach and athletics director donned the Cardinal and White many years ago.