Toops grand slam most memorable moment

FAYETTEVILLE – Brady Toops’ dramatic grand slam home run against Wichita State in the 2004 NCAA Fayetteville Regional has been voted the most memorable moment in the first 15 years of Baum Stadium by Razorback fans, it was revealed on Saturday. Toops, a former Razorback catcher, was on hand to help celebrate the moment’s selection during the second game of the Arkansas vs. Ole Miss doubleheader at Baum Stadium.Toops’ ninth-inning grand slam with two outs in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional on June 6, 2004, led Arkansas to an improbable 11-9 victory over Wichita State. The Razorbacks, the visiting team in the game, went on to retire the Shockers in the bottom half of the ninth inning to get the win and force an extra game. Arkansas went on to also win the nightcap, advancing to an NCAA Super Regional and eventually the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.Coming in at moment No. 2 was the Razorbacks NCAA Super Regional sweep of the Florida State Seminoles in that same season (2004). The No. 3 moment came earlier in the 2011 season when James McCann hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning against LSU to give the Razorbacks a 4-3 win. Earning a spot at No. 4 was Jacob House’s game-ending grand slam against South Carolina in 2009. Rounding out the top five memories of Baum Stadium was late public address announcer Larry Shank singing the national anthem every Sunday and leading fans in "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the seventh inning stretch.More than 4,000 votes were cast in the month of April online at ArkansasRazorbacks.com. The top 15 moments were revealed during home games in May culminating with the No. 1 moment in the regular season finale against the Rebels. Baum Stadium opened for play on April 13, 1996 and has hosted more than 475 games in its first 15 years.

Top 15 Memorable Moments in Baum Stadium History1. 2004 – Brady Toops hits a grand slam in the top of the ninth inning to beat Wichita State in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional. Arkansas went on to win the regional and advance to the College World Series.

2. 2004 – Arkansas sweeps Florida State in its first NCAA Super Regional to earn a trip to College World Series.

3. 2011 – James McCann hits a three-run walk off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lead Arkansas to a 4-3 win over LSU in front of a record crowd of 11,462 fans and a national television audience on ESPN.

4. 2008 – Pinch hitter Jacob House hits a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth inning to give Arkansas a 12-11 win over No. 13 South Carolina at Baum Stadium. The Razorbacks went on to sweep the Gamecocks in the weekend series.

5. The late Larry Shank, Baum Stadium public address announcer, singing the national anthem on Sundays and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch.

6. 2010 – Down to his last strike, Collin Kuhn hits a ninth-inning grand slam to lead Arkansas to a 17-16 comeback win over Kentucky on Easter Sunday.

7. 2009 – In a regular-season battle of No. 1 teams, Arkansas wins two mid-week games against Arizona State in front of record-breaking crowds at Baum Stadium.

8. 2001 – Arkansas sweeps No. 1 LSU in a three-game series at Baum Stadium.

9. 1998 – Arkansas rallies from an 11-run deficit in its final at-bat for an improbable win over South Carolina during a snow storm at Baum Stadium.

10. 2002 – Arkansas defeats South Carolina 8-7 in the longest game in Baum Stadium history (15 innings).

11. 2009 – Arkansas pitchers strike out a school-record 18 Missouri State batters.

12. 2010 – Arkansas hits a school record nine home runs in an NCAA Fayetteville Regional win over Grambling State.

13. 2010 – Arkansas bats around twice in the first inning, scoring a school-record 14 runs (in one inning) on its way to a 32-8 win over Saint Louis.

14. 1999 – Arkansas hosts its first NCAA Regional at Baum Stadium, defeating Delaware in the opening round.

15. 1998 – Arkansas defeats Eastern Illinois, 16-0, to give Arkansas head coach Norm DeBriyn his 1,000th career win.