FAYETTEVILLE — While recalling his years as voice of Arkansas baseball, Chuck Barrett remembered a thought he had in the Razorbacks' first season in the SEC.
Arkansas was playing at Georgia in the spring 1992. The Bulldogs' home stadium, Foley Field, had just been renovated two years earlier and Georgia was one of the nation's premier programs.
"I remember walking into their park thinking if we could have something half as nice as this, baseball might really take off at Arkansas,” Barrett said.
Fast-forward nearly a quarter-century and the same probably holds true for broadcasters visiting Fayetteville. Arkansas promotes Baum Stadium as "the best ballpark in college baseball." If that isn't true, it isn't far from it.
Almost two decades after it was built, the facility is even nicer than the day it opened. The Razorbacks have poured millions of dollars into additional suites and seats, and there are plans for more upgrades in the future, beginning with the installation of a new video scoreboard next year.
The stadium is as nice as anything you'll find in the minor leagues. In fact, designers referenced Arkansas' on-campus home when planning Arvest Ballpark, the home of the Kansas City Royals' double-A affiliate in Springdale.
It was once said most minor league stadiums now have restrooms in every suite because a college stadium in the Ozarks thought to do it first.
In 1996, Baum Stadium replaced George Cole Field, an outdated baseball facility-turned softball stadium located where the Razorbacks' outdoor football practice fields now sit.
George Cole Field held around 3,000 spectators. Crowds could approach 13,000 for this weekend's sold-out super regional at Baum.
All available tickets were claimed during a pre-sale Monday. Hundreds of students waited in line to claim student tickets early Wednesday morning.
Ticket demand is as high as it has been for any Arkansas sport in the last decade. All of this for college baseball, which averaged fewer than 5,000 fans per game last year at all but seven schools.
"This is the craziest I've seen it," said Norm DeBriyn, the longtime Arkansas coach who now works for the Razorback Foundation. "We can't handle all the phone calls. I mean there are no tickets."
The ticket demand underscores the growth in the popularity of the sport in Arkansas. The Razorbacks' success under Dave Van Horn has played a large role in that, but the initial surge came in the few years after the stadium was built.
Sustained success followed. In the 20 seasons since the stadium opened, Arkansas has made the NCAA regionals 17 times, including 14 straight seasons.
The grandeur of the facility was on display last week as Arkansas played its regional at the aging Allie P. Reynolds Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. To fully understand the luxury of the Razorbacks' home stadium, travel to almost any other campus for comparison.
On some campuses, a stadium won't even be found.
Arkansas is hosting a super regional because Missouri State cannot by virtue of a scheduling conflict with a minor league team that shares the Bears' home stadium. While the haves of the SEC continue to build and renovate facilities at an unprecedented pace, it's easy to overlook the concessions made by the schools with fewer resources, especially in non-revenue sports like baseball.
While Baum Stadium continues to keep up with the times, it's still ahead of the times in some respects. The Razorbacks made an investment in baseball 20 years ago that many still won't or can't make today.
It's an investment that paid off again this week by luck of the draw.
Whether you're an Arkansas fan at the stadium or watching from home this weekend, take a minute to appreciate the uniqueness of Baum Stadium. There aren't many places that can compare.