There are certain moments in the recent history of the Arkansas Razorbacks that stick out, regardless of the sport.
For me, there’s three:
THE CATCH: Decori Birmingham catches a 31-yard touchdown pass from Matt Jones with 9 seconds in Arkansas’ 21-20 win over LSU in 2002. The win earns the Razorbacks a trip to the SEC championship game, a fact the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette trumpeted the next day with the headline ‘Jones to Birmingham to Atlanta.’
THE SHOT: Arkansas basketball fans were aghast when Dwight Stewart bobbled the basketball during the final seconds of the national championship game against Duke in 1994. But Stewart gained control and flipped to Scotty Thurman, who made a rainbow 3-pointer barely over the finger tips of a Duke defender to earn Arkansas the national title.
THE BLAST: Failure seemed inevitable with Arkansas down to its last strike at the College World Series in 2009. That’s when Brett Eibner swung his bat and delivered one of the biggest moments in Arkansas baseball history.
Eibner hit a long two-run home run that tied Virginia and the Razorbacks went on to beat the Cavaliers 4-3 in 12 innings. Arkansas finished tied for third in the College World Series that year after placing fourth in the SEC West with a 14-15 record.
Thirteen years later, Eibner ranks that two-out, two-strike home run for the Razorbacks in the College World Series among the top highlights of his career. And this is a guy who made it to the Major Leagues not once, but twice. First as an outfielder, then as a pitcher.
More from WholeHogSports: Latest Razorback baseball coverage
“Top three, for sure,” Eibner said of his tying home run against Virginia that scored Zack Cox from first base. “Anytime you can come up with a big hit in a situation like that, you’re going to be happy about it.”
Eibner and Cox played on a star-studded Arkansas team that included Ben Tschepikow, Andy Wilkins, Tim Carver, Mike Bolsinger, plus Dallas Keuchel, Drew Smyly, and James McCann, all three of whom are still on major league rosters. But the Hogs of 2009 had their problems before a late-season surge that led to one of the most exciting finishes in Arkansas baseball history.
“In baseball, you’re rarely playing at 100 percent and we had a lot of injuries that year,” Eibner said. “But we were battled-tested and resilient and we ended up clicking at the end.”
Eibner also connected for a long home run in 2010 when the Razorbacks were eliminated by Arizona State in the Super Regionals at Tempe, Ariz. Eibner then began his professional career after being selected by the Kansas City Royals in the second round with the 54th pick of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft. Eibner made his Major League debut with the Royals in 2016 and made the ESPN Highlights days later with a game-winning single after the Royals began the ninth inning trailing the Chicago White Sox, 7-1.
Eibner also played for the Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Texas Rangers before being dropped from major league rosters. But that didn’t stop Eibner, who, by that time, had been converted to a pitcher.
He played with Independent teams like the Texas AirHogs and Sugar Land (Texas) Skeeters before the Miami Marlins purchased his contact in early August of 2020. Eibner then made his Major League debut as a pitcher in the ninth inning against the New York Mets.
Eibner today still has thoughts of returning to professional baseball despite another injury that has him currently sidelined. But his primary focus is on his family that includes a wife and two little girls, a 2-year old and an infant. Forever the good teammate, Eibner will share diaper duties with his wife at their home in Norman, Okla., this weekend while watching the Razorbacks compete in this year’s College World Series.
Memories are made on the highest stage in Omaha for college baseball and perhaps, just maybe, another Razorback will provide a highlight Arkansas baseball fans will long remember. Just like Brett Eibner did 13 years ago.