FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas led college baseball in cumulative and average paid attendance during the 2022 season.
According to NCAA attendance figures that are based on tickets sold, the Razorbacks’ total attendance of 363,153 and average attendance of 10,376 edged LSU, which had a total attendance of 362,759 and averaged 10,365. Both teams played 35 home games.
It is believed to be the first season in which Arkansas has ranked tops nationally in total attendance. An NCAA site that tracks attendance is missing data for some years.
The Razorbacks ranked first in average attendance in 2007, but LSU played six more home games and led in total attendance that year. The 2007 season was the first following a large-scale expansion that added seating to Baum-Walker Stadium.
The Razorbacks had a total actual attendance of 169,402 this year, based on tickets scanned, for an average of 4,840 per game. Arkansas had a 28-7 record at Baum-Walker Stadium with a schedule that included games against baseball heavyweights Ole Miss, Mississippi State, LSU and Vanderbilt.
As has been the case for the past decade, the SEC dominated attendance rankings with eight of the top 10 teams. Arkansas and LSU were followed in cumulative attendance by Mississippi State (3), Ole Miss (4), South Carolina (5), Florida (7), Texas A&M (8) and Tennessee (10).
Texas ranked sixth in total attendance. The Longhorns and Oklahoma are scheduled to join the SEC by the 2026 season.
Of the 27 most-attended games this year, 22 included at least one SEC team. Four others included Texas or Oklahoma.
Arkansas’ five games at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb., were all among the 18 most-attended games of the year. The Razorbacks’ 3-2 victory over Ole Miss on June 22 had the third-highest attendance (25,401) this season behind the two national championship games between Ole Miss and Oklahoma, which drew announced attendances of 25,792 and 25,813.
Most of the highest-attended games this year were for neutral-site games at the College World Series, the College Classic in Houston and the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala. The largest announced attendance for an on-campus game was 14,228 for an April 9 game between Mississippi State and LSU in Starkville, Miss.
Arkansas’ largest announced attendance at Baum-Walker Stadium was 11,772 for a May 13 game against Vanderbilt. The 9,961 tickets scanned for that game were also a season high.
Total College Baseball Home Attendance, 2022
1. Arkansas 363,153
2. LSU 362,759
3. Mississippi State 328,302
4. Ole Miss 309,949
5. South Carolina 215,212
6. Texas 210,698
7. Florida 175,056
8. Texas A&M 166,888
9. Florida State 153,638
10. Tennessee 150,958
11. Oklahoma State 148,464
12. Clemson 140,283
13. Southern Miss 140,129
14. Nebraska 120,661
15. Vanderbilt 120,418