FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas baseball fans didn’t expect to wait so long for the Razorbacks to return to Baum-Walker Stadium.
It has been 282 days since Arkansas’ last home game — a 5-0 loss in seven innings to Vanderbilt on May 15, 2022. At the time the Razorbacks were projected to host an NCAA regional, but those hopes ended with a poor close to the regular season at Alabama and a 0-2 stay at the SEC Tournament.
Arkansas rebounded by winning a regional and super regional on the road, and played in the semifinals of the College World Series.
The Razorbacks have played 19 games in five states — Alabama, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Nebraska and Texas — since their last home game. The drought ends Tuesday with a scheduled 3 p.m. home opener against Grambling State.
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“I’m looking forward to being there,” Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn said. “I think the players are, too.”
The 19 consecutive games played away from Fayetteville were the Razorbacks’ most in 21 seasons with Van Horn as coach. Now they are embarking on their longest homestand — 18 games — since Van Horn was the Southwest Conference newcomer of the year as the starting second baseman for the 1982 team.
Arkansas is not scheduled to play away from home again until March 24 for the start of a three-game series at LSU.
“I’ve always enjoyed playing on the road, but just playing in the atmosphere we have, you can’t beat it,” Arkansas second baseman Peyton Stovall said. “It’s one of the best ballparks in the country and one of the best atmospheres in the country.”
The sixth-ranked Razorbacks (2-1) opened the season with victories of 3-2 over Texas and 18-1 over Oklahoma State, and an 18-6 loss to TCU at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas. The games were played at the Texas Rangers’ 40,300-seat Globe Life Field.
Thousands of Arkansas fans — perhaps in excess of 10,000 — gave the Razorbacks a home-field advantage in Arlington. Red was the primary color in the seats as Arkansas played in front of announced attendances of between 15,721 and 20,295.
“We had such great fan support here, it’s not like it’s going to be a lot different” in Fayetteville, Van Horn said following the Oklahoma State game Sunday. “Our fans were amazing right out of the gate. It was fun.”
The Grambling State game will be the first at home for 26 Arkansas newcomers.
“I know a lot of these guys haven’t been able to experience what Baum-Walker is like at full capacity, so I’m excited for them,” Stovall said. “I’m looking forward to seeing these guys see what it’s all about.”
Left fielder Jared Wegner, a transfer from Creighton, is among those who will play a game in Fayetteville for the first time. Wegner was named SEC player of the week Monday after he went 6 for 11 with 2 home runs, 1 triple, 1 double and 8 RBI in Arlington. Wegner also walked twice and was hit by a pitch.
Wegner is batting .545 and has an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 2.007.
“I think it comes down to just swinging at good pitches — pitches that you can drive,” Wegner said. “I think I played with discipline really well, so when it was there I was able to either foul it off or get my swing off.”
Arkansas freshman right-hander Ben Bybee will start against Grambling State in his first home game. Bybee struck out the only batter he faced during his debut against TCU.
The Tigers will throw graduate left-hander Jacorey Boudreaux.
Grambling State (1-2) also spent Opening Weekend at a Major League Baseball Stadium. The Tigers lost 7-5 to Prairie View A&M and 4-3 to Southern before a 14-4 victory over Mississippi Valley State at the HBCU Classic that was played at the Houston Astros’ MinuteMaid Park.
The Tigers have never beaten Arkansas in nine games that have all been played in Fayetteville or North Little Rock. The Razorbacks won a pair of eight-inning run-ruled games by scores of 14-1 and 13-3 last March in Fayetteville.
As of Monday afternoon it was unclear whether coaches had decided if there would be a run rule in place for the game. New rules stipulate non-conference games on SEC campuses will include a run rule of 10 runs after seven innings unless the visiting coach objects, in which case games would last nine innings.
Arkansas has already played a run-ruled game against Oklahoma State, which ended after seven innings.