Stadium tour

Baseball Insider Board
#1

It appeared that a couple of people from Tennessee’s administration toured Arkansas’ baseball facilities today. Tennessee’s basketball team plays at Bud Walton Arena tonight.

A couple of years ago, Phillip Fulmer told some boosters that he planned to upgrade Tennessee’s stadium during his time as the Vols’ AD. He said it won’t be a major overhaul, but that upgrades were needed. Anyone who has seen that stadium can attest that it is well behind most of the other stadiums in the SEC. Maybe only Missouri’s is worse.

I think Arkansas has administrators from other colleges tour Baum-Walker often. TCU’s AD did during the regional last year and sent a lot of pictures back to his chancellor in Fort Worth. I haven’t confirmed whether Oklahoma State’s administrators toured the stadium when coming up with ideas for the new stadium that will open next month, but there are some characteristics that I’ve seen in the designs for that stadium in Stillwater that bear a striking resemblance to Baum.

#2

university ought to charge a consulting fee for letting these other schools copy things from baum-walker stadium…if possible

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#3

Baum-Walker is great, but wait until the new add on is done in a couple of years. It’s going to be unbelievable. It’s one of the reasons Matt Hobbs didn’t seem too interested when the Yankees interviewed him in the fall. Of course, he may be a head coach soon, as well as Nate Thompson. Both of those are head coach material. But, as they leave, Dave Van Horn will hire the next great assistant out there, in love with what is going on at Arkansas.

All of this is a great insurance policy for the future.

#4

How much longer do you think VH will coach? Is it unreasonable to think one of them may want to stick around and just be a long time assistant, and coach in waiting?
Idk how old VH is but I assume he’s approaching 60.

#5

I think Van Horn will be the coach for at least five more years. I asked him about retirement prior to last season and he said he plans to coach through at least the end of his contract.

I’ll be interested to see how Arkansas approaches replacing him. I tend to think it will be with someone who has been associated with Van Horn, just as Van Horn had been associated with Norm DeBriyn. The trend now is to promote from within when a successful coach retires.

#6

I noticed in the plans for the right field structure, it mentions “also new premium viewing areas”. Does that mean there will be suites and/or indoor boxes?

#7

Loge boxes are going to be built onto the side of the new building.

#8

Even better. Something similar to those in the North end zone of RRS?

#9

Yes, similar to the football stadium. Here is a rendering that shows how the loge boxes might look. You can see it near the bottom of the structure.

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#10

Good grief we are going to have one bad arse stadium once all finished!!!

#11

The most obvious choice for a post Van Horn coach would seem to be Tony Vitello, assuming he continues the ascendancy of Tennessee’s program. But I would just as soon not ponder life without DVH.

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#12

Wow, looks great. There also will be room for about 50-75 standing with great unobstructed views behind the long railing. Perfect place to catch Moore’s home runs against right handed pitchers.

They would need shatter proof windows if Heston was going to still be playing.

#13

So if DVH is still our coach in 2025, that will mean that we have had 2 coaches in 52 years!

#14

Norm started in 1970. We’re already at two coaches in 51 years.

#15

I thought Norm’s first season was 73?

#16

First line of his UA bio:

Norm DeBriyn joined the Razorback Foundation in 2002 following 33 years as head coach of the Razorback baseball team.

Do the math; if the 33rd year was 2002, the first year was 1970. Our first NCAAT appearance was in '73.

Norm was 27 when he took over. I’d venture a guess we’ll never have a 27-year-old head baseball coach again. I would say in any sport but our current gymnastics coach is 24.

#17

Was 73 the year we rejoined the SWC for baseball after a few years in the wilderness as an indy? 73 is stuck in my head for some reason.

#18

No that was '74. We made the NCAA as an indy in '73. Took our lumps the first year in the SWC, going 9-15 in the league.

I didn’t realize we didn’t even play baseball from 1931-1946. We had played in the SWC briefly in the 20s, then were independent until '74.

#19

Norm’s first team went 19-13, including going 3-1 against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State.That team played nine games in south Texas to start the season. Most were in San Antonio. There was one game in Austin, but against St. Edwards, not Texas.

#20

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