This is mainly a question for the few of you that have seen a Razorback game at Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, have seen the construction progress first hand and/or just have educated yourself on the whole remodeling project. I lived in Fayetteville for over 5 years and made several trips to Baum. I haven't been to Olsen since 2003 I believe. After hearing we were having renovations to Olsen I was wondering how it was going to stack up against Baum which in 2010 had just finished constructing even more suites down both lines. If new Olsen is anything close to the Hogs park then I will be very pleased. So how do you think they stack up against each other?

So I have tried to educate myself as much as I can about arkansas' stadium. First, It looks great! It looks like a minor league park. The amount of suites they have for a college park is amazing. Olsen can't compete there. I think the the locker rooms, weight room, and coaches office will be better than Arkansas if they are anything like the Cox-McFerrin Center for Aggie Basketball. I didn't see if Baum even has a weightroom for the players.

It is hard to compare Olsen to Baum because Olsen has a second deck of full seating. Olsen has more seating between 1st and 3rd bases. While Baum has more seats down the foul lines and outside the outfield wall. Baum has dedicated seating and picnic tables with grills out past left field. That is completely different than Aggie Alley. Something that Baum has that Olsen is doing now is moving the visitor bullpen out past the right field wall. It is just too hard to compare because they are completely different.

I haven't found where students sit at Baum, I think where our students sit at Olsen creates a great atmosphere that is hard to compete with since so many school put the students out in the outfield/foul line area.

this was very informative if anyone wants to learn about Baum. http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/pdf6/108443.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=6100

[This message has been edited by mason12 (edited 10/31/2011 2:33a).]

One thing that amazes me is the number of times they have renovated Baum. Opened in 1996, added seats 2003, added seats and suites 2006, and now they are playing more suites. In their new master plan revealed last month they announced they want to add suites and club seating in the outfield corners.

http://www.dixiefriedsports.com/Arkansas_Facility_Plans.html



[This message has been edited by mason12 (edited 10/31/2011 2:34a).]

I’ve seen dozens of games at Baum and Olsen. The difference is the atmosphere.
Baum’s fan base is largely blue hairs with the majority of students in the outfield.
Olsen has more of a college atmosphere that is much more organized. JMO

Nice work mason! It did seem like they have added on several times. They don't have that second deck but the field level sections go pretty deep and the walk/concession area at the top of those seats is nice and open. Left field berm is pretty cool with grills and picnic tables I believe. It can get packed out there with a large crowd. Went to a Cal State Fullerton game and they hit a limit on coolers allowed and started turning people away. That general admission area in left field is where you'll find all the students who are only big game fans. I believe there is a small contingency behind the visitors dugout but its way behind. No players get heckled except for the bullpen and left fielder.
Tasting, you are correct. Their student crowds can't hold a candle to the infamous Raggies. That is obvious if you have seen a game at both venues.

JMH...with the renovation Olsen will have a nice wide concourse now.

Yes, concourse! Thats the word I was looking for.

I'm looking forward to getting up to Fayetteville to see Baum in person. I actually went to the old place a couple of times back in the SWC days. Bet that a lot of those folks attending games at Baum never set foot in old George Cole Field.

I'm glad that in our renovation we're not losing too much of the upper deck (as would have happene if we had suites all the way across the top) because I think it is the upper deck at Olsen (and the presence of students on the first base side) that really makes it stand out among college parks. Even after our renovation, there will be other parks with more bells and whistles, but they just won't have the same feel that Olsen does.

twk...just so you know. They are building Olsen now to accommodate suites across the top if they need them in the future. If more suites are needed I hope more permanent seating is added too.

mason: I sort of suspected that from looking at the photos, but, knowing the history of the BCS business community, I really don't see any likelihood that we'll need additional suites anytime soon. BCS is a middle class town of government employees and service industry folks. BCS simply doesn't have enough local businesses of the type that typically buy suites.

how does arkansas have so many suite holders?

Northwest Arkansas: Wal-Mart, Tyson, J.B. Hunt, etc. NWA is an industrial powerhouse compared to BCS. People who live in BCS have no idea how anemic the local business community really is compared to other similarly sized cities. BCS is almost a company town.

Without an NFL, MLB, NBA or NHL team in the state, the Hogs are basically Arkansas pro sports.

This is true about NWA. Its not just Fayetteville, its the included surrounding towns that make up the baseball fan base. You've got some alumni but a lot of the locals are fans and the clients and what not from the businesses mentioned. UA baseball in a BCS area would not survive. Our atmosphere is tops and we really don't need to mess that up with any of the construction. Sounds like its not. At Baum it takes a top 5 Cal State Fullerton or Vanderbilt with David Price to make a great atmosphere. At Olsen we know it just takes the Aggies.
Now the Royals AA affiliate recently moved there (2008 I think) and may slowly be getting some of the baseball fans but the seasons really don't overlap. They don't compete against each other.

J.B. Hunt employee here in Northwest Arkansas. Rabid Fightin' Aggie fan. Whooop!

kind of disappointing that Baum has so little seating behind the dugouts and home plate

Been to Baum. Awesome park -- definitely a hitter's park, though. Wide concourse is fabulous, but the best thing in my opinion is that the seats are individual seats, with backing and arm rests, and not benches. Hope we do the same, if we really intend it to be a first class facility.

Always hated having to argue for my "space" at Olsen (or Kyle, for that matter). You pay for a ticket, you should get a seat, not a chance for a seat.

Baum might be a great facility, but the atmosphere is more wine and cheese. They always talk about how great their fan base is by getting 12,000 for LSU, but they are not loud whatsoever, except for the WPS chant. Olsen is above and beyond Baum in atmosphere, and has a much greater home field advantage.

Tanner field is right there.

I was at Olsen for game 2 of the Nebraska series this past season. I also go to about 20 games per year at Baum.

The student area at Baum is basically a berm area in left field that is open with some bleachers. It has permanent bbq grills and anyone can go out there and bring a cooler. They don't check coolers, so it becomes a big party when the weather is nice.

I can't really understand the "wine and cheese" comment about Baum. Yes, there are a lot of suites, and yes, the park is nice, in that every seat is a chair-back and reserved.

The students get rowdy and give the outfield a lot of hell, but that is standard in SEC parks. There's too much money to be made selling the good seats to people willing to pay for them. Students get in for $5.00 or free with I.D. into the berm area.

Fayetteville starts the season with pretty cold temps. Its not really predictably "nice" weather until April. Most of the early season midweek games are 3pm starts.

I've seen the renovations to Olsen and it will be a very nice park. I still think Baum, Alex Box, Oxford University and Carolina Stadium will be better overall parks in the SEC. But, the SEC sets the standard in NCAA baseball parks, so you'll be in good company.

Baum is big. 10,500 chairbacks, wide concourses, and something like 32 suites. A good weather SEC series always draws crowds of 9k plus per game.

We'll keep improving it, too. We have good baseball fans and culture at U of Arkansas.