FAYETTEVILLE -- After two days of one or the other, Arkansas Razorbacks fans finally get the best of both.
If the weather cooperates, at 1 p.m. today at Baum-Walker Stadium and on ESPN2 television they can see their nationally No. 4 SEC West leading baseball Razorbacks complete a three-game series with the LSU Tigers, Arkansas' archest of arch SEC baseball rivals.
And from 5 through 8:40 tonight they can see their nationally No. 1 women's and nationally No. 20 men's track and field teams complete the SEC Outdoor Championships that Arkansas hosts at John McDonnell Field.
Baseball and track conflicted Thursday night.
Coach Dave Van Horn's Razorbacks trounced the traditionally tough Tigers, 14-4 at Baum-Walker.
Meanwhile Coach Lance Harter's Razorbacks women and Coach Chris Bucknam's Razorbacks men commenced Night One of the three-night SEC meet.
As of this Friday morning writing, track and baseball again were scheduled to conflict Friday night.
Finally today and tonight comes the best of both separately to savor.
For some Razorbacks fans it stokes fond 1985 remembrances. Hog callers walked back and forth across the street separately yet somewhat simultaneously attending McDonnell's first NCAA cross country-indoor-outdoor triple crown winning team complete their fourth consecutive Southwest Conference triple crown winning the SWC Outdoor while Norm DeBriyn's College World Series bound Razorbacks won the only Southwest Conference Tournament they hosted at the adjacent old George Cole Field.
Those were giddy Hog times.
Assisted by Hall of Honor field events coach Dick Booth, McDonnell, the Hall of Fame 42-time national champion/84 times conference champion coach, in 1985 piloted among the all-time best ever collegiate men's track and field teams.
It was led by Mike Conley, the nine-time NCAA champion and eventual Olympic gold medalist.
Hall of Fame coach DeBriyn in 1985 presided over one of his greatest teams. His Hogs finished 51-15 in Omaha while lighting the way towards Baum-Walker.
Former DeBriyn coached Razorbacks by then Major Leaguers Tim Lollar, Johnny Ray, Kevin McReynolds and their Arkansas native agent, Tom Selakovich, donated the funding impetus to light the old George Cole Field. That lit Arkansas' hosting full house the 1985 SWC Tournament beaconing the baseball popularity building into Baum by 1996.
A giddy Hogs' spring then and a giddy Hogs' spring now.
Coming off a 2018 College World Series runner-up, Van Horn's Razorbacks had won 10 of their last 11 SEC games going into Friday night.
Harter, favored to complete a SEC Cross Country-Indoor-Outdoor 2018-2019 triple crown and a NCAA Indoor national championship, coaches a team in women's track rivaling some of McDonnell's best for men.
Bucknam, with many McDonnell moments coaching 21 SEC championship teams and one national indoor championship, is in a rebuilding mode now, but his SEC Indoor Hogs overachieved for second in the league and will battle tonight.
For the avid all-seasons Razorbacks fan, it's a best of both worlds worth weathering an unseasonable spring chill.
Sports on 05/11/2019