FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will allow full capacity at its final baseball series of the regular season next week against Florida.
The three-game series between the No. 1 Razorbacks and No. 7 Gators is scheduled to begin next Thursday at Baum-Walker Stadium. Remaining tickets for the series will go on sale Friday at 9 a.m.
It will be the first time any stadium on the University of Arkansas campus will be fully reopened to fans since the covid-19 outbreak shut down college athletics for nearly six months beginning in March 2020.
Arkansas officials have gradually reopened the baseball stadium in recent months, increasing capacity from 4,218 at the beginning of the season to 7,645 for the first four games in May.
The stadium’s listed capacity is 11,531.
UA athletics director Yurachek said during an April 20 radio interview that full capacity would not be allowed this season, but on Thursday, Yurachek said recent events helped change his views on the subject. He and UA chancellor Joseph Steinmetz agreed to return to full capacity during a meeting Thursday morning.
“I just think the virus and how we’ve managed that in our community and how we’ve managed that in our athletics department — we haven’t had a positive test within our student-athlete or our staff population since March,” Yurachek said. “I think the chancellor has a little bit more comfort level now that graduation is behind us. I think the vaccinations have gone well. I think all the things that have happened over the last four weeks have kind of changed my stance on that, and I think the chancellor’s stance as well.”
Multiple SEC stadiums — including Tennessee, where the Razorbacks are scheduled to play this weekend — have reopened to full capacity in recent weeks. Arkansas also played games this season at Ole Miss and LSU when full capacity was allowed.
The Razorbacks planned to keep capacity at below 100% until fall sports, including football, began later this year.
“I was very excited when the chancellor gave me the thumbs up to move forward in this direction,” Yurachek said. “I think it helps us kind of set a really good tone as we finish this athletics season at Baum-Walker Stadium…and look forward to opening up Razorback Stadium next fall.
“I’m better than cautiously optimistic now, the way this is trending, that we’ll have full capacity at Razorback Stadium and we’ll be tailgating and…feel like there’s a true sense of normalcy when we kick off (the football season) against Rice on Sept. 4.”
A campus mask mandate will continue to be enforced at the Razorbacks’ baseball games, including the ones against Florida, Yurachek said. On Thursday, the CDC announced it no longer recommends fully vaccinated individuals to wear face coverings in most indoor or outdoor settings.
“I think what is important for our fans to note, (requiring a mask) for regionals and super regionals will be the policy the NCAA makes us follow as well,” Yurachek said. “We thought no sense in letting up on that (next) weekend and having to reenforce it when we get back to regionals and super regionals.”
Yurachek said tailgating will continue to be prohibited outside the stadium for the Florida series and during the postseason.
Full capacity for baseball will be limited to only the Florida series. The NCAA has announced it will limit capacity to 50% for on-campus regionals and super regionals. On Friday, the NCAA is expected to announce Baum-Walker Stadium as one of 20 sites under consideration to host a regional.
Yurachek said he has pushed for local guidelines to apply at regionals as opposed to a nationwide cap on attendance.
“We’ve handled things locally very, very well across the Southeastern Conference,” Yurachek said. “The NCAA — while it is a championship event we’re hosting on our campus — local guidance should take precedent.”
Arkansas’ baseball series against Florida might help determine the SEC champion. The Razorbacks enter their series against Tennessee tied with the Volunteers for first place in the SEC with a 17-7 conference record.
Florida is fifth in the conference, but only two games behind the leaders. Vanderbilt is one-half game behind first place and Mississippi State is one game out of first.
All SEC teams have six conference games remaining.