By: Cody Harms, Sports Reporter
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.-– Iconic often describes Baum-Walker Stadium.
Maverick Head coach, Evan Porter called the stadium the mecca of college baseball. With the brand new, 27-million-dollar, JB and Johnelle Hunt indoor facility, Baum-Walker is a must see for college baseball fans.
The home of ten thousand plus fans creates for one of the best environments in college baseball. Although Omaha didn’t leave with the outcome that they had hoped for junior pitcher Jackson Gordon said T.V. doesn’t do Baum-Walker justice.
“Through the tunnel and seeing the field and everything, I told my dad after the game, he didn’t’ get to be but I was like dad it really felt like I was playing in a pro stadium. That’s what it feels like,” Gordon said.
Gordon found out he was taking the hill roughly 24-hours before first pitch was slated. Even though he was facing the third ranked team in the country, he never let the moment get too big.
“To me it was just another game. Yeah, there were more fans there than any game I’ve ever played in, and it was probably the best atmosphere I’ve pitched in my life,” he said.
Gordan said getting to play the likes of USC, UCLA and Arkansas are major measuring sticks because it proves what the team can accomplish the rest of the season.
Gordan said, “what our team got out of it and especially for me personally is that we can play with those guys, and we can hang with those guys. We all love that we play those teams early in the season.”
Recruiting is a big-time part of college athletics. Getting to play against the caliber of the teams they have played so far only helps get better prospects on campus.
“When I was being recruited in high school, I knew we would be going to play USC in Southern California. Me personally, that made a difference in my decision,” Gordon said.
The Mavericks Baseball team completed a nearly two-week road trip that ended in Fayetteville, Wednesday. To catch more Omaha action the team is home until the 20th of March before taking on Arkansas again at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
