The Northwest Arkansas Naturals set a homestand attendance record.
With a crowd of 4,368 on hand for Monday night’s game against the Arkansas Travelers, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Class AA; Texas League) set an all-time attendance record for an eight-game homestand with 45,778 turning out between Monday, May 17 and Monday, May 24, for the club's series against the Tulsa Drillers and the Travelers.
"Not only have we had great weather and a great team, but our entire front office has worked very hard to continue to bring new fans out to Arvest Ballpark," said Naturals General Manager Eric Edelstein. "We will strive to continue to deliver on our mission of providing affordable family friendly entertainment to Northwest Arkansas, and thank each and every one of our fans for their continued support."
During the record-setting homestand the Naturals drew an average of 5,722 fans per game and three of the crowds ranked as among the 11 largest crowds in Arvest Ballpark history. The record-shattering crowds were paced by Tuesday’s SWEPCO School Kids Day (vs. Tulsa), which drew 8,891 fans and ranked as the second-highest attended game in Naturals’ history.
The homestand also included the ninth-highest attended game ever (Sunday’s game vs. the Travelers), and the 11th highest attended game ever (Friday’s game vs. the Travelers). It also included Wednesday’s SWEPCO School Kids Day crowd of 6,202 (vs. Tulsa), which ranked as the 25th largest crowd in the ballpark’s history.
Now in its third season hosting the region’s only professional sports franchise, Arvest Ballpark has opened its gates 161 times in all. The Naturals previous attendance record for an eight-game homestand was 41,669, established between June 16th-23rd, 2008.
On the season, the Naturals have drawn 110,262 fans, an average of 5,012 per game. The club reached the 100,000 mark in attendance in fewer dates this season than either of the past two seasons.
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