The Razorbacks new baseball development center will now bear the name of former Arkansas baseball coach, Norm Debriyn. In a released statement from Razorbacks Public Relations, “Thanks to the generosity of a pair of former Razorback baseball student-athletes, Arkansas’s new baseball development center will have a familiar name attached to its lobby when it opens in the Spring of 2021. The Mark Sutton Family and the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation both made $500,000 gifts to name the front entrance of the facility, the Norm DeBryin Champions Lobby.”
According to the University of Arkansas, “Mark Sutton and Johnny Mike Walker were baseball student-athletes in the 1970s during Coach DeBryin’s first decade as a coach at the University of Arkansas. The Norm DeBryin Champions Lobby will feature numerous displays and interactive content showcasing the history of Razorback Baseball. Construction on the baseball development center is scheduled to begin next month with a targeted completion set for Spring of 2021.”
According to the Razorbacks athletic department, DeBryin has been associated with the Razorback program for 50 years, including 33 years as a coach and 17 years with the Razorback Foundation. He guided the Razorbacks to two Southwest Conference titles, one Southeastern Conference title, one SEC West Division title, 15 NCAA Tournament appearances and four College World Series appearances. He was inducted into the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2015.
The addition of a Baseball Development Center will be the latest in a series of renovations and additions to Baum-Walker Stadium which first opened in 1996. In April 2018, Baum-Walker Stadium was ranked as the best collegiate ballpark in the nation by Baseball America.
