FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Coach Dave Van Horn said Wednesday that plans are being made to hold a college baseball tournament using Baum Stadium in Fayetteville and Arvest Ballpark in Springdale.

Van Horn said the tournament could take place in 2010 at the earliest or in 2011 for certain. The Razorbacks open their season in late February, and the tournament would likely be held in early March before SEC play begins.

“We’re talking about a five-team, round-robin tournament where every team plays four games,” Van Horn said. “We would play all four of our games at Baum Stadium and the other teams would play two games here and two up there [at Arvest Ballpark ].” Arvest Ballpark opened in April as the new home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, a Class AA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Naturals General Manager Eric Edelstein said earlier this year he was open to helping Arkansas host a tournament, and Van Horn is moving forward with the idea.

“Coach Van Horn has our complete support, and the sooner this [tournament ] can happen, the better,” Edelstein said. “We’re on the same page. All we have to do is work out the logistics.” Van Horn said no contracts have been signed, but he hopes to invite teams from different parts of the country. He said the only drawback for such a tournament is the unpredictable weather that Northwest Arkansas often experiences in the spring.

“We’re talking with Penn State from the Big Ten and other teams from major conferences,” Van Horn said. “I’ve talked to North Carolina State, Oregon State and Oregon, which is starting a new program. We’ll try to make it a good tournament.” Arkansas has played in tournaments at College Station, Texas, and Mobile, Ala., in recent years, but the Razorbacks have not hosted their own tournament.

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