Get au naturel with Ben in Northwest Arkansas

This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE.

The following ballpark road trip recap is presented by Wyndham, proud sponsor of Minor League Ballpark Guides. Plan your road trip today, and check out the Northwest Arkansas Naturals Ballpark Guide HERE.

On June 22, in the early afternoon, I departed Little Rock, Ark., and drove approximately 200 miles northwest. This direction of travel was fitting: My final destination was Arvest Ballpark, home of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

The Naturals, Double-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, arrived on the scene in 2008 following a relocation from Wichita (where they were known as the Wranglers). Arvest Ballpark is in Springdale, with Fayetteville to the south and Rogers and Bentonville -- home of Walmart headquarters -- to the north. These are four of the 10 largest cities in Arkansas.

I arrived at Arvest Ballpark two hours before gametime, but the parking lot was already heavily populated. A pregame youth clinic had taken place before the ballgame, and many fans -- whether they were part of the youth clinic or not -- were already lined up for the evening’s bobblehead giveaway featuring Arkansas native/University of Arkansas standout/2023-24 Naturals third baseman Cayden Wallace. His days in Northwest Arkansas have come to an end, as last week Wallace was traded from Kansas City to Washington in exchange for pitcher Hunter Harvey.

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The Naturals moniker references Arkansas’ nickname, The Natural State. The primary logo, redesigned prior to the 2024 campaign, features a nature tableau within an outline of the state of Arkansas. There is also a chicken logo, used as an alternate, that nods to the prominence of the local poultry industry (Tyson Foods and George’s Chickens are both based in Springdale).

The Naturals name also has a secondary meaning. The team is owned by Rich Foods, which also owns the Buffalo Bisons. The 1984 cinematic baseball classic “The Natural” was filmed at the Bisons’ old home of War Memorial Stadium, a boon to the franchise’s fortunes.

Like Roy Hobbs’ climactic home run, the Naturals’ mascot tilts toward the supernatural. His name is Strike and he’s a sasquatch. (In the below photo, I’m on the left.)

Arvest Ballpark was built in an area that had previously been home to cow pastures and similarly agrarian pursuits. There have been significant additions to the larger landscape in recent years, including a community college, a children’s hospital, town houses and apartment buildings.

“We were all by ourselves for nine or 10 years,” Naturals president/general manager Justin Cole told me. “That was unique, but it’s nice to have neighbors. It gives the area a shot in the arm. Now we have fans who can walk to a game, and it works out for the players’ [housing needs]. They can live hyper-local.”

Despite these developments, Arvest Ballpark still feels relaxed and expansive. Plenty of room to move, a truly calming environment.

A train circles the concourse throughout the game, an attraction for kids and ferroequinologists alike. The outfield area is home to a Wiffle ball field (Little Arvest Ballpark), a playground, bounce houses and even a no-frills nine-hole miniature golf course.

The Minor League Baseball industry generally features high rates of staff turnover, but the Naturals’ veteran core has pretty much seen it all. All five members of the front office “Leadership Team” have been with the franchise since 2013 or earlier. Cole, senior director of marketing Dustin Dethlefs and senior director of retail, licensing and event experience Morgan Helmer have been with the Naturals since Day 1.

Helmer, seen below, is a local’s local. She’s a native of Bentonville who began working for the Naturals immediately after graduating from the University of Arkansas.

Of course, there are fans who’ve been around since Day 1 as well. Byron Garibaldi, an emergency medicine physician, was one of the first to secure season tickets at Arvest Ballpark for the 2008 season.

Philip Taldo, a Northwest Arkansas native, has seen Springdale’s population increase more than tenfold during his lifetime. He works in real estate, serves on the Arkansas State Highway Commission and, prior to the Naturals’ arrival, personally spearheaded an attempt to bring an independent baseball team to the region. He knew it had potential.

The Naturals hosted the Tulsa Drillers on this June Saturday evening. First pitch at 6:07 p.m. with a temperature of 89 degrees, 4,003 partisans in the stands. A great setting for a baseball game, and with this being the final stop of my road trip I was feeling relaxed and contemplative.

Where was I? Ah, yes, in the early stages of a Texas League ballgame featuring two non-Texas based teams, standing on the concourse taking selfies. Typical gray-haired middle-aged man behavior.

Next stop was the press box, entering Shawn Murnin’s broadcast booth domain.

It was great to spend a couple innings on the air with Shawn, a father of two young children who, earlier this season, made his MLB broadcast debut on the Kansas City Royals radio network. This is his second year with the Naturals, following stints with the Bowling Green Hot Rods, Hagerstown Suns, Peoria Chiefs and Mankato Moondogs (a summer-collegiate Northwoods League team).

Upon leaving the broadcast booth I checked the platform formerly known as Twitter and saw a message from a guy named Caleb Curtis, who was at the game and wanted to know where I was. This reminded me that, hey, no one had signed up to be my Designated Eater at Arvest Ballpark. There were concession stands that needed to be visited, selling cuisine that needed to be consumed.

I asked Caleb, via Twitter, if he wanted to be the Designated Eater. Minutes later we were sitting at a picnic table while he held up a nacho in front of me. Life moves fast.

Curtis is a native of Anderson, Mo., who currently lives in “Walmart territory” (also known as Bentonville). He works at the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) while also serving as a youth umpire, and he attends Naturals games frequently.

Caleb and I were unsuccessful in our attempt to grab a barbecue platter -- they were sold out -- which is what led us to the nachos. Barbecue nachos, to be specific, the next best thing to a barbecue platter.

Caleb gave the nachos 9.5 out of 10, especially praising the sweet barbecue sauce. He said that the Northwest Arkansas region doesn’t get enough love for its barbecue: Smokin’ Joe’s in Bentonville is his favorite, but Wright’s (various locations) is the most popular.

Caleb, who had already downed four hot dogs before meeting up with me, had a grilled sausage topped with onions and peppers. A lot of peppers.

“I’m leaning more toward the nachos,” said Caleb, “but this is still a good sausage. I’m not the hugest on green peppers, though. This wouldn’t be my go-to.”

I soon parted ways with Caleb, who would like people to know that, if visiting the Northwest Arkansas region, spending some time on the Elk River is a must.

“It’s the most perfect floating river you can find,” he said.

I floated through the remainder of the ballgame, an eventual 3-2 Naturals win. My time in Arvest Ballpark was running out, and my road trip was nearing its end. I soaked it all in the best I could.

Good night from Arvest Ballpark.

Thanks to Bentonville’s Wyndham Wingate for a good night’s sleep following my evening with the Naturals, and thanks to the nearby Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport for offering direct flights to New York City. Now, it’s time for me to hit the road again.

As always, thank you for reading. Get in touch anytime. My upcoming road trip itineraries can be found HERE.