SPRINGDALE, Ark — It was a sold-out crowd at Arvest Ballpark as the Kansas City Royals came to town for the first time ever. Fans couldn't wait to watch their favorite team play in their hometown.
"I am a big fan," one Northwest Arkansas native said. "I've been a fan for about my whole life. I go to a bunch of games, so it's nice that I don't have to travel this time."
"I'm nervous on who you want to win because I've seen the Naturals so much, and then you come and see the Royals, who are the major league team, and you don't really know which to root for," another fan said.
Some people even came from Kansas City to see their team play in a new town.
"I'm pretty excited. I think it'd be pretty fun because the first time that the Royals will be here," a fan from Kansas City said. "We're season ticket holders from Kansas City, so it's fun to see the Royals play somewhere new."
Royals star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. took the field at Arvest Ballpark for the first time since 2021, and he was glad to be back walking these halls.
"It's really special [to] just kind of come back and now they've got the new logo and everything, which is pretty cool. But then just kind of like I said, walking down the halls and seeing the pictures of us from that 2021 season," Witt said. "We had a lot of fun memories here."
Former Razorback Cayden Wallace got to come back to the area as well, and he was excited to play in front of these fans once again.
"It's what I expect from up here," Wallace said. "I mean, just coming from Arkansas and games are sold out there in college and we just have the best fans in the world up here and they're great. They support every team up here, every sport and it's exciting to see and it's what I expect out of them because they're just great people and great fan base."
As for the game itself, the visitors were able to secure a 7-1 win on their first trip to Arvest and their last outing of the preseason.
The Royals are now headed back to Kansas City to get ready for opening day on Thursday, March 28. As for the Naturals, they'll get their season started at Arvest Ballpark on April 5 against the Tulsa Drillers.
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