By: Kennedy Smith
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UATV) – Razorback Mascots recently hosted tryouts for their baseball mascot, Ribby, Jan. 25. The tryout was from 9am-12pm and was open to any University of Arkansas student interested in joining the team as a friend of Ribby. Tryouts for Ribby consisted of categories such as fan interaction, mannerisms and ability to portray the role.
Ribby the Razorback is the only mascot that is specific to one sport. As a result, Ribby sees the spotlight around Baum-Walker Stadium during baseball season.
“Ribby brings his own energy. Ribby is the baseball mascot. He has his own flag. He has his, you know, plushee. People know Ribby better than some of the other mascots,” said Razorback Mascot Coach Kennedy Fuller.
At any given baseball game, Ribby can be found greeting fans at gates, sitting with them in the stands and walking around the concourse. He can also be found dancing on the dugouts with the RBI Girls.
Ribby brings a unique energy to baseball season and is a key representation of the program, as he can also be found on Razorback Baseball merchandise.
Not only do the Razorback Mascots make appearances at baseball games, but they also can be found at any Arkansas athletic event.
Arkansas is unique in the sense that it is the only school to have the razorback as its mascot, but the Razorback Mascot program specifically is unique because there are five different razorback mascots.
The mascots are Boss Hog, Big Red, Sue E, Pork Chop and Ribby and they make up a family unit.
Beyond baseball, the Razorback Mascot team works hard to bring energy to athletic events and brighten the day of Arkansas fans, enhancing the overall gameday experience. Unlike many other sports with a fall or spring season, the mascot team works year round to attend each sport and make appearances.
Along with the long season, the team is smaller than one might assume. The team consists of about ten University of Arkansas students, meaning two of them are friends of each mascot.
Due to this number, members of the Razorback Mascot team are expected to dedicate countless hours and a large amount of energy in order to boost the morale around Arkansas athletic events.
For students like Peyton Grunder, friend of Big Red, Razorback Mascots just mean more.
“We have in our locker room, there’s this huge quote and it says, ’You’re the only one that’s able to do this.’ Not a lot of people can say they do this. I mean, we’re here just hyping up the crowd and everything. Even when it’s a bad game, you’re always there, you always have to be the energetic one,” said Grunder.
Razorback Baseball Coach Dave Van Horn isn’t the only one preparing his team for the spring, as Razorback Mascot Coach Kennedy Fuller and friends of Ribby are also gearing up for the season.
Razorback Baseball fans can soon expect to find Ribby the Razorback roaming around Baum-Walker Stadium starting with the season opener against Washington State.
