Softball

#11 Arkansas, UAB Clash in Fayetteville

Grace Tafolla
Grace Tafolla April 13, 2023
Arkansas Game Notes

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 11 Arkansas (28-12) returns home for a three-game series vs. UAB (21-18) on April 14-16 at Bogle Park. Friday’s series opener begins at 6 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.

Saturday’s game two is slated for 3 p.m. and Sunday’s series finale will tee off at noon. All three games this weekend will be available on SEC Network+.

The Schedule
Friday, April 13
Arkansas vs. UAB – 6 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Live Stats
Saturday, April 14
Arkansas vs. UAB – 3 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Live Stats
Sunday, April 15
Arkansas vs. UAB – Noon – SEC Network+ – Live Stats

In the Rankings                                               

As of April 13, Arkansas ranks:

  • No. 10 in NFCA/USA Today
  • No. 11 in ESPN.com/USA Softball
  • No. 11 in Softball America
  • No. 12 in D1Softball

Top-25 Hogs                                                     

  • Under head coach Courtney Deifel, the Hogs have been ranked 78 times in the USA Today/NFCA Poll. Prior to her tenure, Arkansas was ranked just one time in program history (2013).
  • The Hogs have been ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Poll in 72 of its last 73 releases, dating back to week seven of the 2018 campaign.
  • Arkansas has received a vote in the last 91 releases of the USA Today/NFCA Poll, the longest streak in program history.
  • The Razorbacks Week 1 rankings (No. 4)  during the 2023 season match the highest in-season rankings in program history.

Playing the Nation’s Best                             
Arkansas checks in at No. 16 heading into this week’s RPI rankings while UAB sits at No. 74. Arkansas has played a gauntlet of a 2023 regular season schedule, playing a plethora of teams that currently sit inside the RPI’s top-25: No. 5 Florida State, No. 7 Duke, No. 8 Tennessee, No. 11 Georgia, No. 14 Louisiana, No. 15 Alabama, No. 16 Central Arkansas, No. 18 Texas A&M, No. 19 Virginia Tech, No. 20 Kentucky, No. 21 Florida, No. 23 Baylor and No. 25 Wichita State.

Leading Things Off                                         
Freshman phenom Reagan Johnson has quickly emerged as a star in college softball. Through 36 games, Johnson sports a .357 batting average with a .401 on-base percentage and .414 slugging percentage. Johnson ranks third in the SEC and leads all conference freshmen in hits with 50. On a national scale, Johnson has the fourth-most hits by a freshman. Dating back to Arkansas’ Feb. 26 win against Drake, Johnson recorded a hit in EIGHT consecutive plate appearances (Feb. 26 vs. Drake, March 2 vs. Iowa State, March 3 vs. TAMU-CC and North Texas). Going 4-for-4 vs. Iowa State on March 2, Johnson became the first Hog to record four hits in a game since KB Sides did vs. Lehigh on March 11, 2022.

Delce is a Gem                                                 
Redshirt senior RHP Chenise Delce (15-5) earned her seventh ranked win and 10th against an opponent that has been ranked inside ESPN.com/USA Softball’s top-25 for at least a week during the 2023 regular season. The reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year has tossed a complete game in six of her last seven appearances. Delce sits fourth in the SEC in strikeouts with 124 on the season. The Oklahoma City native ties for second in the league in wins with 15. In 2023, Delce holds a 1.98 ERA with 124 strikeouts, 12 complete games, three shutouts and two saves while limiting opponents to a .194 batting average.

Halvy Hacks                                                      
Junior first baseman Cylie Halvorson hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the seventh vs. No. 8 Georgia Saturday to propel Arkansas to a 4-3 victory. A transfer from South Dakota State, Halvorson has exploded onto the scene during SEC play, recording team-highs in batting average (.341), slugging percentage (.591), hits (15), runs (11), total bases (26) and sacrifice flies (3). During league-only competition, Halvorson ranks fifth in the conference in hits, runs scored and total bases while tying for seventh in RBI with 11. Through 40 games this season, Halvorson is slashing .302/.509/.380 and holds a 1.000 fielding percentage at first. Halvorson has the second-most home runs by a Hog this season with six.

Up Next
Arkansas takes on Texas A&M-Commerce in a midweek tilt at 4 p.m. CT Tuesday at Bogle Park. The game will be available on SEC Network+.

For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Powered by