Arkansas Hosts Central Arkansas for In-State Showdown on Field Trip Day

Hunter Corneliusen March 17, 2025

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 12/15 Arkansas Razorbacks are back in action tomorrow, Tuesday, March 18, for an 11:30 a.m. in-state showdown with Central Arkansas on Field Trip Day at Bogle Park.

The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ with Dorian Craft (PxP) and JB Brazeal (Analyst) on the call. Over 2,000 local students from Northwest Arkansas are expected to attend the inaugural Field Trip Day at Bogle Park.

LEADING OFF

The Arkansas Razorbacks are 20-6 and looking to get back into the win column after dropping all three games of a three-game series with Oklahoma this past weekend by the scores of 7-0, 6-4 and 10-7. Bri Ellis registered her fifth career multi-HR game and tied a single-game career high in hits with a 3-4 effort that featured a pair of two-run homers, two runs scored and four RBI in the series finale on Sunday.
The Razorbacks have earned 16 wins by run rule this season, tying a program record set in 2014. The 2014 Razorbacks accomplished the feat in their 47^th game, while this year’s squad only needed 23 games to set the mark.
Arkansas has outscored opponents 220-76 this season.

PRESENCE IN THE POLLS

Arkansas checked in at No. 12 in the NFCA Poll, No. 15 in the ESPN/USA Softball Poll, No. 18 in the Softball America Poll and No. 19 in the D1 Softball Poll last week. The major polls have yet to be released for this week.
The Razorbacks have been ranked in the Top 25 of the NFCA Coaches poll for a program-best 77 consecutive weeks dating back to the start of the 2020 season. Arkansas is one of seven programs nationally to have appeared in the Top 25 of every NFCA Coaches Poll since the start of the 2020 season, joining Oklahoma, Florida, UCLA, Oklahoma State, Alabama and Florida State.

HISTORY LESSON

Arkansas and Central Arkansas will be meeting for the eighth time on Tuesday. The Razorbacks hold a 5-2 all-time series lead over the Bears and took the last meeting 8-0 in run-rule fashion (6 inn.) on April 30, 2024, in Conway. Reagan Johnson highlighted the victory for Arkansas with a 2-3 effort at the plate that featured an RBI and a run scored.
The programs have played a home and home each season since the series’ inception in 2021. Last year’s game at Bogle Park was canceled due to weather conditions.
Only 119 miles separate the two schools.

SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS

Central Arkansas is 11-16 this season and coming off a 0-2 weekend at Eastern Kentucky. The final game of the series on Saturday was canceled in the fourth inning with the score at 1-1 due to weather.
UCA is batting .275 as a team with 192 hits and 104 runs scored while registering 35 doubles, seven triples and six homers with 94 RBI. Kylie Griffin leads the Bears with a .391 batting average and 36 hits in addition to two doubles, three triples, a home run, nine RBI and 16 runs scored.
In the circle, the Bears own a 5.54 ERA with 106 strikeouts and 191 hits allowed in 172.1 innings pitched. Bailie Runner (3-8, 5.11 ERA, 33 K) and Julia Petty (4-6, 6.14 ERA, 58 K) are their most used pitchers with 68.2 and 66.0 innings pitched, respectively.

MIDWEEK SUCCESS

Arkansas has had plenty of success in true midweek contests under head coach Courtney Deifel. The Razorbacks are 38-14 in midweek games since Deifel took over in 2016.

THE BASH SISTERS

UTL Courtney Day (39) and 1B Bri Ellis (44) combined for 83 RBI this season. Entering last weekend, the pair had driven in more runs than 117 of the 300 DI programs.
Day and Ellis both homered in Sunday’s series finale loss to Oklahoma. Day hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning while Ellis hit two-run home runs in both the third and fifth inning.

BRI BOMBS

Bri Ellis is one of the most heralded sluggers in the nation in 2025. She is batting .540 with 15 home runs, 44 RBI, 85 total bases, 33 runs scored while posting a 1.349 slugging percentage and a .667 OBP. While her 63 career home runs are the most among all active D1 players.
Ellis batted .500 in a three-game series vs. No. 1 Oklahoma, highlighted by a 3-4 series finale that featured two HR and four RBI.
Ellis hit .500 during a three-game series at Ole Miss while collecting four hits, four runs scored, two homers, seven RBI and three walks. She tied a career-high with five RBI in a 20-3 series finale win (March 9).
During the Wooo Pig Classic, Ellis hit .500 and posted a .778 on-base percentage, reaching base 14 times while only registering eight official at-bats. Ellis hit two home runs while drawing nine walks, five of which came intentionally (Feb. 28-March 2).
She batted .538 with two home runs, four RBI and seven hits during the Hogs’ 4-1 weekend at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic (Feb. 20-22).
Ellis had a career weekend during the Razorbacks 5-0 showing at the LA Tech Classic (Feb. 14-16). The senior first baseman batted .667 with eight hits, three doubles, four home runs, 15 RBI, seven runs scored and five walks while posting a 1.917 slugging percentage and .722 on-base percentage. She recorded four multi-hit and four multi-RBI games. Seven of Ellis’ eight hits went for extra bases and she did not strikeout once during her 18 plate appearances in the five contests.
In a 12-4 (6 inn.) win over Southern Miss, the right-handed slugger drove in a career-high five runs courtesy of a three-run home run and a two-run home run. The two-homer performance marked her fourth career multi-home run game and was her first as a Razorback.
She was named SEC Player of the Week (Feb. 17) and National Player of the Week by D1 Softball.
In a 12-4 (6 inn.) win over Southern Miss, the right-handed slugger drove in a career-high five runs courtesy of a three-run home run and a two-run home run. The two-homer performance marked her fourth career multi-home run game and was her first as a Razorback (Feb. 15).
In a 2-1 win over San Diego, Ellis had a bases-loaded walk-off RBI single to deep right-centerfield. She also hit a two-run home run in a 9-1 (6 inn. ) win over Bradley earlier in the day (Feb. 8).
Ellis blasted a solo home run in her first at-bat of the season at Texas State on Feb. 6, 2025 and then followed it up the next day with a two-run blast in the record-breaking 23-0 win over Lipscomb (Feb. 7).
She was a first-team SEC and NFCA All-Region honors and being named a Second-Team NFCA All-American in 2024.

DAY WILL MAKE YOU PAY

Since Courtney Day got moved behind Bri Ellis on April 14 against Louisiana Tech, the Razorbacks lineup got even more challenging for opposing pitchers.
Day is batting .373 with 19 hits, six doubles, a triple, five homers and 29 RBI while posting a .492 OBP and .824 SLG when batting behind Ellis in the order.
She is batting .615 (8-13) with a .684 OBP, 3 HR, 6 XBH and 17 RBI after an Ellis Walk. Arkansas has scored a run in 17 of 19 innings it has occurred and totaled 62 runs in innings where Ellis walked before Day in the lineup.
This season, Day is batting .358 with nine home runs, 24 hits, 20 runs scored and 39 RBI while drawing 11 walks and posting an impressive .896 slugging percentage and a .463 on-base percentage.

IN GOOD COMPANY

Freshman Pitcher Payton Burnham has wasted no time frustrating opposing hitters beginning her Arkansas career with a 5-2 record and 40 strikeouts in 41.0 innings pitched. While limiting opposing hitters to a .188 batting average and posting a 2.56 ERA.
She was the first Razorback freshman to start her career 4-0 in the circle since Autumn Storms did so in 2017.
She became the first freshman pitcher to record a win in her first two pitching appearances since Mary Haff in 2018 with wins over Bradley and San Diego at the Texas State Tournament (Feb. 7-8).
Burnham struck out eight batters while allowing just one run on three hits and one walk during her 6.1 innings pitched in a 3-1 win over Bradley (Feb. 7). A day later, she spun two perfect innings of relief against San Diego while striking out two batters in a 2-1 win.
She became just the 11th freshman Arkansas pitcher to post 8+ strikeouts in a game after fanning eight batters against Bradley (Feb. 7).

ROB CAN SPIN IT

Robyn Herron owns a 7-3 record, 2.33 ERA and team-best 62 strikeouts in 51.0 innings pitched in 2025 while limiting opposing hitters to a .153 batting average.
She has carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning in four of her last eight starts.
On Feb. 20, Herron spun a complete-game one-hit shutout against Cal State Fullerton, while carrying a no-no to the fifth and final inning.
On Feb. 17, Herron threw the 12th no-hitter in program history in a 10-0 (5 inn.) win over ULM. She struck out a season-high 11 batters during her no-hit performance against ULM to improve to 3-0 on the season. The southpaw struck out the side to open and end the game. Only three ULM batters reached base during the contest, two by way of walks in the second and fourth inning, respectively, in addition to a dropped third strike with two outs in the fourth.

HITTIN’ HOGS

Arkansas has posted a 191-20 overall record when registering 10 or more hits in a single game since 2006, including a 114-11 mark under Courtney Deifel.
The Razorbacks are 10-0 this season and posted a 9-1 record in 2024 when registering 10+ hits and have won 66 of their past 70 contests when accomplishing the feat since 2020.

DEFENSE… DEFENSE… DEFENSE

Assistant Coach Matt Meuchel joined the Razorbacks’ coaching staff prior to the 2017 season and completed his eighth season in Fayetteville in 2024. Meuchel is one of the sport’s leaders in analytics and also coordinates the Razorbacks defense. All five of the Hogs’ top-five single-season fielding percentages have come under his watch.
Arkansas has posted a program-record .984 fielding percentage this season with 10 errors in 625 chances through 26 games. The Hogs’ .983 fielding percentage entering the weekend ranked second nationally. Arkansas has not committed errors in 18 of its 26 games this season.
In 2024, Meuchel and assistant coach Danielle Gibson helped guide Arkansas to a program-record .978 fielding percentage, which led the SEC and ranked ninth nationally.

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES

Since 2017, Arkansas is 155-41 (.789) at Bogle Park during the regular season.
Arkansas is 184-74 (.7193 at Bogle Park since Courtney Deifel took over the program in 2016.

BOGLE BOMBERS

The long ball has been a staple in the success of Arkansas Softball during the Courtney Deifel era (2016-present).
Arkansas has hit 569 home runs since Deifel took over the helm in 2016 which accounts for 51.1% of home runs in program history. In the 10 years prior to Deifel’s arrival, Arkansas teams belted 437 round trippers.
Entering the week, the Razorbacks’ 557 home runs since 2017 rank second among SEC members during that time span and third among current SEC members trailing only Oklahoma (906) and Georgia (612).
Six of the Hogs’ single-season top-10 home run marks have been accomplished during Deifel’s tenure, including the three best in program history (2022: 109, 2021: 95, 2023: 69).
The Razorbacks’ program record 109 home runs in 2022 were the second-most by a team in a single-season in SEC history at the time.

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