Softball

Arkansas Hosts No. 1 Oklahoma for SEC Home Opener

Hunter Corneliusen
Hunter Corneliusen March 13, 2025

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 12/15 Arkansas Razorbacks return to action this weekend when they host four-time defending national champion and No. 1 Oklahoma for a three-game series at Bogle Park.

Arkansas will open the three-game set on Friday at 6 p.m. before continuing the series on Saturday at 4 p.m. and wrapping up play on Sunday at 11 a.m.

The first two games of the series will be broadcast on SEC Network+, while the series finale will be played in front of a nationwide audience on SEC Network with Matt Schumacker (PxP) and Amanda Scarborough (Analyst) on the call. Friday’s game will be called by Josh Haley (PxP) and Dorian Craft (Analyst), while Brett Dolan (PxP) and Sydney Parr-Lee (Analyst) will be on the call on Saturday.

LEADING OFF

  • The Arkansas Razorbacks are off to a 20-3 start this season. The Hogs are coming off a 1-2 weekend at Ole Miss, where they outscored the Rebels (23-21). Arkansas broke out for 20 runs in a 20-3 thrashing of Ole Miss. The 20 runs scored were tied for second-most in a single game in school history and were the most ever by an Arkansas team against a conference and ranked opponent (NFCA).
  • 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 47th game, while this year’s squad only needed 23 games to set the mark.
  • Arkansas has outscored opponents 209-53 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.
  • 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 Oklahoma will be meeting for the 28th, 29th and 30th times this weekend and first as conference opponents. Oklahoma holds a 25-2 all-time series lead over Arkansas.
  • The last three meetings between the programs occurred in NCAA Regional play in 2018 and 2017, with the Sooners taking all three.
  • The Razorbacks’ two wins over Oklahoma came on April 7, 2008 (3-2) in Fayetteville and April 8, 2009 (8-7) in Norman, both of which came during the tenure of head coach Jamie Pinkerton. The Hogs’ first win over the Sooners was highlighted by a complete game effort in the circle from Katy Henry, while Miranda Dixon’s two homers provided the spark for the Razorbacks in the most recent triumph over OU in 2009.
  • Only 241 miles separate Bogle Park and Love’s Field (Oklahoma Softball Stadium).

SCOUTING THE SOONERS

  • 1 Oklahoma is the four-time defending national champion and enters the series as the only undefeated team nationally at 23-0. Oklahoma is coming off a 10-2 win at Tulsa last night (March 12).
  • The Sooners own a 1.80 team ERA with 154 strikeouts in 144.0 innings pitched while limiting opposing hitters to a .191 batting average. Sam Landry (6-0, 1.51 ERA, 59 K, 37 IP) and Isabella Smith (6-0, 2.19 ERA, 31 K, 32.0 IP) highlight Oklahoma in the circle.
  • At the plate, Oklahoma is batting .349 as a team with 199 hits, 39 doubles, four triples, 48 home runs and 183 RBI while owning a .485 on-base percentage. Sophomore Ella Parker leads the team with a .525 batting average, collecting 32 hits, 12 doubles, four home runs and 22 RBI.

PLENTY OF FAMILIARITY

  • This weekend series is unique because Arkansas Assistant Coach DJ Gasso will coach against his mom, Oklahoma Head Coach Patty Gasso and brother, Oklahoma Assistant Coach JT Gasso. This weekend marks the third, fourth and fifth times that DJ has coached against his mother and brother. He previously coached against them while at Utah in 2022 and 2023, with Oklahoma taking both matchups 2-1 and 10-3.
  • DJ Gasso served as a graduate manager at Oklahoma from 2018-2019, helping guide the Sooners to a national runner-up finish in 2019.
  • Arkansas Head Coach Courtney Deifel spent two seasons as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma under Patty Gasso, where she was a member of a staff the guided the 2008 Sooners to a 47-14 record and a Super Regional appearance.

THE BASH SISTERS

  • UTL Courtney Day (36) and 1B Bri Ellis (40) combined for more RBI (76) than 117 Division I programs this season, entering this week. Ellis has more RBI than 29 DI programs, while Day has more than 21.
  • Day and Ellis are one of two pairs of teammates to rank in the top 10 in RBI nationally.

KD IS HEATING UP

  • INF Karlie Davison had an impressive showing at the plate during the Hogs’ three-game series at Ole Miss last weekend (March 7-9).
  • Davison hit .444 with four hits, including a double and triple, while being hit by a pitch twice at Ole Miss.
  • This season, she is hitting .327 with 16 hits, 16 runs scored, six doubles, two triples and 10 RBI. Entering this season she did not have a triple in either of her previous two seasons while at Utah.

BRI DOES IT ALL

  • Senior first baseman Bri Ellis is off to one of the most impressive starts at the plate in modern NCAA Softball history.
  • As of March 10, Senior first baseman Bri Ellis is tied for the national lead with 13 home runs this season, sharing the spot with Taylor Shumaker of Florida and is the national leader in on-base percentage (.683) and slugging percentage (1.396). She is only the second DI player since 2012 to lead the NCAA in all three categories, joining Louisiana Lafayette’s Lexie Elkins, who accomplished the feat in 2016.
  • Ellis is one of the most heralded sluggers in the nation in 2025. She is batting .547 with 13 home runs, 40 RBI, 74 total bases, 29 runs scored while posting a 1.396 slugging percentage and a .683 OBP. Her 61 career home runs are the most among all active D1 players.
  • She 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).
  • Through the first 20 games, her .556 batting average and .686 on-base percentage were program records (Min. 40 AB), while her 11 home runs rank third and 33 RBI rank second, trailing only Nicole Schroeder, who drove in 40 runs in 57 at-bats during the 2017 season.

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 .400 with 18 hits, six doubles, a triple, four homers and 26 RBI while posting a .517 OBP and .844 SLG.
  • 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.
  • Day has made a statement in her return to college softball by batting .379 with eight home runs, 22 hits, 19 runs scored and 36 RBI while drawing 11 walks and posting an impressive .931 slugging percentage and a .486 on-base percentage. She ranked eighth nationally in RBI per game entering the week.

ROB CAN SPIN IT

  • Robyn Herron owns a 7-1 record, 1.30 ERA and a team-best 56 strikeouts in 43.0 innings pitched in 2025 while limiting opposing hitters to a .136 batting average.
  • Herron entered the week ranking sixth nationally in hits allowed per 7 inn. (3.26) 11th nationally in shutouts (3)
  • She has carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning in four of her last seven starts. Most recently, she threw a five-inning complete game while striking out four in a 20-3 win over Ole Miss (March 9).
  • 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.

DOWNING NO. 1

  • Arkansas has topped the nation’s No. 1 team twice in program history and owns a 2-14 mark all-time against the nation’s top team.
  • The first win came against UCLA on Feb. 18, 2011. A year later, the Hogs topped Cal 3-2 in the opening game of NCAA Regional play on May 18, 2012.

RAKING AT THE PLATE

  • Entering this week, Arkansas ranks among the nation’s leaders in numerous categories, including doubles (9th, 45), RBI (8th, 189), runs per game (2nd, 9.09), slugging percentage (6th, .661), sacrifice flies (1st, 17), walks (6th, 121), and on-base percentage (3rd, .487).

MEUCHEL IS MASTER OF 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 .983 fielding percentage this season with nine errors in 541 chances through 23 games. The Hogs’ .983 fielding percentage entering the week ranked second nationally. Arkansas has not committed errors in 16 of its 23 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 184-71 (.719) at Bogle Park since Courtney Deifel took over the program in 2016.

MILESTONE TRACKER

  • Raigan Kramer is three walks away from ranking seventh in program history in career walks.
  • Reagan Johnson needs 11 more stolen bases to move into a tie for the fourth most all-time by a Razorback in their collegiate career.

 

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

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