Arkansas Softball Staff Recognized as ATEC/NFCA Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.– Following a 47-win campaign that featured the first trip in program history to the Women’s College World Series, the Arkansas Razorback coaching staff was honored as the 2026 ATEC/NFCA Central Region Coaching Staff of the Year award, the association announced Friday.

Head coach Courtney Deifel, associate head coaches Matt Meuchel and DJ Gasso, assistant coach Parker Staggs, and director of operations Dan Bartosik, along with numerous support staff members, helped guide Arkansas to a 47-13 overall record and 15-9 mark in SEC play. The Hogs’ season culminated in a trip to the 2026 Women’s College World Series, the first appearance in program history. Arkansas entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 national seed, sweeping through NCAA Regional and Super Regional play and becoming the first team nationally since Arizona in 1995 to run-rule its first five NCAA Tournament contests. Additionally, Arkansas was just the eighth team in NCAA history to run-rule all games played in a regional since the Super Regional format was introduced in 2005. The Hogs also won each of their home SEC series and registered a 17-game winning streak from Feb. 7 to March 1.

With the selection, it marked the fourth time in program history that the Razorbacks’ coaching staff has received an NFCA Regional Coaching Staff of the Year honor. All three previous occurrences have also come under Deifel’s guidance, in 2022, 2021, and 2018, when Arkansas was in the South Region.

The 2026 Arkansas squad’s 47 victories were the second-most in program history, while the Razorbacks’ 26 run-rule wins were a program record. At Bogle Park, Arkansas posted a 29-3 record, which marked the second-most wins and second-best winning percentage since the stadium opened in 2009, trailing only 31 wins in 2022 and a .931 winning percentage during a 27-2 campaign in 2018.  At the plate, Arkansas set program records in batting average (.340), on-base percentage (.441), runs scored (450), hits (522), doubles (97), and RBI (413). Arkansas also had a program-best 105 multi-RBI games and 22 games with 10+ runs during the 2026 campaign. Defensively, Arkansas turned a program-record 37 double plays while posting a .980 fielding percentage. In the circle, the Razorbacks ranked in the top 20 nationally in shutouts (15, 11th), strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.55, 15th), WHIP (1.18, 11th), team strikeouts per seven innings (6.66, 15th), fewest hits allowed per seven innings (5.64, 10th), and ERA (2.72, 16th).

Individually, Arkansas had a plethora of student-athlete honors during the 2026 season. Robyn Herron and Ella McDowell were both named NFCA First-Team All-Americans, marking the first time since 2022 that Arkansas recorded multiple first-team selections. Dakota Kennedy and Herron both earned First-Team All-SEC honors while McDowell and Payton Burnham took home second-team all-league recognition. Reagan Johnson (CF), Dakota Kennedy (LF), and Ella McDowell (3B) also earned SEC All-Defensive honors. The Razorbacks also tied a program record initially set in 2025 with a nation-leading eight NFCA All-Region selections.

Representing each of the NFCA’s 10 Division I regions, these respective coaching staffs –University of Arkansas (Central), Duke University (East), Indiana University, Bloomington (Great Lakes), University of Central Florida (Gulf), University of Tennessee, Knoxville  (Mid-Atlantic), University of Oklahoma (Midwest), University of Nebraska, Lincoln (Mountain), Boston University (Northeast), University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa (South) and University of California, Los Angeles (West)  – garnered Coaching Staff of the Year honors. The 10 programs, along with the national champion Texas, are eligible for the NFCA’s Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year award, which will be announced on June 18.

Regional (respective region only) and National Coaching Staffs of the Year are voted on by active member head coaches.

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