Bluegrass State Bound for Top-20 Test at Kentucky

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 12 Arkansas hits the road for a top-20 test at No. 20 Kentucky on April 21-23 at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Ky.

Friday’s series opener starts at 5:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+. Saturday’s 5 p.m. contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Sunday’s series finale is set for noon on SEC Network+. The Hogs then play a Monday night game at Western Kentucky at 6 p.m. on HSSN.

The Schedule at No. 20 Kentucky              
Friday, April 21 – 5:30 p.m. – SEC Network+
Saturday, April 22 – 5 p.m. – ESPN2
Sunday, April 23 – 12 p.m. – SEC Network+

The Schedule at Western Kentucky          
Monday, April 24 – 6 p.m. – HSSN

In the Rankings                                               
As of April 20, Arkansas ranks:

• No. 11 in NFCA/USA Today
• No. 12 in ESPN.com/USA Softball
• No. 12 in Softball America
• No. 11 in D1Softball
• No. 7 in Extra Innings Softball

300 Career Wins Watch                                 

• Head coach Courtney Deifel, who sits at 297 overall career wins, needs three wins over the weekend to hit 300 career victories.
• Deifel’s overall career record is 297-167 (.640) while her record at Arkansas is 270-140 (.659).
• Deifel became the program’s all-time wins leader on Saturday, Feb. 18, when Arkansas defeated No. 22 Louisiana 7-6. Deifel bested former Razorback head coach Carrie Dever-Boaz’s (1997-2004) 244 career wins at helm.

Series History                                                  

• Arkansas leads the all-time series against the Wildcats, 35-27.
• The Hogs have won back-to-back series vs. Kentucky (2022, 2019).
• Arkansas plays in Lexington for the first time since 2017. Kentucky swept the Razorbacks in a three-game set.
• Arkansas has won five of the last seven games against Kentucky.
• The last time Arkansas won a game vs. Kentucky in Lexington was on April 4, 2014, when the Razorbacks claimed an 8-0 (6 inn.) decision in to avoid a series sweep against No. 8 Kentucky.
• Arkansas is searching for its first series win vs. Kentucky in Lexington since 2008. The Razorbacks swept the Wildcats in a three-game series.
• The Hogs are chasing their fourth series win vs. Kentucky in Lexington. Arkansas has taken three series vs. Kentucky in Lexington (2004, 2006, 2008).

HAWWWWWWWWWWgs on the Road     
It’s hard to win on the road in the SEC. Under skipper Courtney Deifel, Arkansas has found a formula that has resulted in 10 consecutive conference road series wins. The Razorbacks are looking for their 11th straight SEC road series victory this weekend in Lexington. Arkansas’ last league road series loss was at Alabama on March 6-8, 2020. Seven of the Hogs’ last 10 conference road series wins have come against top-25 teams, including two top-10 decisions. Arkansas has won 10 of its last 12 SEC series, dating back to the start of the 2021 season. The Razorbacks won all eight conference series in 2022 before their streak was snapped vs. Texas A&M on March 12.

Arkansas on the Road in the SEC

Rylin’s Big Bat                                                 
Redshirt junior designated player Rylin Hedgecock ranks sixth nationally and third in the SEC in home runs this season with 16. Hailing from Valdosta, Ga., Hedgecock also ranks fourth in the league and 13th nationally in home runs per game (0.36). Hedgecock is third in the conference in RBI with 48. Hedgecock is 11th in the country in that same category.

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