Deifel Named Top 25 Head Coach of the Quarter-Century by D1Softball

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas softball head coach Courtney Deifel has been named a Top 25 Head Coach of the Quarter-Century as part of D1Softball’s All-Quarter Century Team, the publication announced on Tuesday.

Deifel has completely transformed Arkansas Softball since her hiring in 2016. In her 10 seasons in Fayetteville, she has orchestrated the Razorbacks’ return to postseason play, guiding the program to a pair of SEC regular season championships (2021, 2022), one SEC Tournament crown (2022) and eight consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (2017-25). Deifel led the program to its NCAA Tournament Super Regional appearances in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2025. Since her first season in 2016, the Razorbacks have been ranked 121 times in the NFCA Coaches’ Poll after previously being ranked only once in program history. Fifteen of the program’s 16 NFCA All-American awards, 45 NFCA All-Region Selections and 78 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete accolades have been accumulated under Deifel since 2016. Deifel – the program’s all-time wins leader – enters the 2026 season with 359 career wins at Arkansas. She has logged five 40-win seasons while at Arkansas, including three consecutive 40-win seasons from 2021-23. Before she arrived in Fayetteville, Arkansas recorded only two 40-win seasons across 19 years.

In 10 years under head coach Deifel, Arkansas has increased its winning percentage by 21.4% compared to the 10 seasons prior to Deifel’s tenure, while also winning 92 more games. Arkansas is the only Power 4 school nationally to increase its winning percentage by more than 20% in that timespan. The Razorbacks’ 21.4% increase in winning percentage during the previous decade ranks sixth among 297 Division I teams.

Prior to arriving at Arkansas, Deifel, who owns a career head coaching record of 386-206, spent a season as the head coach at Maryland in 2015, posting a 27-27 mark.

The criteria for the D1Softball Top 25 Coaches of the Quarter-Century consisted of four major factors:

• Head coaches only
• Had to have served at least 10 years in an applicable role or won a national championship since 2000
• Selected for their on-field work alone
• Only results and awards from this quarter-century applied; nothing prior to 2000 was considered.

Deifel was one of seven active SEC head coaches to earn the honor alongside Patty Gasso (Oklahoma), Patrick Murphy (Alabama), Beth Torina (LSU), Tim Walton (Florida), Karen Weekly (Tennessee), and Mike White (Texas). Deifel also shares the honor with her collegiate head coach Diane Ninemire, for whom Deifel won a national title under as a starting catcher at Cal in 2002.

The Razorbacks are coming off a 44-14 mark in 2025, which featured their eighth-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and fourth NCAA Super Regional appearance in program history, all of which have come under head coach Courtney Deifel’s guidance.

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