From the Desk of Hunter Yurachek: May 3
For the second-straight season, the Razorback Softball team has captured an SEC Championship! With a weekend sweep of South Carolina at Bogle Park, Arkansas clinched at least a share of the overall conference championship.
Congratulations to Coach Courtney Deifel and the entire Razorback Softball squad. It was certainly a fitting way to send out eight Razorback seniors – Taylor Ellsworth, Danielle Gibson, Mary Haff, Linnie Malkin, Hannah McEwen, KB Sides, Sam Torres and Valerie Ventura.
With one Arkansas (39-8, 17-4 SEC) win in the regular season finale series at Texas A&M or a single Alabama loss next weekend against Missouri, the Razorbacks will win the SEC title outright. Following the final regular season series in College Station, the Hogs will travel to Gainesville, Florida for the SEC Tournament (May 10-14).
The SEC team title is the sixth won by Arkansas this academic year and the 16th regular season or tournament title in the past two years. In addition to softball, the Hogs have also won SEC titles in men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s indoor track and field and soccer this year.
Leading the Way in the West
Arkansas Baseball has also put itself in position to compete for a conference title. Following a series win over Ole Miss this past weekend, the Razorbacks are 34-10, 14-7 SEC and lead the SEC’s Western Division by two games with three regular season series remaining. The Hogs dropped the Friday night game against the Rebels but rallied for wins in the final two games of the series, with a walk-off home run by Kendall Diggs on Saturday night and a one-run win on Sunday.
Nearly 35,000 Razorback fans came through the gates at Baum-Walker Stadium this past weekend, making it the most attended regular season series in the stadium’s history. Arkansas currently ranks No. 1 in the country in both total attendance (319,395) and average attendance (10,303) for games played at Baum-Walker Stadium (31 games).
Arkansas, ranked No. 2 nationally by D1Baseball this week, will host Missouri State tonight at Baum-Walker Stadium, before heading to Auburn for a weekend series on the Plains.
Renewing a Track Tradition
For the first time since 2011, Arkansas traveled to the famed Penn Relays Carnival in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On a weekend that saw former Razorback Graham Hood honored with induction into the Penn Relays Wall of Fame, Arkansas made some more history with some outstanding performances by both the men’s and women’s squads.
The Razorbacks demolished the collegiate record in the women’s 4X1, 500-meter relay on Saturday, taking the tape in 16:53:87. Arkansas, anchored by Krissy Gear, beat the previous record, set by Tennessee in 2009, by more than 14 seconds.
Arkansas men’s hurdler Phillip Lemonious earned the College Championship in the 110-meter hurdles with a season-best time of 13.48 seconds.
Both teams will compete in Fayetteville this weekend before competing for conference triple crowns at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Oxford, Mississippi (May 12-14).
Adding Names to Senior Walk
On Wednesday night, we will gather for one of my favorite events of the year – our Student-Athlete Graduation reception. Although it may not receive the headlines a game-winning touchdown, three-pointer or home run may provide, Razorback student-athletes earning their college degrees is at the very heart of our mission.
A total of 78 Razorback student-athletes will be recognized at the reception for earning their degree either this spring or this summer. Add to that the 19 graduates from the fall and our program will add 97 new names to Senior Walk this year. Congratulations to all of our graduates!!
Callin’ The Hogs with Garth Brooks
What an incredible night! Thank you to the sellout crowd who joined us at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium last month for an epic evening with Garth Brooks. It was great to have Arkansas native Bobby Bones get the evening going before Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood had the fans “Calling the Hogs” in a night Razorback fans won’t soon forget.
The concert was the first independently produced concert of that magnitude held in Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. It was an incredible undertaking by many. Thank you to our hard-working staff and all those on campus who contributed to making it happen.
While the primary focus of our facilities will continue to be serving the daily needs of our student-athletes and teams, we will continue to explore special opportunities to bring unique experiences to our area.
Tee Times Still Available
Speaking of Razorback Stadium, this week is your chance to swing the sticks at the Home of the Razorbacks. TopGolf Live is in town and still has tee times available on May 5-8.
To secure this opportunity to hit golf balls onto Frank Broyles Field, visit the TopGolf Live website. Use the code RAZORBACKS for a 10% discount.
Additional Updates
- Arkansas secured a spot in the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship on Monday. The Razorbacks were selected to compete in the Stillwater Regional and will open play on Saturday against UCLA. The winner of the first round match will face the winner of Oklahoma State and New Mexico State in the NCAA second round on Sunday.
- Best of luck to Coach Shauna Taylor and our women’s golf team as they head to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the NCAA Golf Regional (May 9-11) at the University of Michigan Golf Course.
- Coach Brad McMakin and the men’s golf team await their NCAA assignment. The NCAA Men’s Golf Selection show is this Wednesday.
We are primed for an amazing finish to the 2021-22 athletics year! We couldn’t do it without the support of our Razorback Foundation members and fans. Let’s finish the year strong and bring home some more trophies!
Go Hogs!
