Hogs Hit the Road for Test at No. 3 Georgia
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 20 Arkansas Razorbacks will face their highest ranked opponent so far during the 2024 season, traveling to Athens, Ga., for a road test at No. 3 Georgia on March 30-April 1 at Jack Turner Softball Stadium.
The series opener between the Hogs and the Bulldogs is set for 11 a.m. CT Saturday, March 30, on SEC Network with Mark Neely (play-by-play) and Michele Smith (analyst) on the call. Game two airs at 11 a.m. Sunday on ESPN2. Monday’s series finale is slated for 6 p.m. on SEC Network.
Leading Off
- Arkansas is looking to bounce back from a series loss to No. 20 Mississippi State on March 22-24 at Bogle Park.
- Pitchers Hannah Camenzind and Morgan Leinstock combined for the Hogs’ 10th shutout of the season in the 3-0 win vs. the Bulldogs on March 23. The duo limited Mississippi State to just two hits across 7.0 IP while strikout out three.
- Junior Raigan Kramer led Arkansas offensively during the three-game series vs. Mississippi State. Kramer went 4-for-6 (.667) with an .833 slugging percentage and .667 on-base per-centage. Kramer added four hits, including a double, an RBI and five total bases.
- Freshman catcher Kennedy Miller continued to impress during the Mississippi State series. Miller hit .500 (3-for-6), filed an .833 slugging and .667 on-base percentage with two doubles, an RBI, two HBP and a walk.
A Series Win Would…
- Match the program record for highest-ranked series win. Last season, Arkansas defeated its highest ranked opponent in program history in a three-game series – No. 3 Tennessee at Bogle Park on April 29-May 1. The Hogs won games 2 & 3 to take the series from the Volunteers.
- Claim Arkansas’ ninth straight ranked SEC road series win, dating back to 2021.
- Mark back-to-back SEC series wins in Athens. In their last meeting at Jack Turner Softball Stadium in 2021, the Razorbacks swept Georgia.
- Give Arkansas its third three-game series win in Athens (2021, 2010).
- Capture the Razorbacks’ second ranked SEC road series victory of the season. Arkansas won two of three games at No. 25 Auburn on March 17-18.
History Lesson
- Georgia leads the all-time series, 23-40.
- Last time out, Georgia clinched a 2-1 series victory vs. the Razorbacks in Fayetteville on April 6-8, 2023.
- Arkansas is chasing back-to-back series wins in Athens. It would be the first time the Hogs have won back-to-back three-game series in Athens.
- The Razorbacks are 11-21 in Athens.
- Under head coach Courtney Deifel, Arkansas is 6-8 vs. the Bulldogs, including 3-3 in Athens.
- Razorback assistant coach Danielle Gibson Whorton makes her return to Athens after serving on Tony Baldwin’s staff as a volunteer assistant coach during the 2023 season.
- This weekend’s series will be the earliest the two team’s have met since 2018 (March 10-12, 2018).
Miller Madness
- Freshman catcher Kennedy Miller has quickly established herself as one of the best freshmen in the country.
- Miller earned her first career SEC Freshman of the Week selection on March 19 following a dominant showing during Arkansas’ four-game road swing at Auburn and Texas A&M-Commerce.
- In her SEC debut vs. Auburn on March 17-18, Miller put up a .545/1.091/.545 slash line across four games and paced the Hogs in hits with six and home runs with two. The Georgetown, Texas, product played flawless behind the plate with 18 putouts, three assists and zero errors. Miller recorded her second career multi-home run outing in game two against Auburn, smashing a two-run home run in the first and a solo home run in the fourth.
- The catcher tied her career high in hits after finishing 3-for-3 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored in game two vs. Auburn (March 17) to solidify the series win.
- Miller paces Arkansas with a .452 batting average and .512 on-base percentage.
- She sits second in the SEC in batting average, ninth in on-base percentage, ninth in toughest to strikeout, 13th in slugging percentage (.781).
- Leads all SEC freshmen and ranks third nationally amongst freshmen with her .452 batting average.
- Only SEC freshman to rank inside the league’s top-10 in batting average and on-base percentage.
- Miller is hitting a team-best .542 with RISP. She’s also hitting .563 as leadoff. She ranks second on the team in two-out RBI with 12.
Bri Bombs
- Junior first baseman Bri Ellis was named back-to-back SEC Player of the Week on March 19.
- She’s the first Razorback in program history to win SEC Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks.
- The Houston native is hitting .410 with RISP.
- Ellis is hitting .385 while pacing the Hogs in runs scored (27), doubles (7), home runs (11), RBI (36), total bases (75) and slugging percentage (.824).
- Leads the team in two-out RBI with 16.
- Ellis ranks among the top-10 in the conference in several categories: hits (10th – 45), home runs (4th – 11), home runs per game (4th – 0.34), RBI (6th – 36), sacrifice flies (7th – 3), slugging percentage (8th – .824), total bases (5th – 75).
- Making the most of her return to the Plains on March 17-18, Ellis slashed an astronomical .667/1.444/.692 (6-for-9) with a team-leading six hits, two home runs, six RBI, five runs scored, 13 total bases, three walks and a sacrifice fly. In the series opener vs. the Tigers Saturday, Ellis smoked a three-run home run to give the Razorbacks an early 3-0 lead in the first. In game two, Ellis jacked her team-leading 10th home run on a solo shot to guide the Razorbacks seal the series win.
Double Trouble
- Arkansas has turned an SEC-leading 17 double plays this season.
- The Hogs’ .979 fielding percentage sits second in the SEC.
- Arkansas has the third-fewest errors in the conference after only committing 19 through 32 games.
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