Hogs Resume SEC Slate at No. 7 Tennessee

Hunter Corneliusen March 21, 2025

WATCH (Friday) WATCH (Saturday) WATCH (Sunday)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 14/16 Arkansas Razorbacks resume their SEC slate with a three-game series at No. 7 Tennessee Saturday, March 22-Monday, March 24 at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.

The series opener is set for 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, while Sunday’s matchup will start at 11 a.m. before the series concludes on Monday at 6 p.m. All three games will be broadcast nationally on SEC Network. Kevin Brown (Saturday, Sunday) and Mark Neely (Monday) will provide play-by-play of the action, while Amanda Scarborough will serve as the color analyst for all three games of the series.

LEADING OFF

The Arkansas Razorbacks are 21-6 and coming off a 6-3 midweek win over in-state foe Central Arkansas on Tuesday. The Hogs’ tied a season-high with three home runs in the contest. Five of the Hogs’ six runs scored in the victory came on the long ball as Bri Ellis smashed a three-run shot in the bottom of the third inning, and Kailey Wyckoff and Atalyia Rijo added solo homers in the first and fourth innings, respectively.
The Razorbacks have earned 16 wins by run rule this season, tying a program record set in 2014. The 2014 Razorbacks accomplished the feat in their 47^th game, while this year’s squad only needed 23 games to set the mark.
Arkansas has outscored opponents 226-79 this season.

PRESENCE IN THE POLLS

Arkansas checked in at No. 14 in the NFCA Poll, No. 16 in the ESPN/USA Softball Poll, No. 20 in the Softball America Poll and No. 22 in the D1 Softball Poll this week.
The Razorbacks have been ranked in the Top 25 of the NFCA Coaches poll for a program-best 77 consecutive weeks dating back to the start of the 2020 season. Arkansas is one of six programs nationally to have appeared in the Top 25 of every NFCA Coaches Poll since the start of the 2020 season, joining Oklahoma, Florida, UCLA, Oklahoma State and Florida State.

HISTORY LESSON

Arkansas and Tennessee have met 63 times. Tennessee holding a 42-21 all-time lead in the series.
Arkansas took the last series between the programs on April 29-May 1, 2023, with wins in the final two games of the series by the scores of 6-4 and 2-0.
The Razorbacks also earned a series win in the most recent matchup in Knoxville with wins in the first two games of the series (4-3, 9-6) on May 18-19, 2022.

SCOUTING TENNESSEE

Tennessee enters the weekend as the No. 7 team in the country in three of the four major polls with an overall record of 26-4, including a 2-1 mark in SEC play as the Lady Vols won their opening series at Georgia two weeks ago.
Tennessee is batting .355 as a team with 268 hits and 231 runs scored while registering 46 doubles, 14 triples and 40 homers with 212 RBI. Taylor Pannell leads the Lady Vols with a .471 batting average and 41 hits in addition to nine doubles, a triple, 11 home runs, 45 RBI and 32 runs scored.
In the circle, the Lady Vols have a nation-leading 0.99 team ERA. Karlyn Pickens (0.73) and Erin Nuwer (0.82) have sub 1.00 ERA, ranking fourth and seventh nationally. Pickens is 10-3 with 115 strikeouts and a .81 WHIP in 77 innings pitched. Nuwer is 4-0 with 40 strikeouts in 34.1 innings of work.

ROAD HOGS

Since 2020, the Razorbacks have excelled on the road with a record of 59-21 (.753), the second-best mark of all current SEC members, trailing only Oklahoma (76-6, .927).
With Arkansas’ road series victory at No. 7 LSU on April 26-28, 2024, the Hogs have won 15 of their last 17 SEC road series, which is the best mark among all SEC members during that time span (2021-present).
From 1997-2020, the program won only 17 SEC road series. Over the last four seasons, Arkansas has won 15 conference road series to go along with two SEC Titles.
The Hogs recorded two top-10-ranked SEC road series wins last season and have accounted for three top-10 road series wins in league play over the past three seasons.
Additionally, Arkansas has posted a 79-28 (.738) record in the Courtney Deifel era (2016-present) in neutral site games.

THE BASH SISTERS

UTL Courtney Day (39) and 1B Bri Ellis (47) have combined for more RBI (86) than 100 Division I programs this season, entering this week. Ellis has more RBI than 20 DI programs, while Day has more than nine.
They are one of two pairs of teammates to rank in the top 10 in RBI per game nationally.
In a 10-7 series finale loss to No. 1 Oklahoma, Ellis homered twice and Day hit a three-run homer. (March 16).

A HISTORIC START FOR NO. 77

Senior first baseman Bri Ellis is off to one of the most impressive first halves of a season at the plate in modern NCAA Softball history.
Ellis entered the weekend leading the country in homers (16), on-base percentage (.677) and slugging percentage (1.391). She was one of only two DI players to lead the nation in all three categories through March 19 of a season since 2012. The only other player to accomplish the feat was Louisiana-Lafayette catcher Lexie Elkins in 2016.
The Houston product also ranks first in RBI per game (1.74), second nationally in batting average (.547), fifth in total bases (89) and walks per game (1.00) while ranking 11th in runs per game (1.26).
Through the first 27 games, her .547 batting average, 16 home runs, 1.391 slugging percentage and 47 RBI are program records. Her .677 on-base percentage ranks second, trailing only Devon Wallace, who posted a .698 OBP in 2013.
Through the first 10 games of the season, Ellis was the only player nationally to have equal or more RBI than at-bats through the first 10 games of the season since at least 2015 (min of 20 AB).

RAZORBACKS THAT RAKE

Entering this week, Arkansas ranks among the nation’s leaders in numerous categories, including hit-by-pitch (2nd, 32), runs per game (4th, 8.37), sac flies (4th, 17), on-base percentage (5th, .468), RBI per game (6th, 7.63), walks (7th, 133) and slugging percentage (8th, .633).
Through 27 games, this year’s Arkansas team ranked among the top three in program history in batting average (1st, .349), doubles (1st, 50), slugging % (1st, .633), on-base % (1st, .468), sacrifice flies (1st, 17), RBI (T-1st, 206), walks (2nd, 133), runs (2nd, 226).
Arkansas owns a .468 on-base percentage. Two of the Razorbacks’ starters own an .OBP of .500+, while seven starters own an on-base percentage of .400+.

PB CAN PITCH

Freshman Pitcher Payton Burnham has wasted no time frustrating opposing hitters, beginning her Arkansas career with a 5-2 record and 40 strikeouts in 41.0 innings pitched. She is limiting opposing hitters to a .188 batting average and holds a 2.56 ERA.
She was the first Razorback freshman to start her career 4-0 in the circle since Autumn Storms did so in 2017.
She became the first freshman pitcher to record a win in her first two pitching appearances since Mary Haff in 2018 with wins over Bradley and San Diego at the Texas State Tournament (Feb. 7-8).
Burnham struck out eight batters while allowing just one run on three hits and one walk during her 6.1 innings pitched in a 3-1 win over Bradley (Feb. 7). A day later, she spun two perfect innings of relief against San Diego while striking out two batters in a 2-1 win.
She became just the 11th freshman Arkansas pitcher to post 8+ strikeouts in a game after fanning eight batters against Bradley (Feb. 7).

CALLING ON CAM

Freshman Cam Harrison is 3-0 with three saves this season. Her three saves are tied for the most in program history for a freshman with Jenna Bloom (2020) and Hope McLemore (2010).
In a win over Central Arkansas, Harrison threw 2.1 innings of one-hit relief with two strikeouts to earn a save (March 18).
Harrison threw three scoreless innings in relief at Ole Miss (March 8).
The Brookshire, Texas, product became the 12th Arkansas freshman in the last 20 years to strike out eight or more batters in a game during her first collegiate start. She fanned eight while allowing just one run on two hits and a walk in five innings of work against San Diego (Feb. 8).
A day after her first save, Harrison inherited a bases-loaded situation with only one out and the potential winning run at the plate and collected a save in a 3-1 victory over Bradley (Feb. 7).
Harrison picked up her first career save in her Razorback debut in the season opener at Texas State (Feb. 6). She entered the game in the bottom of the seventh with no outs and runners on first and second before striking out two and allowing no hits in the final frame on the 3-1 win over the Bobcats.

NO FREE PASSES ALLOWED

Arkansas is 138-40 since 2001 when its pitching staff issues no walks in a game.
The Razorbacks are 83-17 when issuing no walks under head coach Courtney Deifel (2016-present).
Arkansas is currently on a 13-game winning streak when issuing zero walks dating back to April 6, 2023, which is tied for the second-longest winning streak when accomplishing the feat in program history. It was previously accomplished from 2012-14.
In the past 20 years, Arkansas has had a pitcher throw 5+ innings in a single game without allowing a walk 25 times. When the feat is accomplished, Arkansas owns a record 19-6. Arkansas was 3-0 last year when accomplishing the feat courtesy of a pair of wins from Robyn Herron and a win from Morgan Leinstock.

HOGS HAVE A DAY

Arkansas finalized its 2024 roster with the addition of Texas transfer Courtney Day on Dec. 9, 2024. Day has made a statement in her return to college softball after sitting out the 2024 season after transferring from Texas. Day is batting .343 with nine home runs, 24 hits, 20 runs scored and 39 RBI while drawing 12 walks and posting an impressive .896 slugging percentage and a .463 on-base percentage.
Day hit a three-run homer in the series finale against Oklahoma (March 16).
During the Wooo Pig Classic (Feb. 28-March 2) she drove in 15 runs while posting a .615 batting average, 1.462 slugging percentage and .667 OBP with eight hits, three doubles, two homers, a triple, four walks and five runs score.
Day drove in a career-high six runs while hitting a grand slam in a 12-4 win over Illinois (Feb. 28). She became the first Hog to drive in 6+ runs in a game since Rylin Hedgecock drive in seven in a win over Kentucky on April 22, 2023.
Day smashed her fourth home run of the season courtesy of a three-run shot in the third innings of a win over ULM (Feb. 14). Later in the day, she doubled and drove in a run during a 9-1 win over LA Tech (Feb. 9).
During a 9-1 win over Bradley (Feb. 8), Day went 2-4 and hit a pair of two-run home runs to register her fourth career multi-HR games and the 62nd in program history. Day registered her first multi-HR game as a Hog in just her third game at Arkansas. She was the fastest Razorback newcomer to record a multi-HR game in program history (freshman and transfers included).
Day blasted a two-run home run to right field in the top of the fifth inning during a 23-0 win over Lipscomb (Feb. 7). It was her first home run as a Razorback and her first home run in 684 days since she hit a two-run home run on March 26, 2023 while at Texas.
Day initially transferred to Ole Miss following the 2023 season but did not play.
She is the third Razorback to transfer from Texas in program history, joining Taylor Ellsworth (2021) and Carlee Ratcliff (2023), who was Day’s roommate at Texas in 2022.
During her four seasons in Austin (2020-23), Day posted a .317 batting average and .395 on-base percentage with 120 hits, 22 doubles, two triples, 26 home runs, 63 runs scored, 44 walks and 91 RBI through 176 games played. She has registered 23 multi-hit games and 24 multi-RBI games during her collegiate career.
Day owned a 2.45 earned run average and 47 strikeouts in 68.2 innings pitched while with the Longhorns.

DISCIPLINED DUO

Bri Ellis and Raigan Kramer became the seventh pair of Arkansas teammates in the past 20 years to register 30+ walks in the same season in 2024.
Ellis (27) and Kramer (21) are the team leaders in walks for Arkansas this season.

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