No. 17 Arkansas Set to Host Ole Miss in Weekend Series

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 17 Arkansas softball team (20-3, 3-0 SEC) will host Ole Miss (18-7, 3-0 SEC) for its first SEC home series of the season at Bogle Park this weekend. It’s the only series across the league where both teams have perfect conference records entering play. The series begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 19, with the middle game set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 20. A 1 p.m. tilt on Sunday, March 21, wraps up the weekend and can be viewed on SEC Network+ with Josh Haley (play-by-play) and Megan Turk (analyst) on the call.

Weekend Schedule

Friday, March 19 – 6 p.m. – vs. Ole Miss – Live Stats
Saturday, March 20 – 1 p.m. – vs. Ole Miss – Live Stats
Sunday, March 21 – 1 p.m. – vs. Ole Miss – Watch – Live Stats

All For Alex

On Saturday, Arkansas will join the 12 other SEC softball playing institutions by wearing teal to honor Alex Wilcox, a member of the 2018 Mississippi State softball team who inspired the nation with her courageous fight against ovarian cancer that ultimately took her life in the summer of 2018. The Razorbacks will wear a teal uniform top, belt and socks for the game and a teal warm-up shirt.

Last Time Out

Arkansas’ 19-game win streak was snapped by Liberty in a 2-0 (10 innings) setback on Tuesday (March 16) evening. The Flames hit a pinch hit go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the 10th inning to plate the game’s only runs. Razorback pitcher Mary Haff pitched a career-high 10.0 innings and was the tough luck loser (12-2) and allowed six hits, no walks and struck out nine. Outfielder Aly Manzo led the way at the plate, recording two of the team’s five hits. The Razorbacks were shutout for the first time all season. Arkansas moved to 2-1 in extra inning games this year.

Bogle Bombers

The Razorbacks have been on a power surge to begin the season, totaling 53 home runs over their first 23 games to lead the SEC and rank second nationally. Burnside leads the team with 15 homers, which paces the SEC and ranks second in the country behind Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo (19). Designated player Linnie Malkin and infielder Danielle Gibson each rank fifth in the SEC and 13th in the country with nine. Nine-hole hitter Keely Huffine has provided pop from the bottom of the order, hitting four home runs.

Brax Bombs

Burnside’s 15 home runs this season are already tied for second-most in a single season in program history alongside Devon Wallace (2012) and Jessica Bachkora (2010). The Paragould, Ark. native is two homers away from tying Nicole Schroeder (2017) for the program’s top single-season mark.

Burnside Named SEC Co-Player of the Week

Burnside was named SEC Co-Player of the Week after hitting four home runs last week and guiding the team to a three-game sweep at South Carolina. She posted a slash line of .427/.522/1.053 with an OPS of 1.714 and drove in seven of the team’s 14 runs against the Gamecocks. The Paragould, Ark. product hit a homer on Friday, giving Arkansas a two-run fifth inning lead and kickstarted the offense in a 4-1 victory. On Saturday, she hit two homers against the Gamecocks, including the go-ahead two-run shot in the top of the 10th inning of a 7-5 win. On Sunday, she smacked a two-run job to center on the game’s fifth pitch and walked twice in the Hogs 3-2 win. She shared the award with Alabama’s Bailey Hemphill.

#HogHits

• Haff leads the nation with 12 wins and ranks eighth in strikeouts (101) and 13th in shutouts (3). Haff’s career ERA of 1.56 is currently the best mark in program history.
• Gibson leads the team in batting average (.414), hits (36) and is second in RBI (31). She is second in the country and in the conference with 10 doubles and was 5-for-5 with a pair of two baggers last week in game two of the series at South Carolina.
• Last weekend, Arkansas swept No. 20 South Carolina on the road, recording its first road SEC series sweep since 2009 against Mississippi State.
• In addition to ranking second in the country in homers, the Razorbacks also rank third in walks, drawing 98.
• Arkansas recently ended a 19-game win streak, which was the longest in program history. It bested the prior record of 12 set by the 1999 and 2008 teams and was the only one of the three streaks to encompass a conference series sweep.

Opposition Position

Ole Miss enters the weekend on an 11-game win streak and recorded its first sweep of Mississippi State (6-0, 4-1, 8-0 5 innings) sweep in program history in its first SEC series last weekend. Outfielder Tate Whitley leads the team in batting average (.444), while infielder Paige Smith’s seven home runs leads the team. Pitcher Anna Borgen has a team-best 0.36 ERA in 38.2 inning of work and is 6-0. Savannah Diederich has spent the most time in the circle, tossing 58.2 innings and striking out 71 while going 6-5 with a 3.10 ERA.