No. 19 Razorbacks Open SEC Play at No. 20 South Carolina

Jacob Pavilack March 11, 2021

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Riding a program-record 16-game win streak, the No. 19 Arkansas softball team (17-2, 0-0 SEC) begins SEC play by traveling to No. 20 South Carolina for a three-game series against the Gamecocks (13-3, 0-0 SEC) from Friday, March 12 through Sunday, March 14. Friday and Saturday’s games will air on SEC Network+, with the Hogs making their national linear television season debut on Sunday on SEC Network. Brad Muller (play-by-play) and Chrissy Schoonmaker (analyst) have the call for the Friday and Saturday games, while Pam Ward (play-by-play) and Jenny Dalton-Hill (analyst) will work the Sunday matchup.

Weekend Schedule

Friday, March 12 – 5 p.m. CT – at No. 20 South Carolina – Watch – Live Stats
Saturday, March 13 – 1 p.m. CT – at No. 20 South Carolina – Watch – Live Stats
Sunday, March 14 – 12 p.m. CT – at No. 20 South Carolina – Watch – Live Stats

Last Time Out

Arkansas defeated Central Arkansas on the road Tuesday evening, 4-1, in the first-ever meeting between the two programs. and the Razorbacks first-ever game on the road against an in-state opponent. The Hogs were outhit, 8-3, but made all three hits count as each drove in a run and went for extra bases. Infielder Danielle Gibson blasted a two-run home run in the first inning, homering in her third straight game and fifth total time over that span. Designated player Linnie Malkin also hit a homer and freshman infielder Hannah Gammill cracked an RBI double. Pitcher Mary Haff recorded her nation-leading 10th win of the season and struck out a season-best 11.

Bogle Bombers

The Razorbacks have been on a power surge to begin the season, totaling 47 home runs over their first 19 games to lead the SEC and rank second nationally. Burnside leads the team with 11 homers, which leads the SEC and ranks second in the country behind Oklahoma’s Jocelyn Alo (13). Gibson’s eight total homers rank third in the SEC and ninth in the country and designated player Linnie Malkin’s seven home runs rank 16th in the nation. Freshman infielder Hannah Gammill has hit five home runs and is tied for fifth nationally among home runs by a freshman and second in the SEC. Nine-hole hitter Keely Huffine has provided pop from the bottom of the order, hitting four home runs.

Going Streaking

Arkansas is currently on a program-best 16-game winning streak, besting the previous record of 12 set by the 1999 and 2008 teams. Over the streak, the Razorbacks are hitting .314 as a team with 39 home runs while scoring an average of 7.5 runs per game. The Razorbacks are surrendering an ERA of just 1.88. Arkansas’ 17-2 start to 2021 is tied for the second-best start to a season in program history.

#HogHits

Haff leads the nation with 10 wins and ranks fourth in shutouts (3) and ninth in strikeouts (76). Haff’s career ERA of 1.58 is currently the best mark in program history.
Gibson leads in batting average (.423), hits (30) and RBI (31). She leads the SEC and ranks third in the country in RBI.
In addition to ranking second in the country in homers, the Razorbacks also rank second in walks, drawing 81.

Arkansas in the Polls

After a 5-0 week last week, both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball Polls have the Hogs at No. 19 in the national rankings. D1softball.com has Arkansas tabbed at No. 12, the team’s highest-ranking at any point this season.

Opposition Position

South Carolina (13-3) enters the matchup having defeated Georgia Southern 9-1 in six innings on Wednesday night. Infielder Mackenzie Boesel leads the team hitting .479 while infielder Kassidy Krupit paces the club with five homers and 30 RBI. The Gamecocks use five pitchers regularly with Kelsey Oh seeing the most innings (25.0). Bailey Betenbaugh has pitched 20.0 innings and leads the team in ERA (0.70), strikeouts (22) and wins (4).

South Carolina leads the all-time series against Arkansas, 37-22, but the Razorbacks have won two of the last three games, taking the last series in 2019 in Fayetteville. The Hogs won the first two games of that series, 3-2 and 7-4. Arkansas has never won a three-game series in Columbia and is 10-16 when playing South Carolina in The Palmetto State.