No. 5 Arkansas Opens Inaugural WCWS Appearance with No. 4 Nebraska
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After a dominant run through NCAA Regional and Super Regional play that featured five run-rule wins, the No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks will face No. 4 Nebraska in their first Women’s College World Series contest in program history on Thursday, May 28 at 8:30 p.m. inside Devon Park.
The game will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Kevin Brown (PxP) and Amanda Scarborough (Analyst) will be on the call for the matchup. The winning team of the Hogs and Huskers meeting will play Saturday at 6 p.m., while the loser of the matchup will play at 8:30 p.m. on Friday.
Arkansas is 47-11 this season with a program-record 26 wins coming by run-rule. Arkansas joined the 1995 Arizona Wildcats as the only teams in program history to run-rule its first five games in the NCAA tournament. The Hogs swept their way through Super Regionals by defeating Duke 14-5 (5 inn.) in game one before punching their ticket to Oklahoma City with a 10-2 (5 inn.) triumph over Duke on Saturday. The Razorbacks were the only team in the nation to go 3-0 with three run-rule wins in regional play after defeating Fordham 8-0 (6 inn.) and USF twice by the scores of 9-1 and 10-2 in six innings. It marked just the eighth time in NCAA Tournament history that a team had gone undefeated while winning each of its games by run-rule since the Super Regional format was introduced in 2005. The Hogs are outscoring opponents 447-153 this season.
The Arkansas Razorbacks, one of the nation’s most successful programs in recent years, have been ranked in the Top 25 of the NFCA Coaches poll for a program-best 102 consecutive weeks dating back to the start of the 2020 season. Arkansas is one of five 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, and Florida State.
FOLLOW ALONG
Thursday, May 28
Game 1: Arkansas vs. Nebraska – 8:30 p.m. – ESPN2 – Live Stats
SCORCHING HOT HOGS
The Arkansas lineup has been on another level during NCAA tournament play. The Razorbacks enter the WCWS with the top four individual batting average marks among all WCWS participants.
Player Average
Dakota Kennedy .588
Atalyia Rijo .571
Brinli Bain .545
Karlie Davison .538
Additionally, Arkansas has the individual leaders among WCWS teams in numerous categories.
Player Category led Value
Brinli Bain On-Base % .588
Karlie Davison SLG% 1.615
Karlie Davison OPS 2.282
Karlie Davison HR (T-1st) 4
Karlie Davison RBI 13
Karlie Davison Total bases 21
DAKOTA DOES IT ALL
Arkansas bolstered its roster with the signing of two-time NFCA All-American LF Dakota Kennedy this past summer. Kennedy transferred from Arizona, where she was a third-team NFCA All-American selection in both 2024 and 2025. During her three seasons as a Wildcat, she posted a .399 batting average with 180 hits, 26 doubles, six triples, 28 home runs, 94 RBI, 91 walks, and 302 total bases while scoring 147 runs and stealing 22 bases. She is a three-time first-team all-conference and NFCA All-West Region selection and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in left field in 2024.
She is batting a team-best .378 this season with 13 doubles, a triple, 16 homers, 54 RBI, 25 walks and 50 runs scored. She has a career-high 53 RBI and 16 HR.
Kennedy went 2-3 with a double, an RBI, a walk, and a run scored in a 10-2 (5 inn.) win over Duke on May 23. During a 14-5 (5 inn.) win over Duke, she went 3-4 with a solo HR and four RBI (May 22). Kennedy completed the Hogs’ 10-2 win over USF with a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning. She smashed a two-run home run to complete a run-rule victory over Fordham on May 15. Kennedy blasted a three-run HR in a win over Mississippi State (April 11).
Following a sweep over Auburn (April 6), she claimed the prestigious AUSL (Athletes Unlimited Softball League) Golden Ticket, which is presented to players who will be selected in the upcoming AUSL draft on May 3. Kennedy was the second Razorback to receive the prestigious honor during its two years of existence, alongside Bri Ellis (2025). She was drafted with the fourth pick in the third round of the 2026 AUSL College Draft by the Carolina Blaze.
POSTSEASON P
Sophomore Payton Burnham has tossed two seven-inning complete game shutouts in her two years on The Hill in postseason play, in addition to a no-hitter in last year’s NCAA tournament and a six-inning shutout in a regional opening win over Fordham on May 15.
Opponent Date IP ER Result
Fordham 5/15/26 6 0 W, 8-0
Miss. State 5/6/26 7 0 W, 3-0
Ole Miss 5/24/25 7 0 W, 4-0
SLU* 5/16/25 5 0 W, 10-0
*- No-Hitter
She is 14-3 with three saves, a 1.90 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 103 innings of work this season while limiting opposing hitters to a .215 batting average.
In her last start, Burnham improved to 14-3 on the season while earning the victory in the Razorbacks 10-2 (5inn.) win over Duke to punch their ticket to the WCWS. Burnham struck out six and allowed just two runs on three hits and a pair of walks in her five innings pitched. She tossed a six-inning shutout while striking out six and allowing just three hits and no walks in an 8-0 win over Fordham (May 15). She pitched a complete-game shutout in a 3-0 win over Mississippi State on May 6. It was the first complete-game shutout by an Arkansas pitcher in an SEC Tournament contest since Chenise Delce accomplished the feat (7 IP, 5 K, 2 H) during a 4-0 win over Missouri to give Arkansas the SEC Tournament Championship on May 14, 2022.
Burnham earned second-team All-SEC honors this season after posting an impressive 5-2 record with a pair of saves in league play. She limited opposing hitters to a .220 batting average while registering a 2.40 earned run average with 25 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 49.2 innings of work. Her .278 opponent on-base percentage was the fourth-lowest in the SEC.
LOCKING IT DOWN IN CENTER FIELD
Reagan Johnson is among the best center fielders the game has seen during her four years on The Hill with a .989 career fielding percentage. She is on a 132-game errorless streak dating back to April 6, 2024, which is the longest errorless streak by an Arkansas outfielder in program history. She owns a 1.000 fielding percentage this season with 83 putouts and one assist.
Her 357 innings of outfield play without an error leads all SEC center fielders this season, while she is one of two P4 center fielders to not commit an error since the beginning of the 2025 season. Johnson is also one of two center fielders nationally with a 1.000 fielding %, 70+ OF chances and 320+ outfield innings.
ROB CAN SPIN IT
Senior LHP Robyn Herron is 16-6 this season with a 2.09 ERA and 169 strikeouts in 113.2 innings of work while limiting opposing hitters to a .184 batting average and collecting four saves. Her 16 10+ strikeout games are tied for the most in program history alongside Mary Haff (2018-2022). She was the seventh pitcher in program history to record 500+ career strikeouts and 50+ career wins. Herron threw her third career no-hitter and struck out 12 in a 6-0 win over Northwestern (Feb. 21). She ranks among the top pitchers nationally entering the week in fewest hits allowed per seven innings (20th, 4.74), saves (23rd, 4) and strikeouts per seven innings (4th, 10.7).
AIN’T THEIR FIRST RODEO
Arkansas has three members of their roster and coaching staff who have played or coached in the Women’s College World Series. Senior INF Karlie Davison played in the WCWS while at Utah in 2023, while being coached by DJ Gasso, who was an assistant for the Utes. Head Coach Courtney Deifel played in the event all four years of her collegiate career while winning the national title in 2002. Gasso served as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma from 2019 to 2020, winning a national title in 2019.
EIGHT IS GREAT
Arkansas is 310-9 when scoring eight or more runs all-time, including a 174-1 mark during the Courtney Deifel era (2016-present).
The Razorbacks are on a 123-game winning streak when scoring 8+ runs. The last loss the Razorbacks had when accomplishing the feat was a 12-11 loss to Oklahoma State on Feb. 11, 2021, during the season opener at the Best on the Bayou Classic in Monroe, La.
THE BOGLE BOMBERS
Arkansas bolstered its roster with the addition of senior 1B Tianna Bell, who transferred to Arkansas for her senior season after beginning her collegiate career at Cal.
She has made an immediate impact during her short time as a Hog. The Cal transfer is batting .372 with 67 hits while registering 63 RBI, nine doubles, 18 homers, 41 runs scored and 22 walks. Bell joined Bri Ellis as the only two Hogs in program history with 15+ multi-hit and multi-RBI games in the first 44 games of a season. In the 10-2 (5 inn.) win over Duke, she opened the scoring with a two-run home run to left field. The two-run shot was the 50th of her career. Bell blasted a grand slam while going 2-3 with a walk during a 14-5 (5 inn.) win over Duke (May 22). She went 2-4 with a solo HR in a Regional-Opening win over Fordham (May 15).
IN THE RANKINGS
The Razorbacks entered the postseason ranked fifth in the Softball America, ESPN/USA Softball and D1Softball Top 25 Polls while being ranked ninth in the NFCA/GoRout D1 Coaches Poll.
Arkansas ranked among the nation’s leaders in numerous categories entering the weekend, including batting average (15th, .345), runs per game (8th, 7.71), on-base percentage (6th, .447), RBI per game (10th, 7.07), slugging percentage (17th, .579), total runs (10th, 447). WHIP (9th, 1.16), team strikeouts per 7 inn. (14th, 6.78), shutouts (11th, 15) and ERA (13th, 2.52).
HISTORY LESSON
Arkansas is making its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Razorbacks are 29-28 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, including a 22-16 mark under head coach Courtney Deifel.
The Razorbacks are making their first trip to the Women’s College World Series in program history.
Arkansas has previously appeared in the NCAA tournament in 2000, 2002, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. While making Super Regionals in 2018 (Norman), 2021 (Fayetteville), 2022 (Fayetteville), 2025 (Fayetteville) and 2026 (Fayetteville).
KNOW THE FOE
The No. 5 National Seed, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, are 51-6 this season. Nebraska went 5-0 on its way to the Women’s College World Series and defeated No. 15 Oklahoma State by the scores of 9-1 and 8-1 during Super Regional play to advance to its first WCWS since 2013.
The Cornhuskers are led by Rhonda Revelle, who is in her 34th season at the helm with a record of 1,221-686, highlighted by WCWS appearances in 1998, 2002, 2013, and 2026.
Nebraska is led by 2026 NFCA National Player of the Year Jordy Frahm, who owns a .416 batting average and 19 home runs. Frahm also has registered 50 RBI, 11 doubles, and 59 runs scored. She owns a .827 slugging percentage and a .511 on-base percentage. In the circle, she is 20-4 with a 1.14 ERA and 12 saves. Her 12 saves tied the Big Ten single-season record. She also has eight solo shutouts and three combined shutouts, and has struck out 234 batters and only walked 30.
Hannah Camenzind follows Frahm with a .389 batting average, 16 doubles, two triples, eight home runs, 56 RBI, and 112 total bases to go along with 30 walks and 41 runs scored.
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
Arkansas Head Coach Courtney Deifel (Scott) and Associate Head Coach DJ Gasso are no strangers to Devon Park and the WCWS.
Deifel, then known as Courtney Scott, appeared in four WCWS during her playing career at Cal (200-2003), highlighted by winning the 2002 National Title, a 6-0 win over Arizona on May 27, 2002. In the national championship contest, Deifel caught the entire game while driving in a run with a bases-loaded walk and scoring a run in the Golden Bears’ six-run top of the seventh inning.
Her sister, Amanda Scott, also appeared in three WCWS while at Fresno State from 1997-2000, highlighted by winning the National Championship in 1998. She was the first four-time All-American in program history while compiling a 106-18 record as a pitcher. Deifel’s dad, Ron Scott, played in the 1974 College World Series for Miami, leading the Hurricanes to a runner-up finish while being named to the CWS All-Tournament team as a catcher. Following his playing career, he served as the head baseball coach at Fresno City College garnering from 1989-2022 garnering 1,100 wins in his tenure.
Gasso is the son of Oklahoma Head Coach Patty Gasso, who has over 1,500 wins during her tenure in Norman and eight national championships. With Arkansas making the 2026 WCWS, a Gasso has now coached in every WCWS since 2015.
30 SEASONS OF RAZORBACK SOFTBALL
2026 marks the 30th season of Arkansas Softball. The Razorbacks hold an all-time program record of 928-823-1 with four head coaches in the entirety of its history.
Arkansas played its first official game in program history on Feb. 20, 1997, which was a 4-3 loss to Cal State Northridge during the San Diego State Classic. The Razorbacks rebounded later that same day with a 5-4 triumph over Hawaii to earn the first win in program history. Designated Player Lisa Flores provided the winning runs in the victory with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
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