No. 6/9 Hogs Host Auburn for Saturday-Monday SEC Series

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 6/9 Arkansas Softball team continues its SEC schedule with a three-game series against Auburn at Bogle Park from Saturday, April 4, to Monday, April 6.

First pitch is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday, 3 p.m. on Sunday, and 6 p.m. on Monday. Saturday’s game will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Josh Haley (PxP) and Sydney Parr Lee (Analyst) on the call. Sunday and Monday’s games will be televised on SEC Network with Roy Philpott (PxP) and Erin Miller (Analyst) calling the action.

The Razorbacks are 30-5 this season with 19 wins coming by run-rule. Arkansas is coming off a 2-1 series win over Florida that featured a 6-4 series finale win on Sunday, highlighted by a walk-off three-run home run from senior outfielder Dakota Kennedy and an impressive six innings of relief from freshman Saylor Timmerman. The Hogs are outscoring opponents 317-96 this season and have won seven of their last eight games entering the matchup.

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 97 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

Saturday, April 4
Auburn at #6/9 Arkansas– 4 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Live Stats

Sunday, April 5
Auburn at #6/9 Arkansas– 3 p.m. – SEC Network – Live Stats

Monday, March 6
Auburn at #6/9 Arkansas– 6 p.m. – SEC Network – Live Stats

THE HITS QUEEN

With 264 career hits, Reagan Johnson is the Arkansas all-time career hits leader. Johnson made history by collecting her record-breaking 262nd career hit with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth inning in a 6-2 win over Florida (March 27) to surpass Hannah McEwen’s (2018-2022) previous program record mark of 261.

She has posted a .385 batting average this season with 40 hits, four doubles, a triple and nine RBI while drawing 22 walks, scoring 42 runs and stealing 14 bases.

Her 264 career hits ranked fifth nationally among all D1 active players entering the week, trailing only Mihyia Davis (312) of Texas Tech, D’Auna Jennings (275) and Aminah Vega (267) of Duke and Haley Ahr of Marist (265).

In addition to being the career hits leader, she ranks second all-time in Arkansas career batting average at .372 while ranking fifth in career on-base percentage (.434), fifth in career triples (8) and third in career stolen bases (64). She is 12 stolen bases away from breaking Rachel LeMaster’s Arkansas career record of 75.

Defensively, Johnson is among the best center fielders the game has seen during her four years on The Hill with a .988 career fielding percentage. She is on a 109-game errorless streak dating back to April 6, 2024.

BRINLI IS ALWAYS ON BASE

Freshman C/INF Brinli Bain has posted a .427 average with 38 hits, 13 doubles, three homers, 28 walks, 33 runs scored and 29 RBI. Her .427 batting average ranked fourth in program history through the first 35 games of a season, trailing only Bri Ellis (.500, 2025), Stephanie Canfield (.481, 2013) and Danielle Gibson (.477, 2022).

Bain went 2-2 with a solo HR and two walks in a loss to Florida (March 28).

She led all freshmen and ranked 23rd nationally with a .568 on-base percentage entering the week. The Eagleville, Tenn., native also ranked second in the SEC and 14th nationally with 14 doubles this season, the second-most among all DI freshmen entering this week.

Bain has 12 multi-hit games this season and was the first Arkansas freshman to record 12+ multi-hit games through the first 35 games of a season since Reagan Johnson (13) in 2023.  Bain and Johnson are the only two Arkansas freshmen to accomplish the feat in the previous decade.

HOGS OFF TO A SUPER HOT START

Through the first 35 games of the season, the Hogs’ 30-5 record is the second-best start in program history, trailing only a 32-3 start in 2021.

Arkansas has registered program-best marks in batting average (.374), runs (317), doubles (71), RBI (288), total bases (577), slugging % (.636), and on-base % (.475).

As of Tuesday, this week, Arkansas was the only team in the SEC to have nine players batting over .350 with 80+ at-bats.

RIJO ROJO CALIENTE

Arkansas senior INF Atalyia Rijo is batting .388 this season with 31 hits, nine doubles, five homers and 33 RBI while drawing 18 walks and scoring 25 runs.

Rijo batted .700 during the Hogs’ 3-1 showing last week, reaching base in 10 of her 13 plate appearances while tallying seven hits, four runs, four RBI and three walks.

She is just five RBI, one double and one home run away from matching her 2025 season totals while already having drawn a career-high 18 walks in just 80 at-bats this season.

DAKOTA DOES IT ALL

Arkansas bolstered its roster with the signing of two-time NFCA All-American LF Dakota Kennedy, who transferred from Arizona this past summer.

She is batting .358 this season with 9 doubles, a triple, 12 homers, 37 RBI, 15 walks and 40 runs scored. Her 12 round-trippers lead the team. The Sacramento, Calif., product has a career-high 37 RBI and is two homers away from setting a single-season career high in round trippers.

Kennedy was named D1Softball National Player of the Week after batting .462 with two HR, two doubles, and seven RBI during the Hogs’ 3-1 showing on March 24-29.

She crushed a walk-off three-run home run to give Arkansas a 6-4 win over Florida on March 29 to secure the series.

In her last 10 games, Kennedy is batting .452 with 14 hits, three doubles, a triple, five home runs and 20 RBI while drawing seven walks and posting a 1.661 OPS.

10K WILL PLAY

Arkansas is 84-10 all-time when an individual pitcher records 10+ strikeouts in a single game. Under head coach Courtney Deifel (2016-present), Arkansas is 44-3 when an individual pitcher registers 10+ strikeouts in a game. Robyn Herron leads all current Razorbacks with 15 games of 10+ strikeouts.

BOGLE PARK IS THE PLACE TO BE

Since 2017, Arkansas is 180-47 at Bogle Park during the regular season. Additionally, Arkansas is 213-79 at Bogle Park since Courtney Deifel took over the program in 2016.

Arkansas currently ranks second nationally in total attendance with 55,685 fans this season. The Hogs had 3,718 fans at game two of its series against Florida on March 27, 2026, the 8th-most in program history. For the entire weekend of the series against Florida (March 27-29), Arkansas drew a total of 9,484 fans.

The Razorbacks have ranked in the top three nationally in total home attendance in three consecutive seasons and have finished in the top five in national total attendance in each of their past six seasons at Bogle Park.

Since its gates opened in 2009, Bogle Park has welcomed 562,424 fans through the turnstiles. Of those 562,424 fans, 477,298 (84.9%) have come during head coach Courtney Deifel’s tenure (2016-present).

IN THE RANKINGS

Arkansas ranked among the nation’s leaders in numerous categories entering the week including, batting average (8th, .374), runs per game (5th, 9.06), hits (12th, 339), on-base percentage (6th, .475), RBI per game (7th, 8.23), slugging percentage (11th, .636) total runs (5th, 317), WHIP (20th, 1.24), team strikeouts per 7 inn. (13th, 7.10), shutouts (15th, 8) and ERA (16th, 2.60).

SAYLOR SHUTTING DOWN OPPOSING OFFENSES

Freshman RHP Saylor Timmerman is 7-0 with a 2.48 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 48.0 innings pitched this season. Her 7-0 start is the best by a Razorback freshman since Mary Haff started 8-0 in 2018.

She picked up her seventh win of the season by retiring nine out of her last 10 batters faced while striking out five and allowing just one run on three hits and three walks in six innings of relief in a series-clinching 6-4 win over No. 3/5 Florida (March 29).

SERIES HISTORY

Arkansas and Auburn have met 75 times, with the Tigers holding a slim 39-36 advantage in the all-time series. Arkansas has taken 12 of the previous 15 meetings, dating back to 2018.

The Razorbacks won the first two games to take the series in the last three-game set at Auburn (March 16-17, 2024) between the programs by the scores of 6-1 and 5-1 to take the series while dropping the final game 2-1. Kennedy Miller earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors following the series after a two-homer game during a 5-1 victory of the Tigers in game two.

KNOW THE FOE

Auburn is 23-13 this season with a 2-7 mark in SEC play. The Tigers are coming off a weekend in which they were swept by Missouri falling by the scores of 3-0, 6-3, and 6-4.

Co-Head Coaches Chris Malveaux and Kate Malveaux are in their second season with Auburn with an overall record of 58-37. Chris Malveaux previously served as head coach at McNeese from 2005-2008 and owns a career record of 166-170.

McKaela Walker is batting .352 and is tied for the team lead with 10 home runs and owns a .791 slugging percentage, while driving in 34 runs and recording 72 total bases. Alyssa Hastings leads Auburn with a .424 batting average while tallying 39 hits, eight doubles, four home runs, and 21 RBI. Kylie Shaw carries a .404 average with excellent plate discipline, drawing a team-best 39 walks while owning a .582 on-base percentage.

In the circle, Auburn is led by Ella Harrison, who has established herself as the Tigers’ ace with a 3.77 ERA and team-leading 10-5 record across 22 appearances and 18 starts. Harrison has struck out 107 batters in 102 innings while limiting opponents to a .239 batting average. S.J. Geurin also highlights the Auburn pitching staff with a 4.13 ERA and a 5-4 record in addition to 30 strikeouts over 57.2 innings pitched. Auburn owns a team ERA of 4.44 with 191 strikeouts in 230.1 innings of work.

30 SEASONS OF RAZORBACK SOFTBALL

2026 marks the 30th season of Arkansas Softball. The Razorbacks hold an all-time program record of 911-817-1 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.

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