No. 6/9 Razorbacks Travel to Tulsa for Final Non-Conference Tilt of Regular Season
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 6/9 Arkansas Softball team closes out its seven-game road swing by visiting Tulsa for a midweek matchup on Wednesday, April 22, at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.
Arkansas entered the 11th week of the 2026 season as a consensus top 10 team nationally, having garnered rankings of No. 6, No. 9, No. 6 and No. 6 in the ESPN/USA Softball, NFCA/GoRout D1 Coaches, D1 Softball and Softball America Top 25 Polls.
Arkansas is 36-8 this season and 11-7 in SEC play with 21 wins coming by run-rule. The Razorbacks are coming off a 1-2 series loss at Oklahoma last weekend (April 17-19). Arkansas took game two 3-2 behind 5.1 strong innings in the circle from Payton Burnham and a two-run home run from Tianna Bell. The win was Arkansas’ third in program history over a consensus No. 1 opponent. Arkansas also snapped Oklahoma’s nation-leading 31-game home winning streak. The Hogs are outscoring opponents 364-122 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 100 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
Wednesday, April 22
#6/9 Arkansas at Tulsa – 5 p.m. – ESPN+ – Live Stats
T BELL DELIVERS
Senior first baseman Tianna Bell is batting .397 with 54 hits, seven doubles, 14 home runs, 51 RBI and 16 walks while recording a .757 slugging percentage and a .471 on-base percentage. Defensively, she has posted a 1.000 fielding percentage with 255 putouts and two assists.
The Antioch, Calif., product leads Arkansas with 16 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI games this season. Bell and Bri Ellis (2025, 17 multi-hit, 16 multi-RBI) are the only two Razorbacks in program history to register 15+ multi-hit and 15+ multi-RBI games through the first 44 games of a season.
She homered in the first two games of the Hogs’ three-game series at No. 1 Oklahoma (April 17-19) and drove in a run in the series finale. Bell went 2-4 with a two-run home run and two runs scored in a loss at Oklahoma (April 17) before blasting a go-ahead two-run home run in the Hogs’ 3-2 win over the Sooners in game two.=
ROAD HOGS
Since 2020, the Razorbacks have excelled on the road, posting a 74-28 record, the second-best mark among current SEC members, trailing only Oklahoma (84-12).
Arkansas has won 10+ road games in each of the past five seasons and is one of nine programs to finish in the Top 25 in road winning percentage in each of the previous two seasons alongside Grand Canyon, Chattanooga, Oklahoma, Marist, Duke, Tennessee, Texas and Florida. Arkansas went 12-4 on the road in 2025 and 12-5 on the road in 2024
Arkansas is one of three SEC programs to post 10+ road wins with a road win% of .500+ in each of the past three seasons alongside Oklahoma and Tennessee.
The Hogs have won 19 of their last 23 SEC road series, which is the best mark among all SEC members during that timespan (2021-present). From 1997-2020, the program had only won 17 SEC road series.
Arkansas is one of three programs alongside Liberty (22) and Miami of Ohio (22) to win 19+ conference road series since 2021. 11 of the Razorbacks’ 19 road SEC series victories have been over ranked opponents.
SOOIE SPINNERS
The Hogs own a 2.65 team ERA in 264 innings with 260 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .218 batting average this season. Arkansas ranked 17th nationally in ERA and 14th nationally in team strikeouts per seven inn. (6.89) entering the week.
Arkansas has registered 54 shutouts since the start of the 2023 season. The Razorbacks are one of only five programs to rank in the top 20 nationally in shutouts in 2023, 2024, 2025, joining the likes of Oklahoma, Boston, Tennessee and Cal State Fullerton. Arkansas ranked 11th nationally with 11 shutouts this season.
Arkansas finished 2025 ranked 10th nationally with 15 shutouts and ranked 19th nationally in shutouts in 2024 with 14 and 17th nationally in 2023 with 17.
Excluding the 2020 COVID-shortened season, Arkansas is just one of seven schools to post 11+ shutouts in every season dating back to 2018, alongside Boston, Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma, Texas and UCLA.
INFLICTING BAIN
Freshman Brinli Bain has posted a .402 batting average with 44 hits, 15 doubles, three homers, 35 walks, 35 runs scored, 31 RBI and a .547 on-base percentage.
She is the only player nationally to rank in the top five among DI freshmen (Min 70 AB) in walks per game (1st, .80), on-base percentage (1st, .547), and doubles (5th, 15)
Bain also ranks second in the SEC and 13th nationally with 15 doubles this season, the fifth-most among all DI freshmen entering this weekend. Her 15 doubles are a freshman program record.
The Eagleville, Tenn., native led all DI Freshmen and ranked 31st nationally with a .547 on-base percentage entering the week (Min. 80 AB). Bain has reached base in 41 of her 43 games started this season.
MCDOWELL WOWS
Sophomore Ella McDowell is hitting .364 this season with seven doubles, 11 homers and 45 RBI while posting a .667 slugging percentage and a .459 on-base percentage.
During the Hogs’ series at No. 1 Oklahoma last weekend (April 17-19), McDowell batted .444 with four hits, a home run, two RBI and four runs scored while posting a .778 slugging percentage and a .500 on-base percentage.
She collected her ninth career three-hit game with a 3-4 performance that included a solo home run, three runs scored and two RBI in the series opener. Her three runs scored tied a career high.
ROB IS DEALIN’
Senior LHP Robyn Herron is 12-4 this season with a 2.03 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 79.1 innings of work while limiting opposing hitters to a .177 batting average and collecting four saves. The Tampa, Fla., product collected her 12th win of the season and 50th win of her career after allowing just one run on three hits and a walk while striking out three in four innings pitched during a win at Mississippi State (April 12). 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 national leaders entering the week in fewest hits allowed per seven innings (14th, 4.50), strikeouts per seven innings (5th, 11.1), saves (13th, 4), and shutouts (25th, 4). Herron’s four saves lead the SEC.
DOWNING #1
Arkansas earned its third win in program history over a consensus No. 1 opponent at Oklahoma (April 18) by downing the Sooners, 3-2, courtesy of 5.1 impressive innings in the circle from sophomore Payton Burnham and a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the sixth inning from Tianna Bell.
Win the win, Arkansas recorded its third victory in program history over a consensus No. 1-ranked opponent, having previously defeated UCLA (Feb. 18, 2011) and Cal (May 19, 2012). It also marked the Razorbacks’ third win in program history over a No. 1 opponent in the ESPN/USA Softball Poll and the fifth over a top-ranked team in the NFCA Coaches Poll.
IN THE RANKINGS
Arkansas ranked among the nation’s leaders in numerous categories entering the weekend including, batting average (8th, .358), runs per game (5th, 8.27), on-base percentage (5th, .459), RBI per game (8th, 7.55), slugging percentage (13th, .609), total runs (5th, 364), WHIP (15th, 1.22), team strikeouts per 7 inn. (14th, 6.89), shutouts (12th, 11) and ERA (17th, 2.65).
BURNHAM IS BRINGING IT
Sophomore pitcher Payton Burnham broke onto the scene in 2025 with a 16-2 record, 94 strikeouts and three saves in 117.1 innings pitched while limiting opposing hitters to a .217 batting average and posting a team-best 2.62 ERA.
She is 10-3 with three saves, a 2.08 ERA, and 43 strikeouts in 67.1 innings of work this season while limiting opposing hitters to a .217 batting average.
Burnham earned her 10th win of the season by going 5.1 innings, striking out three, and allowing just two runs on four hits while issuing no walks in a win at No. 1 Oklahoma (April 18).
SERIES HISTORY
The Arkansas Razorbacks and Tulsa Golden Hurricane have met 34 times, with Tulsa holding a 14-20 lead in the all-time series.
Wednesday’s meeting will be the first since May 16, 2019, when Tulsa defeated Arkansas 5-0 courtesy of five unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning during NCAA Regional play in Stillwater, Okla. Former Razorback great Danielle Gibson went 2-3 in the loss. Chenise Delce picked up the complete-game win in the circle for Tulsa after striking out nine in her seven innings of work. Delce would later transfer to Arkansas, where she became a two-time NFCA All-American (2022-2023).
KNOW THE FOE
Tulsa is 17-26 this season with an 8-13 mark in American Conference contests. The Golden Hurricane is coming off a 2-1 series loss to Florida Atlantic last weekend after winning the series opener 9-1 and dropping the final two contests 9-3 and 5-1.
Crissy Strimple is in her seventh season at the helm at Tulsa with a record of 149-167-1. The Oklahoma native spent two seasons (2002-03) as a Hurricane infielder, four years (2008-11) as an assistant coach and eight years (2012-19) as associate head coach before taking over the reins as head coach.
Claira Skaggs highlights the Tulsa offense with a team-leading .333 batting average and 1.025 on-base plus slugging percentage while tallying 47 hits, 12 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 34 RBI and 29 runs scored. In the circle, Tulsa is led by Maura Moore, who owns a 9-13 record and 4.28 ERA while striking out 105 batters in 122.2 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 917-819-1 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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