No. 8/9 Arkansas Opens 2026 Season at Kickin’ Chicken Classic This Weekend
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 8/9 Arkansas opens its 30th season of play and 11th season under the direction of head coach Courtney Deifel in Conway, S.C., at the Kickin’ Chicken Classic, Feb. 6-8.
Arkansas will commence the season with a pair of matchups on Friday, Feb. 6. The Hogs will open the 2026 campaign against the Virginia Cavaliers at 9 a.m. (CT) before facing the Akron Zips at 11:30 a.m. (CT).
Saturday, the Razorbacks return to play by facing Virginia at 9 a.m. (CT) and the tournament host, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, at 2 p.m. (CT). The contest against Coastal Carolina will be streamed on ESPN+. Arkansas will then conclude the Kickin’ Chicken Classic with Akron at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 8.
The Razorbacks are coming off a 44-14 mark in 2025, which featured their eighth-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and fourth NCAA Super Regional appearance in program history, all of which have come under Deifel’s guidance. Arkansas enters the 2026 season as a consensus top 10 team nationally, having garnered preseason rankings of No. 8, No. 9, No. 8 and No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Softball, NFCA/GoRout D1 Coaches, D1 Softball and Softball America Preseason Top 25 Polls.
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 89 consecutive weeks dating back to the start of the 2020 season. Arkansas is one of six 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, Oklahoma State and Florida State.
Opening Weekend Schedule
Friday, Feb. 6
No. 8/9 Arkansas vs. Virginia – 9 a.m. – Live Stats
Akron vs. No. 8/9 Arkansas 11:30 a.m. – Live Stats
Saturday, Feb. 7
Virginia vs. No. 8/9 Arkansas – 9 a.m. – Live Stats
No. 8/9 Arkansas at Coastal Carolina – 2:15 p.m. – Watch – Live Stats
Sunday, Feb. 8
No. 8/9 Arkansas vs. Akron – 9 a.m. – Live Stats
OPENING THINGS UP
Arkansas is 17-12 all-time in season openers and has won its last four season openers. The Hogs hold an 8-2 record in season-opening contests under head coach Courtney Deifel and are 37-9 in opening-weekend games under Deifel (since 2016).
Arkansas LHP Robyn Herron, INF Ella McDowell and OF Dakota Kennedy all received Second-Team Preseason All-America honors from Softball America and D1Softball heading into the 2026 campaign.
With a 9 a.m. CT first pitch, Arkansas will open its season by tying the earliest opening day first pitch time in program history. The Hogs also opened up the 2006 and 2000 seasons at 9 a.m.
SOOIE SPINNERS
Arkansas returns 99.7 percent of its innings pitched from last season, including all 44 wins, nine saves and 346 strikeouts. The lone inning pitched not returning belonged to current student assistant Courtney Day, who threw a scoreless frame with one strikeout during a 13-2 run-rule victory over Missouri State on March 2.
It is the most innings pitched returning since the 2021 season, when all three pitchers from the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season returned. Excluding COVID-19-impacted seasons, Arkansas returns its most innings pitched since 2008, when the Hogs returned all four pitchers that combined for 417.1 innings pitched in 2007.
The Razorbacks posted a 3.04 ERA last season while striking out 347 batters and limiting opponents to a .215 batting average in 364.1 innings pitched.
Arkansas has registered 46 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 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.
PRESEASON PRESENCE
Senior OF Dakota Kennedy, Senior LHP Robyn Herron and sophomore INF Ella McDowell all garnered Preseason Second-Team All-America Recognition from Softball America and D1Softball. The trio was also named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List. Herron and McDowell also earned Preseason All-SEC honors as Arkansas was one of just five SEC programs with multiple players selected.
Senior left-hander Robyn Herron went 18-7 last season with a 2.72 ERA and a team-leading 160 strikeouts in 144.0 innings pitched while limiting opposing hitters to a .195 batting average. Herron and Nija Canady of Texas Tech are the only returning pitchers to rank in the top 30 nationally in fewest hits per seven innings in each of the past three seasons.
Two-time NFCA All-American and 2024 Rawlings Gold Glove Winner LF Dakota Kennedy arrives in Fayetteville for her senior season after three illustrious seasons at Arizona. She recorded career-highs in batting average (.444), on-base percentage (.539), slugging percentage (.689), and OPS (1.228) in 2025. Kennedy also tallied 60 hits, 10 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 25 RBI, 28 walks, 48 runs scored and seven stolen bases while posting 19 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games.
Sophomore INF Ella McDowell returns after making history in 2025 by becoming the first freshman in program history to earn NFCA All-America honors when she garnered a third-team selection at third base. McDowell batted .352 with 63 hits, 10 doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 54 RBI and 21 walks to go along with a .425 on-base percentage and a .961 OPS. She was among the Arkansas leaders in hits (2nd, 63), assists (2nd, 79) and home runs (T-3rd, 7). She registered 18 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games while posting a 16-game reached base streak and a seven-game hitting streak during the season.
REAGAN RACING AFTER THE RECORD
Senior OF Reagan Johnson has already put herself in the company of the all-time greats in program history and is among the most accomplished active players nationally entering her senior season.
The senior speedster has started and batted leadoff in all 172 of her collegiate games, which is the most consecutive starts in the leadoff spot in program history.
She is just 38 hits away from setting the Arkansas career hits record, and her 224 career hits rank third nationally among all D1 players entering the 2026 season, trailing only Mihyia Davis (254) of Texas Tech and Haley Ahr (227) of Marist. Of the top three players in career hits, Johnson is the only one to spend her entire career at the Power 4 level.
The Karnes City, Texas product earned Second-Team All-SEC and Second-Team NFCA All-Central Region honors in 2025 while batting .351 with a team-leading 72 hits, including six doubles, two triples, 11 RBI and 26 walks while recording a .427 on-base percentage. She stole 20 bases in 22 tries, which was the fifth-most in a single season in program history.
ROAD HOGS
Since 2020, the Razorbacks have excelled on the road, posting a 67-24 (.736) record, the second-best mark among current SEC members, trailing only Oklahoma (78-7, .929).
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
The Razorbacks went undefeated in non-conference road games in 2025 and have dropped just five non-conference regular-season road matchups in the previous eight seasons. Additionally, the Hogs have posted an 80-29 (.741) record in the Courtney Deifel era (2016-present) in neutral-site games. Arkansas went 13-2 in neutral-site games in 2025.
BOGLE BOMBERS
The long ball has been a staple in the success of Arkansas Softball during the Courtney Deifel era (2016-present). Arkansas has hit 605 home runs since Deifel took over the helm in 2016, which accounts for 52.7% of home runs in program history. In the 11 years prior to Deifel’s arrival, Arkansas teams belted 456 round-trippers.
The Razorbacks’ 589 home runs since 2017 rank second among SEC members during that time span and third among current SEC members, trailing only Oklahoma (962) and Georgia (633). Additionally, seven of the Hogs’ single-season top 10 home run marks have been accomplished during Deifel’s tenure, including the three best in program history (2022: 109, 2021: 95, 2025: 70).
ALL-AMERICANS PLAY AT ARKANSAS
Arkansas players have been no strangers to NFCA All-American honors in recent years. Since 2021, Arkansas has accumulated 14 NFCA All-America selections, which ranks third nationally, trailing only Oklahoma (24) and UCLA (20). The Hogs are also tied for the most NFCA All-America pitchers nationally since 2019 (P/UT not included) with four, alongside Oklahoma State.
GOT GLOVES?
The Razorbacks led the nation with a .984 fielding percentage during the 2025 season, making just 24 errors in 1,471 total chances. Arkansas was the first SEC team to lead the nation in fielding percentage since 2019, when Florida accomplished the feat. The Hogs’ .984 fielding percentage ranked tied for 6th in NCAA history.
Arkansas is one of four programs to finish the last two seasons ranked in the top 10 nationally in fielding percentage, joining the likes of Florida Atlantic, Omaha, and Oklahoma. During that span, Arkansas ranks second nationally in fielding percentage, trailing only Florida Atlantic by one 1000th of a percentage point.
The 2026 roster holds a combined career fielding percentage of .979 entering the 2026 season with 2,456 putouts and 676 assists in 3,199 total chances. Eight of the 10 Razorback positional players entering the 2026 season with at least one total chance have a career fielding percentage above .950.
NO FREE PASSES
Arkansas is 141-41 since 2001, when its pitching staff issues no walks in a game. The Razorbacks are 86-18 when issuing no walks under head coach Courtney Deifel (2016-present). Arkansas has won 15 of its last 16 when issuing zero walks dating back to April 6, 2023.
In the past 20 years, Arkansas has had a pitcher throw 5+ innings in a single game without allowing a walk 26 times. When the feat is accomplished, Arkansas owns a record 20-6. Arkansas was 1-0 last year when accomplishing the feat courtesy of Robyn Herron’s complete game against Tennessee in the SEC tournament.
SUSTAINED SUCCESS
Arkansas is just one of four schools nationally to rank in the Top 40 in winning percentage in each of the past six seasons alongside Oklahoma, UCLA and Duke.
30 SEASONS OF RAZORBACK SOFTBALL
2026 marks the 30th season of Arkansas Softball. The Razorbacks hold an all-time program record of 882-813-1 (.520) 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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