Softball

No. 8 Arkansas Set for Home Opening Weekend at Bogle

Grace Tafolla
Grace Tafolla February 22, 2023
Arkansas Game Notes (PDF) Arizona Game Notes (PDF)

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – For the first time in 271 days, the Arkansas Razorbacks will have a home game inside the friendly confines of Bogle Park.

A Top 20 home opening day matchup at Bogle Park is on the horizon for the first time as No. 8 Arkansas and No. 19 Arizona open the Razorback Invitational with a doubleheader Thursday, Feb. 23 beginning at 3 p.m. on SEC Network+ with Brett Dolan and Dorian Craft on the call. Arkansas battles Drake at 1:30 p.m. Friday before ending the day with a 4 p.m. first pitch against Arizona. Arkansas and Drake compete again Saturday at 11:30 a.m. before the Bulldogs and Hogs wrap up the weekend Sunday at 11 a.m.

Need to Know

  • Head coach Courtney Deifel became the program’s all-time wins leader against Louisiana on Feb. 18. In the 7-6 win, Deifel picked up her 245th career win at Arkansas to surpass former head coach Carrie Dever-Boaz’s previous 244 mark.
  • Last season, Arkansas was 28-6 at home, including 24-4 during the regular season. Over the last two years, Arkansas is a combined 52-13 at home.
  • Both Arkansas and Arizona played at the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational last weekend. Arkansas finished 3-2 while Arizona went 2-3. Both teams beat Indiana and lost to Florida State. Arizona also faced SEC foes Mississippi State and Texas A&M, who Arkansas is slated to face during the regular season this year.
  • The Drake Bulldogs (2-3) are a proven dangerous team with two of their wins coming against Iowa State, who is set to also visit Fayetteville for the Wooo Pig Classic on March 2-5.
  • Arkansas and Drake are no stranger to one another with Friday’s matchup being the 19th between both programs. The two teams last met on March 4, 2021, where Arkansas swept the Bulldogs, 6-3 and 6-4. The Razorbacks hold a 12-6 series edge.
  • For the second straight weekend, Arkansas is squaring off against ranked competition as the Hogs are set to play three games against No. 19 Arizona. Arkansas grabbed its first ranked win of the season last weekend after defeating No. 22 Louisiana, 7-6, on Feb. 18. While they weren’t ranked at the time, Arkansas defeated now-ranked No. 22 Baylor, 11-7, at the Rebel Kickoff on Feb. 12, handing the Bears their only loss of the season so far.
  • The Razorbacks rank eighth in the country in scoring two weeks into the season, averaging 8.10 runs per game.
  • For the first time in program history, the Razorbacks shut out three straight opponents to start the season after blanking Weber State twice and UNLV on Feb. 10-12.
  • The Hogs are a consensus Top 10 team two weeks into the season, checking in at No. 7 in the USA Today/NFCA poll and No. 8 in ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25. Arkansas sits at No. 10 in D1Softball, Extra Inning Softball and Softball America, respectively.
  • Arkansas volunteer assistant coach Reyna Carranco will take on her alma mater this weekend. Carranco had a prolific five-year career at Arizona from 2017-21 where she earned NFCA Second Team All-American honors and became the program’s first-ever Pac-12 batting champion (.433 regular season average) in 2019.
  • Arkansas and Arizona will meet for just the fourth time in history and the first since 2021. The two paired up in the 2021 Fayetteville Super Regional at Bogle Park where the Wildcats advanced to the WCWS.
  • The Razorback Invitational marks the start of a 16-game homestand at Bogle Park.

Last Time Out

  • Redshirt junior designated player Rylin Hedgecock tied her career high in hits (3) and RBIs (3) against Louisiana on Feb. 18.
  • Sophomore right fielder Kacie Hoffmann  tied her career high in hits (2) and set a new career best in RBIs with four against Florida State on Feb. 17. Hoffmann has also reached base in all 10 games this season. 
  • Junior Cylie Halvorson totaled a season high four RBIs against Nebraska on Feb. 19. 
  • Freshman Reagan Johnson posted two multi-hit games last week (3 vs. Indiana and 2 vs. Louisiana). Johnson has three multi-hit games so far this season with her first coming against Baylor (finished 2-for-5). Additionally, Johnson enters Thursday with a six-game reached base streak.
  • Halvorson and Hoffmann’s four RBI performances last week are a team high so far this season. 
  • Rylin Hedgecock and Reagan Johnson enter Thursday on three-game hit streaks. 
  • Junior catcher Hannah Gammill tied her career high in hits after rocketing three against Florida State on Feb. 17. 
  • Freshman LHP Robyn Herron became the first Hog to tally 10+ strikeouts in a game since Mary Haff did fanned 10 against Ole Miss on April 2, 2022. 
  • Sophomore left fielder Raigan Kramer hit her first career home run, a two-run shot, last weekend against Indiana at the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational. 

Deifel Becomes Program’s All-Time Wins Leader                                               

Head coach Courtney Deifel became the program’s all-time wins leader last Saturday, Feb. 18 when Arkansas defeated No. 22 Louisiana 7-6. Deifel bested former Razorback head coach Carrie Dever-Boaz’s (1997-2004) 244 career wins at helm.

First Name ‘Robyn’ Last Name ‘Herron’   

Freshman southpaw Robyn Herron (3-0) had herself a weekend at the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational. The Tampa product went 2-0 in the circle and threw her first complete game shutout in the 7-0 win against Indiana on Feb. 18. Also against the Hoosiers, Herron tabbed her first career double-digit strikeout performance finishing with 12 punchouts. Herron is the first Razorback freshman pitcher to throw a complete game shutout with 11+ strikeouts since former Hog Mary Haff did on April 10, 2018 against Saint Louis. With another complete game shutout, Herron would join elite company, becoming the first Hog freshman pitcher to record multiple complete game shutouts in a single season since Haff did in 2018. In six appearances and three starts (16.1 IP), Herron holds an astronomical 0.86 ERA and 3-0 record with 25 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .158 batting average. Herron has given up just two earned runs across 16.1 innings. So far this season, only one other true freshman power five pitcher has amassed more strikeouts in a single game than Herron. Stanford’s NiJaree Canady tossed 16 Ks vs. Charlotte on Feb. 17. Herron and Washington’s Ruby Meylan’s both carved out 12 strikeouts in a single game this season – second-most amongst freshmen power five pitchers.

Leading Things Off

Freshman Reagan Johnson has reached seven times (.467 on base percentage) at leadoff so far this season. The Karnes City, Texas, native has tallied five hits and been issued two walks while leading Arkansas off.

Opening Day at Bogle Park                          

Widely regarded as one of college softball’s top venues, Bogle Park will look to shatter its opening day attendance record on Thursday. In 2022, Arkansas set a new opening day record at Bogle after drawing in 1,306 fans on Feb. 18 against Illinois, breaking the previous 961 standard set in 2016.

Roo’s Big Weekend

Redshirt junior Rylin Hedgecock shined for Arkansas at the TaxAct Clearwater Invitational finishing with team highs in hits (8), batting average (.533), slugging percentage (1.200), on-base percentage (.588), total bases (18), home runs (3) and RBIs (7) throughout the weekend. Hedgecock also tied for the tournament lead in hits with eight at the star-studded event. In a dominant outing against No. 22 Louisiana, Hedgecock tied her career high in hits with three against the Ragin’ Cajuns. Hedgecock also homered in back-to-back games against Indiana and No. 22 Louisiana last Saturday.

Playing the Nation’s Best           

Throughout the regular season, Arkansas will face 24 teams ranked inside ESPN/USA Softball’s Top 25. Before SEC play begins, Arkansas will have tussled six ranked teams (Florida State, Duke, Louisiana and Arizona three times).

After battling five dominant teams in Clearwater, including three ranked inside the Top 25, Arkansas returns home to Bogle Park on Feb. 23 against No. 19 Arizona for a doubleheader. Arkansas tussles the Wildcats three times next weekend before hosting the Wooo Pig Classic March 2-5 with North Texas, Iowa State and Texas A&M-CC coming to town.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Hogs during SEC play.  Arkansas will clash with Texas A&M (March 10-12), No. 7 Alabama (March 18-20), No. 3 Florida (March 24-26), Mississippi State (March 31-April 2), No. 16 Georgia (April 6-8), No. 18 Kentucky (April 21-23), No. 9 Tennessee (April 29-May 1) and No. 21 Missouri (May 5-7). Arkansas is also scheduled to play midweek contests against strong opponents including Wichita State, Central Arkansas and Western Kentucky while also hosting UAB during its league bye week.

 

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