Razorbacks Host Ole Miss in Super Regional Showdown at Bogle Park

Hunter Corneliusen May 22, 2025

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – For the third time in program history, the Arkansas softball team and Bogle Park will host an NCAA Super Regional on May 23-25 when the No. 4 national seed Razorbacks square off against Ole Miss.

Matt Schumacker (PxP) and Kenzie Fowler (Analyst) will be on the call for all games during the super regional this weekend. Friday night’s contest at 7 p.m. will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU. Saturday’s first pitch is set for 8 p.m., while the start time for Sunday’s game, if necessary, has not been announced. TV assignments for the last two days will be announced at a later date.

LEADING OFF

The Arkansas Razorbacks are 43-12 and coming off an impressive 3-0 showing in their regional last weekend, defeating Saint Louis (10-0, 5 inn.) and Oklahoma State twice (6-5, 8 inn., 12-0, 6 inn.). Arkansas is making its fourth Super Regional appearance in program history. The Hogs previously appeared in 2018, 2021 and 2022 and are seeking their first WCWS berth in program history.
Arkansas recorded its seventh 40-win season in program history, five of which have come under the guidance of head coach Courtney Deifel.
The Razorbacks have earned a program-record 23 wins by run-rule this season. The previous record of 16 was set back in 2014. Arkansas has more run-rule wins (23) than seven-inning wins (20) this season.
Arkansas has outscored opponents 421-166 this season.
Arkansas won a program-record five series this season against Top 10 opponents with series wins over No. 7 Tennessee, No. 2 Florida, No. 10 South Carolina, No. 1/2 Texas A&M and No. 10 LSU. The Razorbacks’ five Top 10 series victories are the most nationally.

PRESENCE IN THE POLLS

Arkansas checked in at No. 1 in the Softball America Poll, No. 2 in the D1 Softball Poll, No. 3 in the ESPN/USA Softball Poll and No. 4 in the NFCA/GoRout Coaches Poll entering the postseason.
The Razorbacks’ No. 1 ranking in the Softball America Poll last week was the first No. 1 ranking in program history. The previous best in-season ranking was last week when Arkansas was ranked second in the Softball America Poll.
The Razorbacks have been ranked in the Top 25 of the NFCA Coaches poll for a program-best 86 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.

HISTORY LESSON

Arkansas is 23-26 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, including a 15-14 mark under head coach Courtney Deifel. She is the only coach in program history with a winning NCAA Tournament record.
The Razorbacks are looking to get to their first Women’s College World Series in program history.
Arkansas is making its fourth Super Regional Appearance in program history. The Hogs previously appeared in 2018 (Oklahoma), 2021 (Arizona) and 2022 (Texas).
Arkansas holds a 43-35 all-time series lead over Ole Miss. The Rebels won the series when the teams met in the regular season by taking the first two games, 9-1 (6) and 9-3 (March 7-9). Arkansas then took the series finale 20-3. The Razorbacks’ 20 runs were tied for the second most in program history and were the most ever scored against an SEC opponent.

SCOUTING THE REBELS

Ole Miss is 40-18 this season and coming off winning the Tucson Regional where they went 3-1 with wins over Grand Canyon (7-4) and Arizona (10-8) before they fell to Arizona 10-1 in five innings and then won the regional by taking the winner-take-all regional final over the Wildcats, 7-3.
Offensively, Ole Miss is led by Jaden Pone and Pery Llamas. Pone is batting .377 with 60 hits, six doubles, a triple, a homer and 18 RBI while posting a .456 on-base percentage. Llamas is hitting .372 with 64 hits, 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 53 RBI.
Brianna Lopez leads Ole Miss in the circle with a 2.65 ERA and 13-4 record while registering 106 strikeouts in 124.1 innings pitched.

HOGS SECURING THE HONORS

Arkansas’ Bri Ellis (SEC POY, First-Team All-SEC, SEC All-Defensive Team), Robyn Herron (Second Team), Reagan Johnson (Second Team) and Ella McDowell (Second Team) all earned All-SEC accolades this season. Ellis became the second Hog in program history to earn SEC Player of the Year honors, joining KB Sides, who accomplished the feat in 2022.
Ellis (First Team), Robyn Herron (Second Team), Payton Burnham (Freshman) and Ella McDowell (Freshman) were all named All-Americans by Softball America.
Arkansas had a program record and nation-leading eight players earn NFCA All-Region honors this season. First baseman Bri Ellis earned first-team honors for the second consecutive year. Joining Ellis as All-Central Region selections were pitcher Robyn Herron, infielders Ella McDowell and Atalyia Rijo, and outfielders Kailey Wyckoff and Reagan Johnson on the second team, while outfielder Raigan Kramer and designated player/utility player Courtney Day garnered third-team selections.

BRI’s HISTORIC HITTING

Arkansas first baseman Bri Ellis is putting together one of the greatest individual seasons in NCAA history. Ellis is batting .457 with 26 home runs, 72 RBI, 145 total bases, 64 walks and 64 runs scored while posting a 1.142 slugging percentage, a .646 on-base percentage and a 1.788 OPS. Her 26 homers and 72 RBI are both single-season program records and she is on pace to set single-season program records in batting average and on-base percentage. She currently leads the nation in slugging percentage, on-base percentage and OPS while leading the SEC in nine offensive categories.
She was recently named National Player of the Year by Softball America. With the selection, she became the only Razorback in program history to be named a National Player of the Year by a major softball or sports publication.
Ellis finished the regular season ranked second nationally in home runs per game (0.51) and walks per game (1.42), becoming the first player to finish the regular season in the top two nationally in both categories since Jen Yee of Georgia Tech in 2010.
Ellis was previously named SEC Player of the Year after batting .397 with a league-leading 11 home runs and 29 RBI while drawing 27 walks and posting a .983 slugging percentage, .606 on-base percentage, and 1.589 OPS during SEC Play. She finished the conference slate on a 20-game reached base streak. Defensively, the first baseman posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 124 putouts and seven assists on her way to earning SEC All-Defensive honors for the second consecutive year.
Of the four USA Softball National Player of the Year Award winners who batted and won the award since 2016, only Jocelyn Alo of Oklahoma (2021, 2022) registered a single-season OPS of above 1.500.
Ellis is having one of the most impressive seasons at the plate in softball or baseball history. Ellis is walking and homering at an absurd rate this season. Through 55 games, Ellis has homered once every 4.88 at-bats while walking once every 3.21 plate appearances. Both numbers are better than Barry Bonds’ 2001 season, which is widely regarded as one of the most impressive seasons in baseball history. Bonds homered once every 6.52 at-bats and walked once every 3.75 plate appearances.

RIJO ROJO CALIENTE

Atalyia Rijo set the Arkansas program record for hits in an NCAA Tournament game with four in a 6-5 win over Oklahoma State (May 18). She started the Hogs’ comeback by smashing a solo homer in the sixth inning and singled before scoring the game’s winning run in the eighth.
Rijo tied her own record a day later with another 4-4 performance in Sunday’s 12-0 Regional Final win with four singles, an RBI and two runs scored. She became the first player in program history to register consecutive four-hit games.
She batted .900 (9-10) with a solo HR, three RBI and a walk during the Hogs’ regional last weekend.
Her Father Fernando Rijo signed with the LA Dodgers in 1995 at the age of 15 and pitched 11 seasons in professional baseball making it as high as AAA. Her cousin is 1990 World Series MVP Jose Rijo. Her mother Audrey was a three-sport athlete who played D1 softball at Albany and UNC-Wilmington.

ROB CAN SPIN IT

Junior left-hander Robyn Herron is 18-6 this season with a 2.57 ERA and 155 strikeouts in 138.2 innings pitched while limiting opposing hitters to a .193 batting average. She earned her 18th win of the season courtesy of a complete-game shutout vs. Oklahoma State in which she struck out two and allowed just three hits (May 18). She was recently named a Second-Team All-American by Softball America.
Arkansas is 28-6 (.824) when Robyn Herron goes 5+ innings during her collegiate career.
Her .181 career batting average against this season is on-pace to be a program record.

RAKING AT THE PLATE

Entering this week, Arkansas ranks among the nation’s leaders in numerous categories, including hit-by-pitch (9th, 55), runs per game (7th, 7.65), SAC flies (4th, 29), on-base percentage (6th, .443), RBI per game (11th, 7.04), walks (4th, 272) and slugging percentage (18th, .550).
This year’s Arkansas team already ranks among the best in program history in batting average (2nd, .327), doubles (1st, 87), slugging % (2nd, .550), on-base % (1st, .443), runs (2nd, 421), sacrifice flies (1st, 29), RBI (2nd, 377), total bases (2nd, 796), walks (1st, 272) and HR (3rd, 72).
Arkansas owns a .443 on-base percentage. One Arkansas starter has an OBP of .600+ while six starters own an on-base percentage of .400+.

SOOIE SPINNERS

The Razorbacks own a 2.94 ERA this season while striking out 331 batters and limiting opponents to a .215 batting average in 343.1 innings pitched.
Arkansas has registered 45 shutouts since the start of the 2023 season. The Razorbacks are one of only nine programs to rank in the top 20 nationally in shutouts in 2023 and 2024, joining the likes of Oklahoma, Boston, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Stanford, Alabama, South Dakota State and Cal State Fullerton.
Arkansas entered the week ranked 17th nationally with 14 shutouts this season and ranked 19th nationally in shutouts in 2024 with 14 and 17th nationally in 2023 with 17.
The Razorbacks have posted 11+ shutouts in each of the last five seasons, one of just 16 programs nationally to accomplish the feat.
Reis Beuerlein, Robyn Herron and Payton Burnham have all thrown no-hitters this season for Arkansas.
Arkansas joins Tennessee and UCLA as the only schools to have three different pitchers throw a no-hitter this season and are one of seven schools nationally with no-hitters thrown by multiple pitchers.

RAE$

Reagan Johnson is the all-time program leader in career batting average at .374 while ranking third in career on-base percentage (.427), eighth in career triples (6) and fifth in career stolen bases (50).
She became the 11th player in program history to register 200 hits on April 11 in a 10-2 win over No. 10 South Carolina.
Johnson is three hits away from becoming just one of three active Division I players, with 73+ hits in each of the previous three seasons, joining Kendra Falby (Florida) and Mia Scott (Texas).
Johnson is the only Razorback in program history with multiple 70+ hit seasons, with 70 in 2025, 73 in 2024, and 79 in 2023. In 2024, she became one of four Razorbacks in program history to post an on-base percentage of .426 or better while registering 70+ hits in a season, joining Danielle Gibson (2022), KB Sides (2022) and Hannah McEwen (2019).
She earned First-Team All-SEC and NFCA First-Team All-South Region in 2024 after batting a team-best .380 with 73 hits, four doubles, one triple, 11 RBI, 35 runs scored and 79 total bases to go along with a team-high 12 stolen bases. She ranked fourth in the SEC and 33rd nationally in hits (73) in addition to ranking fifth among all SEC players in batting average (.380).
Her sophomore year batting average of .380 and her freshman year average of .378 rank sixth and seventh, respectively in the Arkansas single-season record books while her 79 hits as a freshman and 73 hits as a sophomore were the third and fourth-most by a Hog in a single season.
She batted a team-best .388 (66-170) against right-handed pitchers in 2024.
Johnson is 50-54 in stolen base attempts during her career which is good for fifth all-time in program history.

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