Razorbacks Ready For Home Opener
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks are back home at Bogle Park as they kick off the Razorback Invitational on Friday. The Razorbacks are scheduled to play five games over a three-day stretch. Arkansas will face Illinois at 3 p.m. in its lone Friday game before hitting the field on Saturday for back-to-back matchups against Wichita State and Longwood beginning at 12:15 p.m. Arkansas concludes the weekend on Sunday with an 11:15 a.m. game against the Illini before capping the weekend at 1:30 p.m. versus Western Illinois. The Razorback Invitational’s initial schedule was adjusted on Thursday, Feb. 17, due to expected low temperatures Friday morning, pushing back the originally slated 10 a.m. matchup between Western Illinois and Wichita State.
Gibson, Haff named Preseason All-SEC, Third-Team All-America
Seniors Danielle Gibson and Mary Haff have been named preseason All-SEC by the league’s coaches. The duo has also been named third-team preseason All-America by Softball America. Gibson slugged her way through the 2021 season, slashing .355/.408/.721 with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs to pick up NFCA Second-Team All-America honors. She also added All-SEC second team and SEC All-Defensive Team accolades to her redshirt junior campaign that helped Arkansas to its first-ever Southeastern Conference title in 2021. Haff is coming off a stellar 2021 season earning SEC co-Pitcher of the Year along with NFCA First-Team All-America and All-SEC honors. She became the first Arkansas pitcher in program history to earn SEC Pitcher of the Year status and the first pitcher at Arkansas to be named first-team All-America by the NFCA. She went 26-7 last season with five saves and a 1.55 ERA over 40 appearances, 25 starts.
Razorbacks picked to finish 3rd in SEC
The defending Southeastern Conference champion Arkansas Razorbacks have been picked to finish third in the league this season by the league’s coaches. Points for the poll were awarded on a 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12 basis. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
The Portal delivers
Arkansas dipped into the transfer portal this offseason and came away with fourth athletes that are expected to contribute this season.
Outfielder KB Sides joins the Razorbacks from Alabama. Sides was a staple in the Crimson Tide’s lineup over the last three years, starting 143 games in her career. This past season she started 47 of the 48 games she played in earning NFCA Third-Team All-South Region and a spot on the SEC All-Defensive Team. She hit .314 with 11 doubles while posting a .405 on-base percentage.
Pitcher Chenise Delce transferred from Tulsa with two years eligibility. Delce produced a stellar career for the Golden Hurricane in the circle going 29-15 with a 2.12 ERA in 57 games, 47 starts, with 279 strikeouts while opponents hit just .219 against her over three years. This past year, the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma native went 8-6 with a 3.30 ERA over 19 games, 16 starts.
Pitcher Callie Turner became a Razorback in July, transferring from Tennessee with three years eligibility. The Land O’Lakes, Fla. native made 40 career appearances spanning the 2020 and 2021 seasons and posted an 18-10 record, 2.50 ERA and 103 strikeouts over 168.1 innings pitched.
Catcher Taylor Ellsworth is a graduate transfer from Texas. At Texas she played in 171 games (162 starts) earning NFCA All-Region Second Team (2021), NFCA All-Region First Team (2017), All-Big 12 First Team (2017), Big 12 All-Freshman Team (2017). As a Longhorn she totaled a .320/.387/.482 slash line with 144 hits, 25 doubles, 16 home runs, 54 walks and 89 RBI.
11 Arkansas games set for ESPN family of networks
The Razorbacks will appear on ESPN’s family of networks 11 times during the regular season this spring in addition to having games available on SEC Network+. All of Arkansas’ home games that will not be broadcast on ESPN’s family of linear networks are scheduled to be available on SEC Network+ starting Feb. 24 against Louisville.
Lots Back for Backs
Arkansas brings back a lot from last year’s SEC champion squad. On the mound, Mary Haff leads the way on a pitching staff that returns 258 strikeouts (78.4%) from last year. Haff’s 198 led the team last year and ranked 30th nationally. Her 198.1 innings also paced the squad and are a big reason why 73.7% of last season’s innings return to the circle for the Razorbacks. In the lineup, the Hogs return five players that started at least 30 games in Linnie Malkin (54), Danielle Gibson (50), Hannah McEwan (44), Hannah Gammill (38) and Sam Torres (32). Gibson’s 61 hits, 16 doubles and 51 RBIs led the team and Malkin’s 18 homers led the way. The roster brings back 183 runs (62.7%), 217 hits (57.9%), 37 doubles (61.7%), 50 home runs (52.6%) and 157 RBIs (56.5%).
Talented Newbies
The Razorbacks’ freshman class features four players that were ranked in the Top 50 nationally by various media outlets. Madi Conklin (No. 46 by Extra Inning Softball), Raigan Kramer (No. 28 by Extra Inning Softball), Spencer Prigge (No. 27 by FloSoftball) and Ally Sockey (No. 27 by Extra Inning Softball) lead a talented group of seven signees.
Hogs haul in many postseason awards
Pitcher Mary Haff earned SEC Co-Pitcher of the Year honors, becoming the first Arkansas pitcher to win the award in program history. Courtney Deifel garnered SEC Coach of the Year recognition, the first for Arkansas since Carie Dever-Boaz in 1999. The Razorbacks also saw Haff and infielder Braxton Burnside named to the All-SEC First Team and infielder Danielle Gibson, outfielder Hannah McEwen and pitcher Autumn Storms tabbed to the All-SEC Second team. Additionally, Gibson earned SEC All-Defensive Team recognition and pitcher Jenna Bloom was named to the All-SEC Newcomer Team. The five total selections on the first and second team is the most in a single year in program history.
Sooie Sluggers
Three Arkansas sluggers entered the program’s single-season top five leaders in home runs just last season. The top two single-season power marks in school history were both set last year by Braxton Burnside and Linnie Malkin. Danielle Gibson placed fourth with 15 homers also in 2021. As a team Arkansas obliterated the school record hitting 95 home runs. The previous team high in the Deifel era was 59 home runs in 2017, which ranks fifth in school history.
ARKANSAS SINGLE SEASON HOME RUN LEADERS
Rank Player Home Runs Year
1. Braxton Burnside 25 2021
2. Linnie Malkin 18 2021
3. Nicole Schroeder 17 2017
4. Danielle Gibson 15 2021
Devon Wallace 15 2012
Jessica Bachkora 15 2010
ARKANSAS SINGLE SEASON TEAM HOME RUN LEADERS
Rank Year Home Runs
1. 2021 95
2. 2008 65
3. 2013 61
40 Watch Last season
Arkansas went 43-11, becoming the fourth team in program history to eclipse 40 wins in a season. The 2018 Hogs, the first Super Regional team in program history, went 42-17. In 1999 Arkansas went 46-29 and 44-31 in 2000 under head coach Carrie Dever-Boaz, the only teams in program history to win 40+ games in back-to-back seasons.
Walk It Out
In addition to ranking second in the country in homers last year, the Razorbacks were also tied for seventh in the country and third in the SEC in walks (208) behind Oklahoma (238), Northern Iowa (226), Southern Illinois (223), UNCG (216), Florida (209), Missouri (209) and tied with Florida State (208). All eight of the teams qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Outfielder Hannah McEwen has walked 0.80 times per game, ranking second in the SEC and 14th nationally.
Experience on the Bench
In addition to head coach Courtney Deifel, who is in her eighth year as a Division I head coach, assistant coach Matt Meuchel and volunteer assistant coach Annie Smith have been head coaches at Division I programs. Meuchel spent eight seasons (2009-16) as Nevada’s head coach, leading the Wolfpack to a 2009 WAC championship and NCAA Tournament berth. While in Reno, Meuchel compiled a 196-217 overall record and guided the program’s transition to Mountain West Conference membership. Smith was at the helm of Georgia Southern’s program from 2012-17, posting a 176-166 mark, winning two Southern Conference regular season and tournament titles. The Eagles went 51-17 under Smith in SoCon play, and she later transitioned the program to Sun Belt Conference membership.
History Made
Danielle Gibson made history on Feb. 23, 2019 when she hit four home runs and collected 10 RBI inside Bogle Park as part of a 15-3 win over SIUE. The four home runs tie a Division I record reached only four times before, but what makes Gibson special is that she hit for the home run cycle – done only twice before EVER, she is the first to do so in only four innings. Her 16 total bases and 10 RBI are tied for the second-most in NCAA history and she is the third player to record 10 RBI in SEC history.
Deifel’s Success at Bogle
Beginning with Deifel’s first season as head coach in 2016, Arkansas has posted a 107-44 record inside Bogle Park, with an ultra-impressive 84-18 mark over the last four seasons (2018-21). The Razorbacks set a Bogle Park record winning 27 home games in 2018, which included three wins en route to the NCAA Fayetteville Regional Championship.
Arkansas’ All-Time Winningest Coaches
Head coach Courtney Deifel became the program’s fastest coach to 190 wins (305 games) and is just the second coach in program history to do so.
WINNINGEST ARKANSAS HEAD COACHES
Rank Coach Record Years NCAA Appearances
1. Carrie Dever-Boaz 244-274-1 1997-2004 2 (2000, 2002)
2. Courtney Deifel 193-119 2016-pres. 4 (2017, 2018, 2019, 2021)
3. Mike Larabee 149-181 2010-2015 2 (2012, 2013)
4. Jamie Pinkerton 130-179 2005-2009 2 (2008, 2009)
