Softball

Razorbacks Travel to Ruston for LA Tech Classic

Hunter Corneliusen
Hunter Corneliusen February 13, 2025
Watch (LA Tech Only) Game Notes Courtney Deifel Press Conference Ella McDowell Press Conference

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 13 Arkansas Razorbacks look to build off an impressive 5-0 start when they travel to Ruston, La., this weekend for the LA Tech Classic, where the Razorbacks will play five games and face the likes of ULM, tournament host Louisiana Tech and Southern Miss.

Arkansas will open play on Friday against ULM at 4 p.m. before facing LA Tech at 6 p.m. on ESPN+. The Razorbacks then square off against Southern Miss on Saturday at 1 p.m. before concluding the tournament on Sunday against Southern Miss at 10 a.m. and ULM at 1 p.m.

The game against LA Tech is the only one that will be streamed on ESPN+.

The Hogs are 5-0 this season and coming off a thrilling 2-1 walk-off win over San Diego in the final game of the Texas State Tournament in San Marcos, Texas on Feb. 8. Arkansas outscored opponents 40-4 during the five-game tournament with wins over Texas State (3-1), Lipscomb (23-0, 5 inn.) and Bradley twice (3-1, 9-1, 6 inn.) in addition to San Diego. In the 23-0 win over Lipscomb, Arkansas set a program record for runs scored, margin of victory and RBI in a game.

LEADING OFF

  • The Razorbacks are off to their sixth 5-0 start in program history and their fifth under Courtney Deifel. Arkansas previously started 5-0 in 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2023.
  • Head Coach Courtney Deifel is just three wins away from achieving 350 career victories.

PRESENCE IN THE POLLS

  • Arkansas checked in at No. 13 in all four major polls following the opening week of the season.
  • The Razorbacks have been ranked in the Top 25 of the NFCA Coaches poll for a program-best 73 consecutive weeks dating back to the start of the 2020 season. Arkansas is one of eight 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, Alabama, Florida State and Washington.

HISTORY LESSON

  • Arkansas owns an 11-3 advantage over ULM all-time. The Razorbacks earned a 9-3 win over the Warhawks in the most recent matchup between the programs on April 19, 2017, at Bogle Park.
  • The Razorbacks are 5-1 all-time against LA Tech. The Bulldogs took the first matchup 5-1 on Feb. 20, 1998, before Arkansas reeled off five straight victories in the all-time series. Arkansas run-ruled LA Tech 9-1 on March 1, 2014, in the most recent meeting between the programs. Friday night’s contest will be the first meeting in Ruston.
  • Arkansas owns a 5-3 all-time record against Southern Miss. and defeated the Golden Eagles 2-1 in the last meeting on March 7, 2010, in Fayetteville.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS

  • ULM enters this weekend with a 1-4 record. The Warhawks defeated Houston Christian 6-5 and dropped two games apiece to Lamar (3-0, 3-2) and Houston (13-10, 15-11) at the Houston Classic. Utility player Brooklin Lippert leads the team with a .500 batting average and nine hits. Meanwhile infielder Maryssa Zenzen owns a team-best three home runs and eight RBI to go along with a .444 average. The Warhawks have posted an 8.13 team ERA and are led by Dakota Lake in the circle (4.59 ERA, 1-0 record, 4 K, 10.2 innings pitched).
  • LA Tech is 2-3 this season. The Bulldogs defeated No. 4 Oklahoma State (6-1) and split with Northern Colorado (W 9-4, L 8-4) while falling to Florida State (6-3, 9-1) at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge this past weekend. Third baseman Claire Raley leads LA Tech with a .533 average and eight hits. Nicole Hammoude has hit the Dogs’ lone home run and leads the team with four RBI this season. The ace of the Bulldogs is junior right-hander Allie Floyd, who owns a 3.29 ERA and 2-1 record with 12 strikeouts in 17 innings pitched. Floyd fanned four batters while allowing seven hits in her complete-game victory against No. 4 Oklahoma State.
  • Southern Miss had a 1-4 showing at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., with losses to Nebraska (12-2, 5 inn.), Pitt (8-1), Kentucky (13-3) and Northwestern (2-1) while earning a win over Marshall (6-2). Redshirt freshman Kayce Bennett leads the Golden Eagles with a .444 batting average and four hits. In the circle, they are led by Jana Lee, who is 1-1 with a 1.29 ERA and 11 strikeouts in 14 innings of work this season.

BATTLING AT THE PLATE       

  • Offensively, the Hogs’ six strikeouts through the first five games are the fewest by an Arkansas team in program history, bettering the previous best of 11 set in 2012 by 5. Arkansas is tied for the SEC lead in fewest strikeouts with Kentucky.

COURTNEY’S BIG DAY

  • Arkansas UTL Courtney Day made a statement in her return to college softball after sitting out the 2024 season after transferring from Texas with three homers in four games played. Day’s two-run shot against Lipscomb was her first in 684 days since she hit a two-run home run on March 26, 2023, while at Texas. She followed it up the following game by hitting a pair of two-run round-trippers in a 9-1 win over Bradley, marking her fourth multi-HR game in her career.
  • Day initially transferred to Ole Miss from Texas following the 2023 season but did not play.
  • During her four seasons in Austin (2020-23), Day posted a .317 batting average and .395 on-base percentage with 120 hits, 22 doubles, two triples, 26 home runs, 63 runs scored, 44 walks and 91 RBI through 176 games played. She has registered 23 multi-hit games and 24 multi-RBI games during her collegiate career.
  • She is the third Razorback to transfer from Texas in program history, joining Taylor Ellsworth (2021) and Carlee Ratcliff (2023), who was Day’s roommate at Texas in 2022.

OUTHITTING THE OPPOSITION

  • Outhitting the opposition has been a major trademark in the Courtney Deifel era (2016-present) for Arkansas. The Razorbacks have outhit opponents in all five games this season and hold a 254-25 record when outhitting opponents under Deifel, including a 153-8 mark since 2020.

SOOIE SPINNERS                                           

  • The Razorbacks own a 0.66 ERA, which is the fourth-best mark by an Arkansas pitching staff through five games this millennium, trailing only the 2023 (0.31), 2017 (0.52) and 2019 (0.53) pitching staffs.
  • Arkansas has registered 33 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 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 four seasons, one of just 16 programs nationally to accomplish the feat.

BRI BOMBS

  • Bri Ellis is one of the most heralded sluggers in the nation in 2025. She is batting .500 with three home runs, nine RBI, 15 total bases, five runs scored and a 1.250 slugging percentage.
  • Her 51 career home runs are the most among all active D1 players.
  • In a 2-1 win over San Diego, Ellis had a bases-loaded walk-off RBI single to deep right-centerfield. She also hit a two-run home run in a 9-1 (6 inn. ) win over Bradley earlier in the day (Feb. 8).
  • Ellis blasted a solo home run in her first at-bat of the season at Texas State on Feb. 6 and then followed it up the next day with a two-run blast in the record-breaking 23-0 win over Lipscomb (Feb. 7).
  • She led Arkansas in slugging percentage (.651), on-base percentage (.444), runs scored (36), home runs (14), RBI (47) and total bases (97) in 2024 while earning first-team SEC and NFCA All-Region honors and being named a Second-Team NFCA All-American.

MCDOWELL WOWS

  • Freshman infielder Ella McDowell has wasted no time making her presence known as a Razorback. She is batting .357 this season with five hits, a home run, a double, two RBI and four walks.
  • McDowell posted at least one hit in each of the first four games this season.
  • In a season-opening 3-1 win at Texas State, McDowell led Arkansas at the plate by going 2-3 with a solo home run in the sixth inning (Feb. 6). Her home run accounted for the Razorbacks’ 6,600th run in program history.
  • She became the first Razorback freshman to homer on opening day since Rylin Hedgecock accomplished the feat on Feb. 7, 2020, during a 10-0 win over UTEP in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

IN GOOD COMPANY

  • Freshman Pitcher Payton Burnham has wasted no time frustrating opposing hitters to begin her Arkansas career. The Eugene, Ore. product is 2-0 with a 0.84 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 8.1 innings pitched.
  • She became the first freshman pitcher to record a win in her first two pitching appearances since Mary Haff in 2018 with wins over Bradley and San Diego at the Texas State Tournament (Feb. 7-8).
  • Burnham struck out eight batters while allowing just one run on three hits and one walk during her 6.1 innings pitched a 3-1 win over Bradley (Feb. 7). A day later, she spun two perfect innings of relief against San Diego while striking out two batters in a 2-1 win.
  • She became just the 11th freshman Arkansas pitcher to post 8+ strikeouts in a game after fanning eight batters against Bradley (Feb. 7).

CALLING ON CAM

  • Freshman Cam Harrison earned a save in her first two appearances this season. The Brookshire, Texas native has a team-best 11 strikeouts and a 1.04 ERA in 6.2 innings of work this season.
  • The Brookshire, Texas, product became the 12th Arkansas freshman in the last 20 years to strike out eight or more batters in a game during her first collegiate start. She fanned eight while allowing just one run on two hits and a walk in five innings of work against San Diego (Feb. 8).
  • A day after her first save, Harrison inherited a bases-loaded situation with only one out and the potential winning run at the plate and collected a save in a 3-1 victory over Bradley (Feb. 7).
  • Harrison picked up her first career save in her Razorback debut in the season opener at Texas State (Feb. 6). She entered the game in the bottom of the seventh with no outs and runners on first and second before striking out two and allowing no hits in the final frame on the 3-1 win over the Bobcats.

ROAD HOGS

  • Since 2020, the Razorbacks have excelled on the road with a record of 57-19 (.750), which is the second-best mark of all current SEC members, trailing only Oklahoma (65-6, .915).
  • Additionally, Arkansas has posted a 71-27 (.724) record in the Courtney Deifel era (2016-present) in neutral site games.

FAMILIARITY WITH THE FOES

  • The Arkansas and Louisiana Tech Coaching Staffs have plenty of history with each other.
  • Arkansas assistant coach Matt Meuchel and LA Tech head coach Josh Taylor both coached together from 2012-2016 when Meuchel was the head coach at Nevada. Taylor then served as head coach at Nevada after Meuchel came to Fayetteville in the summer of 2016. Taylor served as head coach in Reno from 2017-2021 before moving to Ruston prior to the 2022 season.
  • Louisiana Tech assistant coach Chelsea Cohen-Krobetzky played at Arkansas from 2009-2013. Cohen was a two-year team captain at Arkansas during her four-year playing career with the Razorbacks (2009-13). During her days in Fayetteville, Cohen was in the top 10 in wins, innings pitched, games started, appearances, complete games, shutouts and strikeouts at the conclusion of her career. She struck out a career-high 13 in a win over Saint Louis and earned a win over No. 1 ranked Cal during the 2012 NCAA Regional. She also teamed up with Hope McLemore to toss a combined no-hitter against Kentucky on April 20, 2013.
  • Arkansas head coach Courtney Deifel and LA Tech third baseman Caire Raley are both natives of Clovis, Calif.

For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on X, Instagram and Facebook.

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