Razorbacks Welcome UConn to Bogle Park for Non-Conference Series
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 9/10 Arkansas Softball team resumes non-conference action this weekend by hosting UConn for a three-game non-conference series at Bogle Park.
First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on Friday, 4 p.m. on Saturday, and Noon on Sunday. All three games this weekend feature promotions, with Hannah Montana Night on Friday, Karaoke Night on Saturday, and postgame autographs on Sunday.
All three games of the non-conference series will be streamed on SEC Network+. Josh Haley (Friday) and Brett Dolan (Saturday, Sunday) will serve as the play-by-play announcers this weekend. Former Razorback and 2025 National Player of the Year, Bri Ellis, will serve as the color analyst on Friday and Saturday, while former Razorback Sydney Parr Lee will be Sunday’s color analyst.
The Razorbacks are 24-4 this season with 16 wins coming by run-rule. Arkansas off a 10-2 (5 inn.) triumph over Central Arkansas on Tuesday, which featured 4.1 shutout innings from senior RHP Reis Beuerlein and a two-hit performance from freshman Brinli Bain. The Hogs are outscoring opponents 257-66 this season.
Arkansas entered the seventh week of the 2026 season as a consensus top 10 team nationally, having garnered rankings of No. 10 in the ESPN/USA Softball and No. 9 in the NFCA/GoRout D1 Coaches, D1 Softball and Softball America 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 95 consecutive weeks dating back to the start of the 2020 season. Arkansas is one of five 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, and Florida State.
FOLLOW ALONG
Friday, March 20
UConn at #9/10 Arkansas – 6 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Live Stats
Saturday, March 21
UConn at #9/10 Arkansas – 4 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Live Stats
Sunday, March 22
UConn at #9/10 Arkansas – Noon – SEC Network+ – Live Stats
RUN-RULING RAZORBACKS
Arkansas defeated opponents with ease in the majority of games this season, as the Hogs have won by run-rule in 16 of 24 victories in 2026.
The Hogs’ 16 run-rule victories are tied for the second-most in a single season in program history, trailing only the 2025 squad’s program record 23, while being tied with the 2014 team (16).
REAGAN IS ON THE HUNT FOR HISTORY
With 255 career hits, Reagan Johnson is just seven hits away from breaking the Arkansas all-time career hits record of 261 held by Hannah McEwen. She also ranks second all-time in Arkansas career batting average at .371 while ranking fifth in career on-base percentage (.432), seventh in career triples (7) and third in career stolen bases (60).
This season, she has posted a .383 batting average with 31 hits, three doubles and eight RBI while drawing 18 walks, scoring 32 runs and stealing 11 bases.
Defensively, Johnson is among the best center fielders the game has seen during her four years on The Hill with a .979 career fielding percentage. She is on a 103-game errorless streak dating back to April 6, 2024.
WOOO SLAM SOOIE
Arkansas has smashed six grand slams in just 28 games this season. The Hogs’ six grand slams rank tied for second over a total season in program history, trailing only the 2022 squad’s seven while being tied in second with the 2013 team.
Tianna Bell and Ella McDowell have both registered a pair of grand slams this season, marking just the third season dating back to 2005 that Arkansas has had multiple players with 2+ grand slams.
McDowell became the first player in program history to hit grand slams in consecutive games by accomplishing the feat in wins over Georgia (3/8) and Missouri State (3/9).
BRINLI AMONG THE BEST IN HER CLASS
Freshman Brinli Bain arrived in Fayetteville as the No. 9 Prospect in the 2025 class nationally, according to Perfect Game and has made an immediate impact during her true freshman campaign.
This season, she is batting a team-high .456 with 31 hits, 10 doubles, 21 walks, 28 runs scored and 22 RBI. Her .456 batting average ranks third in the previous decade through the first 28 games of a season, trailing only Bri Ellis (.529, 2025) and Danielle Gibson (.500, 2022).
Bain led all freshmen and ranked 18th nationally with a .589 on-base percentage as of Tuesday this week. She also leads Arkansas with 10 multi-hit games this season and is the first Arkansas freshman to record 10+ multi-hit games through the first 28 games of a season since Reagan Johnson in 2023.
EIGHT IS GREAT
Arkansas is 298-9 when scoring eight or more runs all-time, including a 167-1 mark during the Courtney Deifel era (2016-present). The Hogs have scored 8+ runs in 18 games this season.
The Razorbacks are on a 109-game winning streak when scoring 8+ runs. The last loss the Razorbacks had when accomplishing the feat was a 12-11 loss to Oklahoma State on Feb. 11, 2021, during the season opener at the Best on the Bayou Classic in Monroe, La.
SOOIE SPINNERS
The Hogs own a 2.43 ERA in 164 innings with 170 strikeouts while limiting opponents to a .217 batting average this season. Arkansas ranked 17th nationally in ERA and 14th nationally in team strikeouts per seven innings (7.26) as of Wednesday this week.
Arkansas has registered 52 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 currently ranks 10th nationally with eight shutouts this season.
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.
IN THE RANKINGS
Arkansas ranked among the nation’s leaders in numerous categories as of Tuesday this week including, batting average (7th, .380), runs per game (7th, 9.18), hits (12th, 273), on-base percentage (7th, .477), RBI per game (8th, 8.25), slugging percentage (12th, .642) and total runs (5th, 257), WHIP (17th, 1.19), team strikeouts per 7 inn. (14th, 7.26), shutouts (10th, 8) and ERA (17th, 2.43).
SERIES HISTORY
Arkansas and UConn have only previously met one time on Feb. 25, 2017, when the Hogs defeated the Huskies 3-2 in eight innings during the FAU Invitational in Boca Raton, Fla. Haydi Bugarin scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning of the win courtesy of a wild pitch.
KNOW THE FOES
UConn is 8-18 this season, including a 3-3 mark in Big East play. The Huskies are coming off a 1-2 weekend at Seton Hall in which they fell in the series opener 5-4 and series finale 8-5 while earning an 8-6 win in game two of the three-game set.
The Huskies are led by Laura Valentino, who is in her seventh season at the helm and owns an overall record of 184-119.
Jessica Walter is the ace of the UConn pitching staff with a 3-6 record and 2.95 ERA to go along with 36 strikeouts in 54.2 innings of work.
Cat Petteys leads the UConn offense with a .360 batting average, including 32 hits, seven doubles, seven homers, 16 RBI, and 20 runs scored while drawing three walks and posting a team-best .408 on-base percentage. Savannah Ring also highlights the Huskies at the plate, posting a .306 batting average with 26 hits, five doubles and five RBI.
30 SEASONS OF RAZORBACK SOFTBALL
2026 marks the 30th season of Arkansas Softball. The Razorbacks hold an all-time program record of 905-816-1 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.
For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on X, Instagram and Facebook.
