@RazorbackSB Hosts SEMO for Midweek Doubleheader
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas softball team begins its final stretch of home games in the regular season this week, starting with a doubleheader against Southeast Missouri State on Wednesday at Bogle Park. The first game is set to begin at 3 p.m. and game two will follow approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one. Both games will be available on SEC Network+.
Arkansas (15-33, 1-20 SEC) vs. Southeast Missouri State (15-24, 9-12 OVC)
Wednesday, April 29 | 3 p.m./5 p.m.
SEC Network+
Live Stats (Game 1) | Live Stats (Game 2)
Arkansas Notes
PROMOTIONS
Wednesday is $1 hot dog day at Bogle Park.
ROUNDING THE BASES
• Arkansas will conclude its season May 1-3, welcoming Alabama to Bogle Park.
• Arkansas and SEMO will be meeting up for the second and third times this season after the Razorbacks previously defeated the Redhawks 5-2 on March 1 in Hammond, La. Arkansas pounded out 12 hits in the last meeting, including four from Devon Wallace and two each from Haley Meinen and Autumn Russell. Meinen earned the win after pitching 4.0 innings of shutout ball.
• Sophomore Jessica Harrison led the way offensively for Arkansas in the last series against Auburn (April 24-26). Harrison finished the weekend batting an even .500 with two home runs and three RBIs. In the team’s last five conference games, Harrison is posting a slash line of .556/1.222/.600.
• Freshman Tori Cooper and senior Devon Wallace both batted .333 with a pair of hits at Auburn.
• The Razorbacks played their sixth extra innings game this season against South Carolina (April 11), improving their record to 3-3 in games lasting longer than seven innings.
• Arkansas has hit two or more home runs in a game seven times this season, posting a 3-4 mark when doing so.
• Senior Devon Wallace, adding to her record-breaking Arkansas resume, became the first Razorback ever to be selected in the National Pro Fastpitch College Draft. Wallace was taken in the fourth round, No. 20 overall, by the Pennsylvania Rebellion in the 2015 Draft Wednesday, April 1, at the CMA Theater in Nashville, Tenn.
NUMBERS TO WATCH
With 197 career hits, senior Devon Wallace is on pace to become only the sixth player in program history to record 200 or more hits. Tallying 32 career doubles, Wallace can also become just the fourth Razorback ever to have 200+ hits as well as 30+ doubles.
MAGIC NUMBERS
The Razorbacks own an 11-3 (.786) mark when scoring at least six runs. On the defensive side, Arkansas is 13-6 (.684) when limiting opponents to five runs or less.
KEEP THE RALLY GOING
59 of Arkansas’ 153 (.386) RBIs this season have come with two outs. Devon Wallace leads the way, accounting for 11 of those RBIs while Kasey Fagan has tallied seven. Among players with 10 or more two-out at-bats, five have averages greater than .270 including Stephanie Canfield (.278), Fagan (.281), Shelby Hiers (.300), Jessie Mullen (.300), and Wallace (.400).
1-0 LEAD
Senior Devon Wallace led off the game at Auburn April 26 with a home run to centerfield, the second time this season she has started off the game with a homer (March 12 at Missouri State). For Wallace, it was her third home run overall coming in the first inning this season (April 5 vs. Mississippi State).
HARRISON HEATS UP
Sophomore Jessica Harrison has started to find her rhythm at the plate in the final portion of the season. Harrison sent two over the fence against Auburn (April 24-26) while batting .500 with three RBIs. In the team’s last five SEC games, the Magnolia, Texas, native is slugging 1.222 with five hits. She has hit safely in each of the last four games and has recorded an RBI in each of the last three.
ON THE COMEBACK TRAIL
More than a third of Arkansas’ victories this season have come after Arkansas trailed in the game. In six of their 15 wins, the Razorbacks rallied from a deficit, including erasing a three-run margin twice (Feb. 28 at Southeastern Louisiana, April 11 at South Carolina).
WALLACE REWRITES RECORD BOOK
Senior Devon Wallace has left her imprint all over the Arkansas softball record book. In the series against Texas (3/14-16), she set new program records for career home runs (47) and runs scored (180). The Double Oak, Texas, native additionally is the career leader in walks (230) and intentional walks (12). Wallace is currently on pace to be the career leader in a number of other categories as she currently ranks first for: highest batting average (.358), highest slugging percentage (.680), and highest on-base percentage (.559). Her 197 career hits is sixth, trailing leader Jessica Bachkora (2007-10) who has 227.
CANFIELD SWINGS AWAY
Junior Stephanie Canfield, a fixture near the top of the lineup, has proven to be a triple-threat from the left side of the dish. With 10 career triples, the St. Joseph, Ill., native is tied for second all-time in school history, trailing leader Dayna Huckabee who has 12. Canfield has four triples this year alone, ranking eighth in the SEC. She has 10 multi-hit games to go along with a team-high five multi-RBI games. While Wallace holds many school records, Canfield is also posting near record lines. Consider the numbers and rankings for Canfield’s career statistics: second in batting average (.350), fourth in on-base percentage (.398), and is sixth in slugging percentage (.474).
PRODUCTION AT THE TOP
The 1-2-3 combination of Wallace, Fagan and Canfield at the top of the lineup has been potent as the end of the regular season approaches. The trio has combined for a .334 batting average, .429 OBP, .498 slugging, and account for 66 of the team’s 153 (.431) RBIs.
FREE SOFTBALL
Arkansas has played in six extra innings games this season, posting a 3-3 record. Kasey Fagan led Arkansas to a pair of walk-off wins Feb. 27, defeating Saint Louis and UT-Martin in the bottom of the eighth inning of both games. Shelby Hiers provided the heroics for the third extra innings win, connecting for a solo home run in the top of the eighth at South Carolina (April 11) and providing Arkansas with the go-ahead run.
