Category: Arkansas Softball

D1Softball names two Razorbacks to preseason All-American team

Nia Carter and Bri Ellis made more history for Arkansas softball with selections to D1Softball’s preseason All-American team.

Two Arkansas Razorback softball players were named to D1Softball’s preseason All-American second team on Friday.

Redshirt senior outfielder [autotag]Nia Carter[/autotag] and junior first baseman [autotag]Bri Ellis[/autotag] each earned the honor. The pair are just the fifth and sixth Hogs ever selected to D1Softball’s preseason All-American teams – all of which have come since 2020.

Carter, a transfer from Iowa, chose to play for the Hogs for her final season of eligibility. Carter’s 2023 was incredible as she started all 62 games and recorded 101 hits, 30 RBIs, 45 runs scored, eight stolen bases and 115 total bases with a .479 batting average. She earned plenty of accolades following the year, including first team All-Big Ten and third team All-American nods.

Ellis enters her first season as a Razorback after two stellar seasons at Auburn. She boasts 117 career starts, 96 RBIs, 87 hits and 34 home runs with a career batting average of .288. Last year, she started all 62 games while recording 42 hits, 47 RBIs and 14 home runs with a .275 batting average.

The Hogs will begin their season on Feb. 8 at 1:00 p.m in Boca Raton, Fla. when they face Marshall as part of the Paradise Classic.

Thanks to ESPN, Arkansas softball will have plenty of exposure in 2024

Arkansas softball will have plenty of television exposure this season, thanks to multiple broadcasts on ESPN networks.

Entering the 2024 season, [autotag]Arkansas softball[/autotag] is firmly in the national spotlight. They’re ranked in the top 20 of every major preseason poll and are poised to build off of six consecutive NCAA Tournament berths.

As a result, 11 Razorback games will be prominently televised across the ESPN family of networks during the regular season. That’s in addition to having all of their games available on SEC Network+.

The first of those 11 linear broadcasts will be on March 30-April 1 in a primetime road matchup with No. 6 Georgia on SEC Network and ESPN2. [autotag]Courtney Deifel[/autotag]’s squad welcomes Missouri to Bogle Park for two SEC Network broadcasts of the series.

Arkansas’ road series against No. 22 South Carolina on April 12-14 will have two SEC Network broadcasts, and right after that, the Hogs’ home series against No. 14 Alabama will feature a game on SEC Network and ESPNU.

The Razorbacks will then host Ole Miss to Fayetteville for their final series of the regular season on May 3-5. That series will feature two games on SEC Network.

In addition to those 11 games, all 12 SEC Softball Tournament games will be televised on SEC Network, with the semifinals and championship game appearing on ESPN2.

Arkansas softball’s 2024 season begins on Thursday, Feb. 8 at 1:00 p.m. against Marshall as part of the Paradise Classic.

Arkansas softball ranked in USA Today/NFCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll

The USA Today/NFCA Coaches’ poll was released on Tuesday and Arkansas softball was included yet again. Here’s where they were ranked.

Once again, [autotag]Arkansas softball[/autotag] is ranked inside the Top 20 of a preseason poll entering the 2024 campaign. On Tuesday, the USA Today/NFCA Coaches’ Poll was released and [autotag]Courtney Deifel[/autotag]’s Razorbacks were ranked No. 16 in the country.

This is the fourth preseason poll that has had the Hogs as a Top 20 team entering the season. Earlier this month, the team was ranked No. 8 and No. 18 by Softball America and D1Softball, respectively. Just last week ESPN.com/USA Softball had them ranked at No.12 on the new year.

All of this preseason love for the Hogs is warranted as Deifel’s squad is coming off of their third-straight 40-win season and the program’s sixth-straight NCAA Tournament berth.

Under Deifel’s guidance, Arkansas softball has received four national seeds. The remarkable thing about that feat is that before Deifel took over, the Hogs had never received a national seed for the NCAA Tournament.

The Razorbacks will open their 2024 season at the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Fla. Opening day is currently slated for Thursday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. where the Hogs will take on Marshall.

Razorbacks softball tabbed to finish fourth in SEC

Courtney Deifel has made the Arkansas softball program into a regular NCAA Tournament team, year after year. The next step comes the CWS.

Courtney Deifel has made the Arkansas softball program into a regular NCAA Tournament team, year after year.

The next step comes regular College World Series appearances.

Arkansas has a shot in 2024. The Razorbacks were picked to finish fourth in the SEC, largely considered one of the best two or three conferences in the country, when the league predictions by SEC coaches were released on Wednesday.

The Hogs finished tied for fourth last year with Alabama, won the SEC in 2022 and finished second in 2021. Arkansas has made three Super Regionals in Deifel’s previous complete seven seasons (the 2020 season was cancelled just as league play began): 2018, 2021 and 2022.

Tennessee was picked as the SEC favorites, getting 137 points worth of votes, including six first-place votes. Those six tied with Georgia, which was picked second, barely, with 136 points. LSU checked in at third with 103 points and Auburn rounded out the top five 88. Arkansas had 100 points worth of votes.

Deifel’s bunch starts their season with a five-team round-robin in Boca Raton, Florida, against Marshall, Florida Atlantic, Ohio, Penn State and Michigan State.

Three Razorbacks on USA Softball’s National Player of Year watch list

Three Arkansas Razorbacks softball players have been named to USA Softball’s Preseason Top 50 Collegiate Player of the Year watch list

With two weeks still remaining before the official start of the college softball season, a trio of Arkansas players are already receiving some heavy accolades for the upcoming campaign.

Seniors Nia Carter and Rylin Hedgecock, along with sophomore Reagan Johnson have all three been named to USA Softball’s Preseason Top 50 Collegiate Player of the Year watch list, which was released on Wednesday.

Carter, a 5-foot-1 speedy outfielder, recently transferred in from Iowa, where she garnered many accolades for the Hawkeyes, including NFCA First-Team All-Midwest Region, First-Team All-Big Ten and Softball America Third-Team All-America recognition. Her 101 base hits ranked second, nationally, as she became only the second player in Big Ten history to eclipse 100 hits in a single season.

Playing right field, the California native led Iowa with a .479 batting average, while racking up 30 RBIs, 10 doubles, eight stolen bases and two triples.

Hedgecock, a 5-foot-9 utility player, returns for her fifth season with the Razorbacks, after earning NFCA First-Team All-America and All-SEC honors a year ago. The Georgia native hit .335 and led Arkansas with 21 home runs, 62 RBIs, 127 total bases, a .459 on-base percentage, and a .774 slugging percentage. She was fifth nationally in home runs, and turned in three multi-home run games, including a three-home run performance at No. 20 Kentucky.

Johnson, a 5-foot-4 outfielder, is back for her second campaign with the Hogs. The Texas native made the most of her freshman season, earning NFCA First-Team All-South Region and Second-Team All-SEC honors. She led the team with a .378 batting average, 79 hits, 47 runs scored, 18 stolen bases and four triples, and was named a Top 10 Finalist for the TUCCI/NFCA National Freshman of the Year award.

She ranked second in the SEC and eighth in the country in hits, while also shining in centerfield with a .968 fielding percentage, including 86 putouts and four assists on 93 total chances.

Arkansas opens the season against Marshall at the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton, Fla., on Feb. 8. The Razorbacks then begin their home slate at Bogle Park against Illinois State on Feb. 22.

Arkansas softball opens at No. 12 in the ESPN/USA preseason poll

Arkansas ranked in preseason for sixth straight year, coming it at No. 12 in ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25.

For the sixth consecutive year under Head Coach Courtney Deifel, the Arkansas softball team will begin the season ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Preseason Poll, which was released Tuesday.

The Razorbacks stack up at No. 12 in the most recent poll, which includes 10 teams from the SEC – most of any conference. It also marks the third straight year that Arkansas begins ranked in the top 15, coming in at No. 6 last season and No. 9 in 2022.

Now in her eighth season at the helm, Deifel is already the program’s winningest coach with 278 victories. She led the program to its first SEC regular-season championship in 2021, then won the regular season and the conference tournament in 2022. Arkansas has advanced to the past six NCAA Tournament, which includes four national seeds.

The Razorbacks return a core group of experienced players to the roster, while adding a stellar freshman class and four key transfers – former Auburn first-baseman Bri Ellis and former Iowa outfielder Nia Carter, as well as a pair of pitchers, Reis Beuerlieim from Mississippi State and Morgan Linestock from Southern Mississippi.

Last week, Softball America had the Razorbacks ranked No. 8 in their preseason poll, while D1Softball had them ranked No. 18.

Arkansas will open the 2024 slate with a trip to Boca Raton, Fla., for the Paradise Classic, facing Marshall in the opener. The Hogs will then open their home schedule on Feb. 22, hosting Illinois State.

Arkansas softball looks to make history, releases 2024 schedule

The Razorback softball team will face 29 NCAA Tournament team on their 2024 slate.

As the Arkansas softball program continues to rise in the national spotlight, the level of opponents keeps getting stronger.

The Razorbacks’ 54-game regular season schedule for 2024 was release on Monday and includes 30 games inside Bogle Park, and 29 games against 2023 NCAA Tournament teams.

Head Coach Courtney Deifel is set to begin her ninth season at the helm of the program, with a program-best 278 wins under her belt. She has developed the Razorbacks into a national brand on the diamond, guiding the program to two SEC regular-season championships, an SEC Tournament title and six NCAA Tournament appearances, including six consecutive berths since 2017.

Since her arrival in 2016, Arkansas been ranked 84 times in the NFCA Coaches’ Poll, after previously being ranked only once in program history. Additionally, 11 of the program’s 12 All-American awards and 78 All-America Scholar-Athlete awards have come accumulated under her watch.

She has led the Razorbacks to all three of their NCAA Tournament Super Regional appearances – 2018, 2021 and 2022 – and hopes to equal that feat again this season, or possibly surpass it with their first trip to the College World Series.

Arkansas has won at least 40 games in each of the last three seasons, while hosting a regional all three of those years.

The Razorbacks will begin the 2024 campaign in the Paradise Classic, hosted by Florida Atlantic, Feb. 8-10. They will open play against Marshall and FAU on the first day, before finishing the weekend with games against Ohio, Penn State and Michigan State.

They will follow that with a trip to Arizona the Bear Down Fiesta, Feb. 16-18. The five-game slate will include two against host Arizona, two against Omaha and another against Long Beach State.

The Hogs then return home for three weeks, beginning with the Razorback Invitational, Feb. 22-25, opening play against Illinois State, then play two against Wichita State and two against UT-Arlington. That will be followed by the Wooo Pig Classic at Bogle Park, Feb. 29-March 3, as South Dakota State, Southeast Missouri State and Florida Atlantic come to Fayetteville.

Staying at home, Arkansas will then host the Razorback Rumble, March 7-9, with the likes of Nebraska, South Alabama, St. Francis and Northern Iowa coming to Bogle.

The Razorbacks first SEC series will be on the road at Auburn, March 15-17, before a midweek game at Texas A&M-Commerce. The Hogs’ first home conference series will be March 22-24, as Mississippi State comes to town, prior to a in-state battle with Central Arkansas  on March 26.

Arkansas then travels to Georgia, returns home to face Missouri, then is back on the road at South Carolina. The Razorbacks will then host a much-anticipated class with Alabama, April 19-21.

They will then take the road to LSU, before making the return trip to UCA on April 30. Arkansas will close out the regular season at home against Ole Miss, May 3-5.

Auburn will host the 2024 SEC Tournament, from May 7-11.

Click HERE for complete 2024 schedule.

Arkansas softball announces 2024 SEC schedule

The 2024 SEC schedule for Arkansas’ softball team was released on Wednesday. Nonconference games will be released at a later date.

Coming off SEC titles in two of the last three seasons, the Arkansas softball team unveiled its 2024 schedule on Wednesday.

Arkansas is looking to make its seventh straight NCAA Tournament appearance (not counting the 2020 season that was canceled) under Courtney Deifel’s leadership.

The Razorbacks will begin SEC play on the road at Auburn, before heading home to Bogle Park for the following weekend’s series with Mississippi State.

March 8-10 is Arkansas’ bye weekend.

Other home SEC series include Missouri, Alabama and Ole Miss. The team will travel to Georgia, South Carolina and LSU, with the series against the Bayou Bengals the final one before SEC Tournament play begins.

Auburn is hosting the SEC Tournament this season, and it will be held May 7-11.

Hedgecock is returning to Arkansas softball for 2024

Courtney Deifel got some great news Wednesday when her catcher and first-team All-American said she was all-in for 2024.

While everyone’s attention was focused on Sam Pittman and the Arkansas football team Wednesday morning during SEC Media Days, Arkansas softball made some news of its own.

Rylin Hedgecock, the All-American and most improved player in 2023, made her return official.

Hedgecock was nothing short of phenomenal in 2023, hitting .335 with a .459 on-base percentage and a .774 mark slugging with 21 home runs, 62 RBI and 41 runs.

Her play behind the plate helped catapult the Razorbacks to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year and earn a national seed.

Deifel welcomes familiar face back to program as assistant

Welcome back Danielle! Courtney Deifel’s latest assistant coach hire is no stranger to the Arkansas softball program.

Arkansas fans won’t need an introduction to the latest softball assistant coaching hire.

Danielle Gibson Whorton, a former two-time NFCA All-American and first in program history, was announced Friday as Courtney Deifel’s newest assistant.

“I’m ecstatic to be returning to Fayetteville in a new and exciting role. Joining Coach Deifel, Coach Meuchel and Coach Gasso is an experience I couldn’t pass up,” Gibson Whorton said. “It’s home for my husband and has become home for me. It all made sense. How fortunate am I to have an opportunity to push this amazing program forward outside of my playing days? New opportunities come with new challenges, and I cannot wait to get started. We will Call the Hogs on The Hill once again.”

Gibson Whorton was a volunteer assistant at Georgia last season. While in Athens, Gibson Whorton guided Bulldog hitters to four All-SEC honors, four NFCA All-Region accolades and two NFCA All-America selections.

Under a new ruling handed down earlier this year, volunteer assistant roles were eliminated and a third paid assistant coach role was added by the NCAA Division I council.

Gibson Whorton will join a staff of Matt Meuchel and recently hired DJ Gasso.