Category: Arkansas Softball

SEC Softball Tournament is in Fayetteville: Here are the most likely winners in order

Tennessee is the No. 1 seed at the SEC Tournament but the Volunteers aren’t the favorite.

The stakes in Fayetteville are huge.

Nearly every team taking part in the SEC Softball Tournament at Bogle Park has a good shot at making the NCAA Tournament. Nearly every team, anyway.

Seven teams head to the tournament ranked. Spots No. 11 through 15 in the nation all belong to the Southeastern Conference. Two more teams earned Top 25 votes in Monday’s poll release.

The question isn’t so much as who wins the tournament as much as the question which teams locks up their NCAA Tourney spot. Of course, winning the tournament would do exactly that.

But a wild regular season gives little clues. Tennessee won the crown by two games. Georgia was two games in front of Auburn, which was one in front of Arkansas and Alabama. Those last four teams, by the way, occupy four of those five spots in the middle of the Top 25.

So let’s examine which ones have the best chance to leave as champs. Not just based off their seeding, either.

Hogs ace Chenise Delce selected in Athletes Unlimited Draft

On Monday night, one of the best pitchers in Arkansas Razorback softball history was selected in the Athletes Unlimted Draft. 

On Monday night, one of the best pitchers in Arkansas Razorback softball history was selected in the Athletes Unlimted Draft.

Right-handed redshirt senior Chenise Delce went ninth overall in the draft, joining three other SEC softball products. Delce joins former Razorback Danielle Gibson as the only two players from the program to be selected in the AUX draft.

Delce’s career isn’t over yet, with the SEC Tournament and a potential College World Series run still on the table, but it has been illustrious so far. Delce has a career 1.82 ERA with 173 strikeouts, 16 complete games, and five solo shutouts across 157.2 innings pitched. Her record stands at 39-11.

All of this in two years of work.

This season Delce ranks third in the SEC in strikeouts, 173, and wins, currently at 20.

Fayetteville, Bogle Park, ready to host SEC Softball Tournament

Arkansas is hosting the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2010.

Arkansas fans won’t get to see their favorite team as often as they might like, but they’ll take the trade.

The Razorbacks are set to host the SEC Softball Tournament From May 9 – May 13 from Bogle Park. Things get underway on Tuesday night when 13th-seeded Missouri plays 12th-seeded Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m.

Arkansas, which is hosting for the first time since 2010, won last year’s tournament en route to a Super Regionals appearance. The Razorbacks were ranked 9th in the country entering in 2022 and are 12th this year.

The game between Mizzou and MSU is the only one scheduled Tuesday while Wednesday and Thursday will see four games played each day. Friday will have two games and the championship is scheduled for Saturday.

The Razorbacks are the No. 4-seeded team in the tournament. They will play Thursday at 4 p.m. against either Missouri, Mississippi State or fifth-seeded Alabama.

Tickets for the week can be purchased here.

Arkansas Razorbacks earn No. 4 seed in SEC Softball Tournament

The Razorbacks will play as the no. 4 seed, hoping to win their second straight SEC title.

The 2023 SEC Softball tournament is set, with Bogle Park hosting the tournament for the second year in a row.

The Razorbacks will play as the no. 4 seed, hoping to win their second straight SEC title.

As a top-four seed, the Hogs earned a double-bye and will not take the diamond until Thursday, when they will play the winner of Alabama vs. Mississippi State/Missouri. Missouri and Mississippi State will open the tournament on Tuesday as the bottom two seeds.

The Hogs suffered a disappointing series loss to Missouri, losing the last two games of the series after opening with a dominating 8-0 victory.

The other top three seeds are no. 1 Tennessee, no. 2 Georgia, and no. 3 Auburn.

Before the Missouri series, the Hogs did defeat Tennessee, highlighted by Freshman LHP Hannah Camenzind and redshirt senior RHP Chenise Delce combining for the shutout in the series finale.

Missouri walks off Arkansas to even series

Another Mizzou win on Sunday could mean Arkansas falls out of the top four in the SEC. The top four finishers get two-round byes.

On the surface, Arkansas’ loss to Missouri in Game 2 on Saturday is not much of a big deal.

But the Tigers’ 4-3 rally and walk-off win put the Razorbacks in a tight spot on Sunday ahead of the teams’ rubber match. Arkansas is tied for third in the SEC with Auburn and Alabama, all of whom are 14-9 in league play. The top four finishers receive two-round byes for next week’s SEC Tournament.

Missouri trailed by a run entering the seventh and final inning. But Maddie Snyder, the Tigers’ 9-hole hitter, took Chenise Delce over the wall to tie things to lead off the inning. Delce retired the next two hitters before Kara Daly homered on the first pitch of her at-bat to end things.

They were the only two hits Delce allowed in her three innings. Arkansas had taken the lead in the top of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Rylin Hedgecock. The Hogs had scored the first two runs of the game on back-to-back homers from Cylie Halvorson and Kristina Foreman in the second.

An Arkansas win Sunday would ensure the Razorbacks finish in the top four. They own the tiebreaker over Alabama, meaning even if the Crimson Tide win they can’t leapfrog Arkansas with a Hogs win.

First pitch in Game 3 from Colubmia is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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Arkansas’ win moves Hogs closer to two-round bye for SEC Tournament

Missouri never had a chance against Arkansas on Friday in a five-inning blowout for the Razorbacks.

The Arkansas softball team started the final weekend of the regular season on a high note Friday.

The Razorbacks had no trouble with last-place Missouri, taking the opener of the three-game set to close the SEC season, 9-0, in five innings.

Arkansas’ win kept the Hogs pace and tied for third in the league standings alongside Auburn and one game ahead of fifth-place Alabama. The top four teams in the final standings earn a two-round bye in next week’s SEC Tournament, which will be held at Bogle Park in Fayetteville.

Against Mizzou, the No. 12 Hogs jumped early and often.

Arkansas scored runs in every inning but the fourth. Lauren Camenzind had the best day at the plate, going 3 for 3 with a double, two RBI and two runs. Second baseman Kristina Foreman went 2 for 2 with a walk, a double, three RBI and two runs, as well.

Chenise Delce never had trouble pithing, either. She won her 20th game of the season by limiting Missouri to two hits and two walks while striking out five.

Arkansas will look to take the series in Columbia at 4 p.m. Saturday.

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Camenzind named SEC Freshman of the Week

Hannah Camenzind’s performance on the weekend helped Arkansas to a series win over No. 4 Tennessee.

The third time is a charm. Not the charm. A charm.

Arkansas pitcher Hannah Camenzind was named SEC Freshman of the Week for the third time on Tuesday, the league announced. Her work during the week helped the Razorbacks to a series win over No. 4 Tennessee on the weekend at Bogle Park.

Camenzind pitched 9 2/3 innings over the final two games of the series, both Razorbacks wins. In the victories, she allowed just eight hits and one run. Perhaps largest, she kept the Vols from clinching the SEC title with one final weekend to play in the regular season.

On the season, the Nebraska native has a 4-2 record in 19 games, eight of which have been starts. She carries a 2.37 earned-run average into the Hogs’ regular-season finale series against last-place Missouri.

Camenzind and Tennessee pitcher Karlyn Pickens are the only two players who have won the Freshman of the Week honor three times.

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Take that, Tenner! Arkansas wins series against fourth-ranked Vols

The Arkansas softball team kept Tennessee from clinching the SEC title and the Hogs keep hopes alive for hosting in NCAAs.

The old phrase goes, it’s better to be lucky than good. Arkansas softball was both on Monday.

The Razorbacks knocked off No. 4 Tennessee, 2-0, in the series finale to take the weekend set, two games to one and keep the Vols from clinching the SEC’s regular-season crown for at least one more week.

That’s how long remains in the regular season. The Razorbacks can’t win the league title – they sit four games behind Tennnessee, 17-4 to 13-8, but the Razorbacks also look to be in good shape for hosting a Regional in the NCAA Tournament in a couple weeks, especialy now.

Tennessee left eight runners on-base in total and left them on to finish five of the seven innings in the finale. Arkansas left the bases loaded in the sixth, but that point the two runs were already across the plate.

They scored when Rylin Hedgecock homered in herself and Raigan Kramer in the fourth. Meanwhile, Hannah Camenzind pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and two walks and Chenise Delce closed the final 1 1/3, striking out three.

Arkansas will close the regular season with a series at Missouri from Friday to Sunday. The Tigers are in last in the SEC.

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Razorbacks take game two from No. 4 Tennessee

Arkansas tied the series against the fourth-ranked team in the nation and will look to take it Monday night in Bogle Park.

Arkansas softball has every chance in the world for a College World Series run. Sunday’s win was plenty of evidence.

The No. 13 Razorbacks beat No. 4 Tennessee, 6-4, to even the series between the two at a game apiece. The finale is Monday at 6 p.m. from Bogle Park in Fayetteville.

Arkansas crushed three homers in the win and scored four runs in the sixth inning to take the victory. Cylie Halvorson broke a 2-2 tie in the frame with her three-run shot. Kristina Foreman was up next and immediately followed with a solo homer to provide Arkansas with a four-run lead.

Hannah Camenzind limited the Vols to just one run on three hits in her three innings as starter. Chenise Delce entered for her in the fourth and ultimately picked up her 19th win of the season.

Kacie Hoffman opened the scoring in the second inning with her two-run home run. Tennessee would tie the game in the fifth, then pull to the final margin with two more runs in the seventh.

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No. 4 Vols take series opener against No. 12 Arkansas

Arkansas gave up just four hits. The timing is what hurt against Tennessee.

Offense, there was not a lot of it. Classic game, anyway? You bet.

The 12th-ranked Arkansas softball team had the No. 4 team in the country, Tennessee, in position until nearly the end Saturday afternoon from Bogle Park. But a late knock lifted the Volunteers, 3-1, setting up what’s sure to be a grand weekend on The Hill.

Zaida Puni hit a two-out, two-run single in the sixth to break a 1-1 deadlock, giving the Vols the winning margin. Tennessee had just two hits to that point. But a hit batter and a walk earlier in the inning gave the Vols the baserunners necessary to pounce. They finished with just four hits.

Arkansas’ lineup was equally held in check. After Tennessee took a 1-0 lead in the fifth, the Hogs countered in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single by Reagan Johnson. She plated Atalyia Rijo who doubled earlier. They were the only two hits Arkansas had in the game.

Chenise Delce took the tough-luck loss, pitching a complete game, striking out four.

The teams are back at it Sunday at noon in Fayetteville.

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