Category: Other Sports

Arkansas Softball wins SEC Tournament, earns no. 4 seed in NCAA Tournament

For the first time in program history, the Arkansas Razorbacks are SEC Tournament Champions!

The Arkansas Razorbacks wrapped up a special regular season on Saturday evening by defeating Missouri, 4-0 in the SEC Softball Tournament Championship Game at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.

Arkansas had played well in all areas leading up to the championship game, only allowing one run in two previous games, which included the host Florida Gators. Missouri had played well defensively as well, not allowing a run in wins over two top-seeded teams in Alabama and Tennessee, as well as Auburn.

But one of the nation’s top offenses prevailed again, leading Arkansas to their first-ever SEC Tournament Championship.

Three of Arkansas’ four runs came on RBI singles. After Arkansas led off the inning with two singles, [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] put the Razorbacks on the board with a single to score [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] to give Arkansas the 1-0 lead.

[autotag]Marlene Friedman[/autotag] followed suit in the 2nd inning by driving home [autotag]Kacie Hoffman[/autotag], who led off the inning with a triple. The final RBI single of the game came in the 5th inning by [autotag]Hannah McEwen[/autotag] to give Arkansas the 3-0 lead. Arkansas’ final run was scored on a wild pitch later in the 5th to solidify the win.

In all, Arkansas outhit Missouri, 11-2. In the circle, [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] struck out five batters and issued zero walks in the complete game effort.

Once the dust settled, Arkansas’ postseason fate was learned. The Razorbacks will host the Fayetteville Regional as the national No. 4 seed, which means that if the Razorbacks come out victorious in this regional, they will host the Super Regionals next weekend. Arkansas welcomes Oregon, Wichita State, and Princeton to Bogle Park for the 2022 regional.

Arkansas is paired with the Seattle Regional, hosted by no. 13 seed Washington. Teams included in the regional are Washington, Texas, Weber State, and Lehigh.

Arkansas vs. Florida: Game preview, how to watch and stream Friday’s Semifinal

A shot at the SEC Championship game is on the line Friday when the Razorbacks play Florida.

The No. 1 seed Arkansas Razorbacks’ next step in their journey towards an SEC Tournament Championship comes Friday when they face the tournament host and no. 5 seed Florida at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium in Gainesville.

Arkansas’ defeat of Ole Miss on Thursday night was headlined by two home runs off the bats of [autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag] and [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag]. Mary Haff struck out nine batters in a complete-game effort.

Florida took care of Kentucky, 9-3 in their quarterfinal matchup. Reagan Walsh and Kendra Falby each recorded three hits in the win.

This will be the 4th meeting between Arkansas and Florida this season at KSP Stadium. Arkansas traveled to Gainesville during the weekend of April 22-24, and earned the three-game sweep of the Gators.

In April 22’s 9-1 run-rule win over Florida, Arkansas broke open a scoreless tie in the 5th inning by scoring five runs. After the first two batters of the inning reached base, [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] hit an RBI single to put Arkansas on the board. [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] followed Sides by hitting a three-run double and later scored on a single by Linnie Malkin.

This time, the Razorbacks and Gators meet on a big stage, with a shot at the SEC Championship game on the line.

PHOTO GALLERY: Arkansas defeats Ole Miss in the SEC Softball Tournament

The best images from Arkansas’ 3-0 win over Ole Miss in the SEC Softball Tournament on Thursday.

The no. 1 seed Arkansas Razorbacks defeated no. 8 Ole Miss, 3-0 on Thursday, in what was a record-setting day for the Razorbacks.

Linnie Malkin’s 2nd inning solo home run was her 48th career longball, which broke a school record previously set by Devon Wallace. Mary Haff recorded nine strikeouts in the game, which gives her 800 for her career. She also pitched her 29th career shutout. She has become the second pitcher in Razorbacks history to toss 800 strikeouts and has tied a school record in shutouts, both held by Heather Schlichtman.

Arkansas will now face No. 5 Florida on Friday in the SEC Tournament semi-finals.

Arkansas sweeps SEC Softball Awards

The SEC Coach, Player, and Pitcher of the Year all reside in Fayetteville, as well as six first-team all-SEC selections.

The regular-season Southeastern Conference softball champions were well represented on the league’s season softball awards list.

The coach, player, and pitcher of the year in the SEC all reside in Fayetteville, as well as six first-team all-SEC members, the league announced Friday.

Head Coach [autotag]Courtney Diefel[/autotag] takes home SEC Coach of the Year, while transfers [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] and [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] win SEC Pitcher and Player of the Year respectively. Six players were named all-SEC, with a seventh player named to the second team. Two athletes were also named to the all-defensive team as well.

It has been a season to remember for Arkansas, who won their second straight SEC regular-season crown, their first outright championship. The Razorbacks won all eight SEC series on the season, and finished the regular season with a 41-9 record.

Arkansas makes history in SEC Tournament win over Ole Miss

Linnie Malkin and Mary Haff break records in Arkansas’ quarterfinal win over Ole Miss late Thursday night.

If you stayed awake long enough to watch the entirety of Arkansas’ quarterfinal game with Ole Miss in the SEC Softball Tournament, you were fortunate to see a historical performance from the Razorbacks.

[autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag] hit her program-best 48th career home run, while [autotag]Mary Haff[/autotag] tied an Arkansas record by recording her 26th career shutout in the Razorbacks win over Ole Miss, 3-0.

Linnie Malkin broke [autotag]Devon Wallace[/autotag]’s home run record to extend Arkansas’ lead to 2-0 in the 2nd inning on a solo home run to lead off the inning. For Malkin, that was her 20th home run of the season. At the plate in 2022, Malkin has exceeded career highs in home runs (20), RBI (63), and average (.408).

Senior [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] is not far behind Malkin in career home runs as a Razorback. Gibson, counting her one season at Arizona State, has hit 58 career home runs, hitting 46 of those during her time at Arkansas.

Haff had a great night in the circle. In a complete-game effort, Haff struck out nine batters and allowed just five hits in the win. In addition to tying the school record in shutouts, she recorded her 800th strikeout, which has happened only once before in program history. Both marks were first made by [autotag]Heather Schlichtman[/autotag], who played at Arkansas from 2001-04.

Joining Malkin in hitting a home run was [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag] in the 5th inning. Her 15th long ball of the year gave Arkansas the 3-0 lead. The Razorbacks got on the board in the first inning on a fielding error, allowing [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] to run across the plate.

Arkansas will now face the SEC Tournament host, Florida, on Friday at 4:30 p.m. CDT. The game can be seen on SEC Network.

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Arkansas vs. Ole Miss: Game preview, how to watch and stream Thursday’s Quarterfinal

The No. 1 seed Arkansas begins their journey for an SEC Tournament crown Thursday against Ole Miss.

The No. 1 seeded Arkansas Razorbacks’ tournament-opening opponent was named late Wednesday night. The regular-season champions will open with the No. 8 seed Ole Miss Rebels to open their stay at the SEC Softball Tournament, hosted by the University of Florida.

Ole Miss earned a first-round win over Georgia on Wednesday, defeating the no. 9 seeded Bulldogs, 9-5. The Rebels’ offense came alive in the middle innings, as they were able to take down Georgia by scoring all nine of their runs in the 3rd and 4th innings.

The Rebels’ offense had more quality hits than Georgia, with the Bulldogs outhitting Ole Miss, 14-8.

Arkansas took two-of-three from Ole Miss during the regular season in Oxford. Ole Miss handed Arkansas just their 2nd SEC loss of the season on May 1, by holding the Razorbacks to just four hits as a team.

Over the next two games, the Razorbacks would outscore Ole Miss 15-3 to claim the series. In April 3’s 8-0 win over the Rebels, [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] went 3-for-4 with four RBI while [autotag]Mary Haff[/autotag] allowed just two hits and struck out eight batters.

How Arkansas’ series win at Texas A&M affects them in the national polls

The SEC regular season champs remain high in the national polls ahead of the SEC Tournament.

Arkansas Softball had a very rewarding regular season finale in Bryan-College Station over the weekend, where every game was significant.

Despite losing to Texas A&M in nine innings on Friday night, The Razorbacks found out that they had won the outright SEC regular-season championship with Alabama’s loss to Missouri, giving them back-to-back regular-season titles.

Arkansas would go on to hit eight home runs over the final two games of the series to win their eighth consecutive series over a conference opponent, the only team in the conference to do so this season.

As the Razorbacks head into the SEC Tournament, they remain a top-5 program. Here’s how the national polls ranked Arkansas this week:

An Arkansas coaching legend is calling it a career

Andy Jackson has been coaching in the SEC for almost 40 years. Or, in other words, about twice as long as many of his players have been alive. The Arkansas men’s tennis head coach will retire on June 30. Jackson, an SEC lifer, practically, led the …

Andy Jackson has been coaching in the SEC for almost 40 years. Or, in other words, about twice as long as many of his players have been alive.

The Arkansas men’s tennis head coach will retire on June 30. Jackson, an SEC lifer, practically, led the Razorbacks program for the last nine seasons. Before that, he ran the programs at Mississippi State and Florida. He was a graduate of Kentucky, as well.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to have been part of such a tremendous program,” Jackson said. “I wish continued success to our student-athletes and all those affiliated with the Razorback Tennis program.”

Jackson’s last on-court duty will be coaching senior Alex Reco in the NCAA Tournament from May 23-28.

Arkansas, as a team, made the NCAA Tournament during three of Jackson’s seasons: 2016, 2017 and 2021. In his career, he was 615-353 with 25 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

Arkansas athletic director [autotag]Hunter Yurachek[/autotag] said a search for Jackson’s replacement will begin immediately.

Arkansas Softball: Razorbacks blast Texas A&M to close regular season

Arkansas closes the regular season by taking care of Texas A&M. Next up is the SEC Tournament beginning Thursday night!

After falling in extra innings to Texas A&M on Friday night, the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks fought back to win the final two games of the weekend, which cemented the eighth series win in as many tries on the season.

The Razorbacks used power in the regular-season finale, defeating the Aggies 8-5 on Sunday at Davis Diamond in Bryan-College Station.

For the second game in a row, Arkansas’ offense was solely based on the long ball. In Saturday’s 7-3 win over Texas A&M, Arkansas scored all seven runs on four home runs. Those four home runs would be enough to break a school record, as Arkansas has hit 96 home runs as a team on the season. In Sunday’s win, four more Arkansas home runs would result in eight of their nine runs scored.

The only run to score not involving a home run came in the top of the 1st inning. [autotag]Hannah McEwen[/autotag] would score on an RBI single by [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] to put Arkansas on the board, 1-0. Gibson would score in the next at-bat on a two-run shot by [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag] to extend the lead to 3-0.

In the 2nd inning, freshman [autotag]Spencer Prigge[/autotag] battled with Texas A&M pitcher Emiley Kennedy for ten pitches before breaking through with a two-run home run to move Arkansas’ lead to 5-0.

Over the next two innings, Texas A&M would trim Arkansas’ lead to 5-4, but the Razorbacks would use a big 5th inning to pull away from the Aggies.

The big swing of the inning came off the bat of Danielle Gibson, who hit a three-run home run with one out. Her 18th home run of the season would improve Arkansas’ lead to 8-4.

With the home run, Danielle Gibson had once again tied [autotag]Linne Malkin[/autotag] for the team lead in home runs with 18. That tie lasted just two at-bats, as Malkin scored the final run of the game on a solo home run, and to re-take the team’s top spot on the home run leader board.

Gibson was the top batter in the game, going 3-for-4 with 4 RBI. [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] followed suit with two hits on the afternoon. [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] got the win for Arkansas, where she allowed four hits and five runs while striking out six batters in 4.0 IP. [autotag]Mary Haff[/autotag] struck out two batters and allowed one hit in 3.0 innings of relief.

The win improves Arkansas to 41-9 on the season, and will finish the regular season with a 19-5 SEC record. Next up for the Razorbacks is the SEC Tournament hosted by Florida. Arkansas wrapped up the No. 1 seed, and will play Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CDT against the winner of the No. 8 Ole Miss vs. No. 9 Georgia game that will be played on Wednesday evening at 6:30 p.m.. The games will be televised on SEC Network.

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Congress may get involved in NIL process in college sports

The NIL program has brought mixed reactions from across the college landscape since its introduction.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and PAC 12 commission George Kliavkoff were in Washington D.C. this week meeting with lawmakers to discuss Congressional intervention in the NCAA’s name-image-likeness program.

The NIL as it’s most commonly called has come under scrutiny in recent months as allegations of tampering have been a specter over college athletics.

“I appreciate today’s opportunity for conversation and dialogue with members of Congress,” Sankey said. “As we have observed activity emerge that is very different from original ideas around Name, Image and Likeness, it is important we continue to pursue a national NIL structure to support the thousands of opportunities made available for young people through intercollegiate athletics programs across the country.”

Coaches and administrators from across the NCAA have discussed ways to regulate the NIL for the past several months. Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said he did not anticipate any changes coming from Washington D.C. until after elections in November, if then.

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