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.