Gibson, Gammill throw first pitch at Naturals game

The best 1B/3B combo in College Softball last season teamed up one last time in Springdale on Saturday.

The best 1B/3B combination in College Softball last season worked together one last time on Saturday night.

Prior to the Northwest Arkansas Naturals’ 6-3 win over the Tulsa Drillers on Saturday, current Arkansas Softball third baseman [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag] and former Razorback first baseman [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] teamed up to throw out the first pitch.

Gibson had one of the most illustrious careers in Arkansas history. In 2022, Gibson broke the program record for home runs (48) and RBI (180). In five total years as a collegiate athlete, Gibson hit .366 with 60 career home runs and 220 RBI. This summer, she is competing with Athletes Unlimited softball. In eight games, Gibson is batting .259 with two home runs.

In her second season at Arkansas, Gammill nearly doubled all of her stats. The sophomore totaled 58 hits with 18 home runs and 51 RBI.

Together, Gibson and Gamill formed one of the best fielding combinations in the game according to D1Softball.com, as they were constantly among the top of the best 1B/3B power rankings. At season’s end, Gammill was at the top of D1Softball’s third base power rankings.

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Arkansas Softball lands slugger from Transfer Portal

Arkansas Softball lands Duke’s leading batter from last season, which will help rebuild a depleted roster heading into 2023.

The leading batter from one of the ACC’s top programs becomes the newest member of the “Bogle Bombers”

Kristina Foreman, a graduate transfer from Duke, has committed to Arkansas the program announced Saturday.

“She is a proven competitor that has performed and produced at an elite level through her time at Duke,” says head coach [autotag]Courtney Diefel[/autotag] in a press release. “She brings a great deal of experience and power to our already dynamic lineup. On top of that, she is an incredibly impressive student and leader, and there is no doubt she will make an immediate impact on our program.”

Foreman will look to build on the Razorbacks program record in 2022, where they hit 109 home runs. They have lost most of that production due to graduation, however. Power bats such as [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag], [autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag], [autotag]Hannah McEwen[/autotag], [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag], and [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] have since left the program. However, Foreman will fit in with those returning, such as [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag] and[autotag] Kacie Hoffman[/autotag].

Foreman led the Blue Devils in average (.368) and RBI (56) in 48 starts primarily at second base. She earned a spot on the ACC Tournament team, as well as second-team All-ACC honors. She was a part of the first team in program history to earn a trip to the NCAA Super Regionals in 2022.’

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Five Razorbacks earn All-American Honors, tied for national lead

Even though the season is over, Arkansas Softball is still finding ways to break records.

The season may be over, but the best season in Arkansas Softball history keeps getting better.

Prior to the opening game of the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association released their All-Americans from the 2022 season on Wednesday, with five players from Arkansas making the list.

With five selections, Arkansas ties Oklahoma for the most athletes to be named All-American.

First baseman [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag], third baseman [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag], center fielder [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag], and utility player [autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag] grabbed first-team honors, while pitcher [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] was named second-team All-American.

Gibson earned her second All-American honor after a record-breaking season. During her senior season, Gibson set school records in batting average (.445), hits (81), RBI (70), and total bases (155).

Sides’ lone season in Fayetteville was memorable, as she hit 13 home runs for the Razorbacks. In three seasons at Alabama prior to making the move to Arkansas, she hit three total home runs. Other career-bests for Sides include hits (70), total bases (121), doubles (12), triples (3), RBI (42), stolen bases (28), and walks (45).

Malkin lead the team in home runs with 22. During the meeting with Ole Miss during the SEC Tournament, Malkin became the program’s all-time leader in home runs with 48. According to the press release from Arkansas athletics, Malkin sits at second in the SEC in slugging percentage (.870) and RBI (68).

The final member of the first-team is Hannah Gammill. Gammill was 4th on the team in average with .374, and in RBI with 49. She was also one of five Razorbacks to reach double-digits in home runs. She led the team in on-base percentage with .513, which is fifth-highest in program history.

Chenise Delce, a transfer from Tulsa, was the anchor to Arkansas’ pitching staff. Delce posted a 19-3 record with a 2.12 ERA, 188 strikeouts, and 35 walks in 151.2 innings pitched.

According to the press release from Arkansas athletics, prior to the five selections from this year’s team, only five prior Razorbacks had been named All-Americans: [autotag]Braxton Burnside[/autotag] (2021, First Team), [autotag]Mary Haff[/autotag] (2021, First Team), Danielle Gibson (2021, Second Team), [autotag]Autumn Storms[/autotag] (2019, Second Team) and [autotag]Miranda Dixon[/autotag] (2010, Third Team).

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Hooked ’em! Arkansas takes game one of Super Regionals from Texas

Arkansas Softball is just one win away from a trip to OKC following a series-opening win over Texas on Thursday.

Fans that attended the opener of the Fayetteville Super Regional at Bogle Park were spectacular, and Arkansas Softball rewarded them with a victory.

Behind a strong offensive push in the later innings, the Razorbacks claim game one of the best-of-three Super Regional with Texas, beating the Longhorns, 7-1.

The Razorback defense got out of a jam in the top half of the 5th inning, which swung much-needed momentum towards the Arkansas bats. The Razorbacks were able to grab three runs.

After allowing two hits and an intentional walk in the inning, [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] became locked in a battle with Texas power-hitter Bella Dayton, which ultimately ended in a ground out to [autotag]Audrie LaValley[/autotag] at 2nd base, keeping the Longhorns off of the scoreboard.

That was the play that Arkansas needed to get going offensively. The bats finally struck gold in the bottom half of the inning, as Arkansas left a total of seven runners stranded on base without a run to show for it through the first four innings. That changed with [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag] stepped in the batter’s box.

After [autotag]Hannah McEwen[/autotag] reached on a leadoff double, and [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] was intentionally walked, Gammill hit a bloop single over the head of Texas’ Alyssa Washington to score McEwen to give Arkansas the 1-0 lead.

[autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag] kept the streak going by hitting a single to center field to load the bases for [autotag]Kacie Hoffman[/autotag]. Hoffman hit a ground ball to 2nd base, which looked to set up a routine out with a throw home. However, the throw was wide, which allowed Gibson and Gammill to score to extend the Razorbacks’ lead to 3-0.

The Razorbacks added four insurance runs in the 6th inning. Gammill grabbed her second RBI of the day by scoring McEwen on a single, and she later scored on a single by Malkin.

History repeated itself in the inning, as Hoffman would again hit a ground ball in the infield, which turned into a Texas error. The wide throw to 1st base from Texas’ Mia Scott allowed two more runs to score, pushing Arkansas’ lead to 7-0.

Texas scored their first and only run in the bottom of the 7th inning. With the bases loaded, Texas’ Mia Scott hit a grounder to 2nd base, which Arkansas used to get the out at 2nd, allowing the run from 3rd base to score. Bella Dayton flew out to McEwen in the next at-bat to close the game.

Arkansas was led offensively by Hannah Gammill’s three-hit, two-RBI night. Hannah McEwen also had three hits in the game while Linnie Malkin and former Longhorn [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag] picked up multiple hits.

In a complete game performance, Chenise Delce struck out six Longhorns while allowing six hits and walking one batter.

Game two of the Super Regionals is set for 5:30 p.m. CDT on Friday at Bogle Park. The game can be seen on ESPN2. An Arkansas win will send them to Oklahoma City for the program’s first-ever trip to the Women’s College World Series.

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Arkansas Softball signs team-wide NIL deal with Wright’s Barbecue

The team-wide deal with Wright’s Barbecue in Johnson and Bentonville is the second such deal that Arkansas Softball has inked this season.

Since the new Name, Image, and Likeness policy was put into place by the NCAA last July, many student-athletes across the nation have received benefits by promoting a business through social media and other outlets.

For athletes at the University of Arkansas, one of the big names in “NIL” opportunities has been Wright’s Barbecue in Johnson and Bentonville.

Wright’s Barbecue has teamed up with 40 Razorback athletes through various gift card and merchandise deals, as well as royalty deals through two baseball players in [autotag]Robert Moore[/autotag] and [autotag]Michael Turner[/autotag]. Moore and Turner’s deals include special menu items that fans can purchase at Baum-Walker Stadium including “Turner’s Oppo Taco”, a walking taco named after Michael Turner, and Robert Moore’s “Big Bob Brisket.”

Wright’s Barbecue has struck yet another deal with members of Arkansas athletics, the entire softball team.

Tweets from athletes such as [autotag]Mary Haff[/autotag], [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag], and [autotag]Kacie Hoffman[/autotag] began circulating following the Razorbacks’ SEC Tournament Championship win last Sunday over Missouri, which proclaimed that they were now “Wrights Athletes.”

Jordan Wright with Wright’s Barbecue tells Razorbacks Wire that the idea for the NIL deal came from attending a youth softball game.

“We ran into (head coach) Courtney Diefel and Hannah Gammill at my daughter’s softball game and I was like, we need to get this done for you all,” says Wright. “Y’all are having a great season and it would be fun for all players before regionals started. They all jumped on board.”

Wright’s Barbecue is a staple among Razorbacks fans and athletes alike. With the NIL rule now being used as a factor in promoting business, Wright’s wants to give back to the student-athletes who regularly patronize their restaurants.

“We like to be proactive and ask athletes to do deals instead of fielding requests all of the time,” says Wright. “We want to make it easy for athletes to get deals, not harder.”

This is the second such NIL opportunity that Arkansas Softball has inked. Last month, Everett Buick GMC partnered with Arkansas Softball in a team-wide deal that promotes more visibility in women’s sports through Buick’s “See Her Greatness” campaign.

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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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Arkansas vs. Central Arkansas: Game preview, how to stream Tuesday’s game

Since Arkansas’ 6-4 win in Conway on April 5, both teams have a combined record of 19-2. Tuesday’s game should be a treat to softball fans across the state.

Fresh off of a series sweep at Florida, the No. 5 Arkansas Razorbacks are looking ahead to their final non-conference game of the season.

The Razorbacks welcome Central Arkansas to Bogle Park for a non-SEC contest on Tuesday night and look to keep perfecting their craft heading into the final two SEC weekend series of the season.

These two in-state foes squared off on April 5, with Arkansas winning 6-4 in Conway. Arkansas broke the game open early with a grand slam off the bat of [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag]. [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag] was also hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give the Razorbacks the 5-0 lead before the Sugar Bears could pick up a bat.

Arkansas extended its lead in the 4th inning on a solo blast by [autotag]Audrie LaValley[/autotag], making their lead 5-0.

Central Arkansas began a comeback effort in the bottom of the 4th inning, beginning with a solo home run by Tyla Vernon. Jayla Englekes would plate three runs over the final three innings to cut Arkansas’ lead to 6-4. Central Arkansas’ comeback effort fell short following the RBI double by Englekes that scored two runs, when Kylie Griffin grounded out to end the game.

Since then, both teams have been playing great softball. Central Arkansas has won 9 of their last 10 games, with their lone loss being a 2-1 decision to Lipscomb on April 23. Arkansas has won 10 of their last 11 games, with sweeps over Auburn and Florida in that stretch.

How did the series win over Kentucky affect Arkansas in the latest polls?

Did Arkansas receive a boost following a series win over a top-15 team? The answer will surprise you.

As Rodney Dangerfield famously said, “I get no respect.”

The same sentiment can be felt by Arkansas Softball, who got no respect in the latest polls following a series win over a top-15 team over the weekend.

After winning two of three games over then-No. 12 Kentucky at home last weekend, Arkansas makes no jump in either of the four major polls, remaining at their same spot from a week ago.

While there was no movement in the polls this week, the Razorbacks have a chance to boost their stock yet again this upcoming weekend on the road. Arkansas travels to Gainesville, Fla. to face the No. 11 Florida Gators beginning Friday night.

Arkansas vs. Kentucky: Game preview, how to stream Sunday’s rubber match

Arkansas goes for their 5th straight SEC series win on Sunday as they host Kentucky for the rubber match of the three-game series.

The No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks look to bounce back after suffering a tough loss to the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday night.

Arkansas (31-8, 10-4 SEC) hit three home runs through the first three innings to grab a 7-1 advantage before Kentucky (29-10, 9-5 SEC) broke away to score six runs in the 4th inning to tie the game at 7-7.

The Wildcats pulled away by hitting two home runs in the top of the 7th, a solo shot by Erin Coffel, her second of the day, as well as a two-run blast by Miranda Stoddard to give Kentucky the 10-7 win, setting up a rubber match for Sunday morning.

Bogle Park, known as a hitter-friendly park, earned that reputation Saturday night as Arkansas and Kentucky combined to hit six total home runs. [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag], [autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag], and [autotag]Spencer Prigge[/autotag] each hit a long ball in the game for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas goes for their 5th SEC series win of the season this morning against Kentucky at Bogle Park. The winner of the series will join Alabama at the top of the SEC standings. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. at Bogle Park.

Delce is dominant in series-opening win over Kentucky

Chenise Delce was once again dominant in Arkansas’ series opening win over Kentucky on Friday.

The reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week may be on her way to being a repeat winner.

Chenise Delce was awarded the honor following three successful outings in the Auburn series where she did not allow a run while striking out 15 batters in 7.2 innings of work. She picked up where she left off by striking out nine batters while allowing one earned run on six hits in No. 6 Arkansas’ 2-1 series-opening win over No. 12 Kentucky on Friday afternoon at Bogle Park.

Delce limited the production of the Wildcats by facing just four batters in all but two innings on Friday. The junior’s lone run allowed came in the 3rd inning on a Rylea Smith single to tie the game at 1-1. Her strongest inning came in the 6th inning when she faced the minimum with two strikeouts.

Over the last six games, Delce has allowed just four earned runs while striking out 40 batters.

Arkansas (31-7, 10-3 SEC) jumped out to an early lead in the 1st inning. [autotag]Hannah McEwen[/autotag] reached base on a double to center field, and scored two at-bats later when Danielle Gibson doubled her home to give the Razorbacks the early 1-0 advantage.

Following the single by Smith to tie the game, [autotag]Hannah Gammill[/autotag] answered in the 4th inning by launching a solo shot to left center that would give Arkansas their lead back, 2-1.

The home run would end up being the winning run. With the home run in the 4th inning, Gammill now leads the team in home runs with 15.

Six batters recorded a hit in the game, with McEwen, Gibson, and Kacie Hoffman grabbing multi-base hits in addition to Gammill’s home run.

With the win over Kentucky, Arkansas has now won the opening game of a conference series in four of the last five tries. The lone exception being a 2-0 loss to Ole Miss on April 1, but they would bounce back by winning the final two games of the series.

Game two of the series is set for 7 p.m. Saturday night at Bogle Park. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

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