Tag: Linnie Malkin

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.’

[mm-video type=video id=01g5ksj9ybf14yg543xd playlist_id=01fc3h383th881vsf1 player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g5ksj9ybf14yg543xd/01g5ksj9ybf14yg543xd-1dbea5d55e038c2548c54d2435542da8.jpg]

[vertical-gallery id=9587]

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).

[mm-video type=playlist id=01fc3h383th881vsf1 player_id=none image=https://razorbackswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=8976]

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.

[listicle id=8826]

Rivalry rekindled: Arkansas Softball set to host Texas for a spot in the WCWS

A rivalry series for a shot at the Women’s College World Series? Count us in.

The rivalry between two former Southwest Conference foes begins a new chapter on Thursday, that in the form of softball.

The Arkansas Razorbacks, winner of the Fayetteville Regional, is set to host the winner of the Seattle Regional, Texas, in the Super Regionals this weekend at Bogle Park for a shot to compete in the Women’s College World Series.

The Razorbacks defeated Oregon on Sunday, 9-3 to close a perfect 3-0 weekend in their home-standing regional led by a four home run game from the likes of Danielle Gibson, Kacie Hoffman, Linnie Malkin, and KB Sides. Despite there being four home runs hit, the leader at the plate was [autotag]Rylin Hedgecock[/autotag], as she hit a three-RBI double in the 6th inning, an inning where the Razorbacks scored six runs to put the game away.

For Texas, they were one of five teams to win their regional despite not hosting. Competing in the Seattle Regional hosted by Washington, Texas defeated the Huskies twice over the weekend to advance to the Super Regionals. After defeating Washington 8-2 on Saturday, the Longhorns fell to the Huskies, 2-1 to set up a winner-take-all game seven.

In the final game of the weekend, the score was deadlocked at 0-0 until the 5th inning when Bella Dayton doubled down the left field line to score two runs, giving Texas the 2-0 lead. The Longhorn’s final blow came when Jenae Jefferson hit a solo home run in the top of the 7th to extend the lead to 3-0. That home run really came at a great time, as the Huskies scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning to trim Texas’ lead to 3-2, but ultimately ran out of outs and taking the defeat.

The Razorbacks and Longhorns begin their three-game set on Thursday evening at 6 p.m. CDT at Bogle Park. The game will be televised on ESPN 2.

[listicle id=8820]

Hello, Supers: Arkansas advances after dispatching Oregon

Another six-run inning against Oregon allowed Arkansas to advance to the next round of the NCAA Tournament.

Sixes are wild.

A day after sending Oregon to the elimination bracket in the Fayetteville Regional with a six-run inning, Arkansas just eliminated directly the Ducks with a six-run inning on Sunday, 9-3.

The Razorbacks advance to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament which they will play again at Bogle Park next weekend against an opponent to be determined. With the game tied at three, Arkansas dropped six in the sixth inning to break open the game.

Arkansas hit four home runs in the win and a three-run double from pinch-hitter Rylin Hedgecock plated runs number two, three and four in the sixth. KB Sides, Danielle Gibson, Linnie Malkin and Kacie Hoffman went yard.

Courtney Deifel’s team led 3-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth. But an Ari Carlson double turned into a de facto inside-the-park home run after errors allowed her to come home on the same play, clearing the bases of two other Ducks in the process.

It was about the only mistake Arkansas pitcher Mary Haff made. The other five hits she allowed were all singles and she struck out four while walking just one.

The opponent and pitch times for the Super Regional round will be determined later Sunday.

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.

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.

[mm-video type=video id=01g1shgh4b9j94cpnr58 playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g1shgh4b9j94cpnr58/01g1shgh4b9j94cpnr58-ae850d034b4fdb67c34a153bb56fa1e2.jpg]

[listicle id=8541]

Arkansas shuts out Florida to sweep series

Chenise Delce’s eight strikeout performance shuts down the Gators on Sunday, giving Arkansas the sweep in Gainesville.

Following a historic win on Saturday, the No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks pledged to keep their foot on the gas in hopes of sweeping the No. 9 Florida Gators on Sunday. In what turned out to be a defensive-heavy day, one swing of the bat and a dominant effort in the circle made the difference.

A home run by [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] in the 2nd inning, a costly error in the 6th inning, and an eight strikeout day by [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] were enough to power Arkansas to a 2-0 win on Sunday, giving them the sweep of Florida.

After solidifying a series win over Florida (35-12, 11-10 SEC) for the first time in history on Saturday, Arkansas (35-8, 14-4 SEC) looked to keep the momentum going on Sunday. The Razorbacks’ sticks had a challenging day with the Gators defense, grabbing just four hits on the day, but a swing of the bat and an error late in the game would be the deciding factor.

After going down in order in the 1st inning, clean-up hitter Danielle Gibson would lead off the 2nd inning with a home run that would just clear the right field wall to put the Razorbacks up 1-0.

The bats would stay relatively quiet until the 6th inning. [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag] led off the inning with a hard grounder through the left side. Two more baserunners would reach after being hit by a pitch, setting up an opportunity for [autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag] to extend the lead.

Malkin would make contact, and Arkansas would gain a run on a throwing error by Gator shortstop Sarah Longley, extending the lead to 2-0.

While the Arkansas offense did enough to put runs on the board, the win would not be possible without the effort of Chenise Delce.

Delce got the nod for game three and, just like she has all season, limited her opponents production at the plate. In a full-game’s work, Delce struck out eight batters while allowing just two hits without issuing a walk.

In three appearances in the series with Florida, Delce struck out 19 batters, allowed one earned run and seven hits while walking two batters in 15.0 innings of work.

Arkansas has now won all six SEC series this season, and take full control of the Southeastern Conference lead after Texas A&M took two of three from Alabama over the weekend. Next up for Arkansas is a midweek game with Central Arkansas on Tuesday, before hosting South Carolina for a three-game SEC slate beginning Friday night at Bogle Park.

[mm-video type=video id=01g126e2j5e6vxwhcxdd playlist_id=none player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g126e2j5e6vxwhcxdd/01g126e2j5e6vxwhcxdd-e16c0be95a1a32f3b17fbf4233f016ac.jpg]

[listicle id=8197]

Linnie Malkin Earns Player of the Week honors from Extra Innings Softball

Linnie Malkin is becoming one of College Softball’s most dangerous hitters

When you hit five home runs with 12 RBI, all in one week, it’s hard to go unnoticed.

For [autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag], that was enough to earn National Player of the Week honors from Extra Innings Softball.

Here are some of the reasons that Malkin was awarded the honor, according to Extra Innings Softball:

  • In five games last week, Malkin batted .600 (9-15) with five home runs and twelve RBIs to her credit.
  • During a midweek doubleheader against Southeast Missouri State, Malkin was 2-2 with two home runs and five RBIs in the opening games against the Redhawks before hitting a solo home run in her first at-bat of game two of the doubleheader. She homered in three consecutive at-bats on the day.
  • Following a 1-3 performance in game one of a weekend series against Kentucky, Malkin was 3-4 in game two of the series on Saturday, with a solo home run and a 2-RBI single to her credit in the affair.
  • On Sunday, in the series finale, Malkin was 2-3 at the plate with a towering 3-run home run that cleared the outfield fence, the berm, and the stadium fence in left-center field, all on the fly. The senior slugger also scored a second run in the game and helped buoy her team to a run-rule victory to close the week.

Malkin and the Razorbacks travel to Florida this weekend for a three-game set with the Gators. First pitch for Friday’s series-opener is set for 7 p.m. CT in Gainesville, Fla.

[lawrence-related id=7929]

 

“Bogle Bombers” power Arkansas to Sunday win, series over Kentucky

Arkansas hit four home runs, including a total moonshot by Linnie Malkin, in their series-clinching win over Kentucky on Sunday.

The Razorbacks were seeing the softball well at the plate on Easter Sunday.

No. 6 Arkansas (32-8, 11-4 SEC) hit four home runs on Sunday, which included a multi-home run game for [autotag]KB Sides[/autotag], leading the Razorbacks to an 8-0 run-rule victory over No. 12 Kentucky (29-11 9-6 SEC) in six innings, giving them their fifth straight SEC series win.

The Razorbacks followed Saturday’s game where they hit three home runs by stepping up their game to hit four as a team. Sides, who is currently having the best season of her collegiate career at the plate, hit her 9th and 10th home runs of the season against Kentucky in the rubber game of the series.

Sides added to Arkansas’ 5-0 lead by crushing a solo shot just wide of the right field foul pole to move the Razorbacks’ lead to 6-0 in the 4th inning.

Her second long ball of the afternoon was a shot to dead center in the 6th inning to extend Arkansas’ lead to 7-0. The Razorbacks would walk off as winners three at-bats later when [autotag]Danielle Gibson[/autotag] singled home [autotag]Hannah McEwen[/autotag] to post the necessary 8th run to put the run-rule into effect.

The first home run of the game came in the 1st inning off of the bat of [autotag]Taylor Ellsworth[/autotag]. After Kentucky recorded the firs tow outs of the inning, Ellsworth hit her 12th home run of the season just hard enough to clear the left field fence to put Arkansas on the board, 1-0.

[autotag]Linnie Malkin[/autotag], who finished the week by hitting five home runs, hit one of the longest home runs that Bogle Park has seen in its’ history.

The three-run home run put Arkansas up 5-0 in the 3rd inning, and would be a key factor in Sunday’s win. Arkansas, who trailed only Georgia entering the day for the conference lead in home runs, has now hit 81 home runs on the year.

[autotag]Audrie LaValley[/autotag] joined Gibson as Razorbacks to record an RBI without using the long ball.

Arkansas outhit the Wildcats, 11-4 on Sunday. [autotag]Chenise Delce[/autotag] was a dominant force yet again in the circle, going the distance by allowing four hits and striking out five batters in the win.

With the series win, Arkansas remains the only team in the SEC to win every conference series so far on the season. They are also tied with Alabama for the overall lead in the SEC.

Arkansas will now take the midweek off to prepare for a road trip to face a tough No. 9 Florida squad. The three-game SEC series will begin Friday in Gainesville, Fla.

[listicle id=7885]