Hogs continue homestand with Wooo Pig Classic

Arkansas softball looks to continue hot streak

From the University of Arkansas

arkansasrazorbacks.com

FAYETTEVILLE – No. 16 Arkansas continues its homestand with a five-game slate at the Wooo Pig Classic Feb. 29March 3 at Bogle Park. All five games will be available on SEC Network+.

The Razorbacks kick off the weekend with a 4 p.m. first pitch vs. South Dakota State Thursday. Arkansas clashes with SEMO and FAU at 3 & 5:30 p.m. Friday. The Hogs will rematch with South Dakota State for a single game beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday. Arkansas rounds out the weekend with a 12:15 p.m. first pitch against SEMO Sunday.

The Lead-Off

Arkansas is coming off a 5-1 record at the Razorback Invitational this past weekend.

Sophomore LHP Robyn Herron tossed the program’s second perfect game in a 7-0 win vs. Illinois State Feb. 24.

The Hogs are in the midst of a 17-game homestand that began with last weekend’s Razorback Invitational.

Arkansas clinched its eighth consecutive home opener win, dating back to the 2017 season, on Feb. 22 in the 7-0 routing of Illinois State.

See HOGS, page A8 HOGS

From page A7

History Lesson

Sooie Sluggers

Under head coach Courtney Deifel, the Razorbacks are 8-1 in home openers.

Arkansas is 2-0 all-time against South Dakota State. The two teams last faced one another in the 2021 Fayetteville Regional when the Hogs claimed a 4-0 victory.

The Razorbacks will take on FAU for the second time this season after the two teams battled each other on Feb. 8 in Boca Raton, Fla. Arkansas won the contest, 8-0 (5). Arkansas is 2-6 alltime vs. FAU. Former Arkansas volunteer assistant and Marion, Ark., native Jordan Clark makes her return to Bogle Park as head coach of the FAU Owls. Clark on Deifel’s staff at Arkansas from 201618, helping the Razorbacks take part in two regionals (2017, 2018) and the program’s first NCAA Super Regional in 2018.

The Razorbacks are 10-2 all-time vs. SEMO with the most recent matchup in 2022 in Fayetteville. Arkansas swept SEMO in a midweek doubleheader, 9-1 (5) and 14-0 (5).

During a six-game Razorback Invitational slate, Arkansas outscored opponents 49-9, including four shutout victories. The Hogs outhit opponents at a 50-27 clip.

The Razorbacks concluded the Razorback Invitational with back-to-back games recording 10+ hits.

In wins vs. Illinois State and UT-Arlington (Feb. 22-23), Arkansas shut out back-to-back opponents for the first time during the 2024 season.

Home Sweet Bogle

It comes at surprise that Bogle Park is regarded as one of the premier college softball stadiums and atmospheres in the nation as it recorded the thirdhighest single-season attendance in NCAA Softball history in 2023.

On Feb. 24 at last week’s Razorback Invitational, Arkansas broke its singlegame attendance record, which had stood since 2018, with 3,549 in attendance.

In 2023, the Razorbacks averaged 2,845 fans per game at Bogle Park, which ranked second nationally.

96,725 people entered Bogle Park throughout the 2023 season – the third highest total attendance recorded in NCAA Softball history.

Bogle Park hosted the highest attended SEC Softball Tournament in 2023 with 16,937 in the stands throughout the tournament.

The Razorbacks have sold over 2,500 season tickets for the 2024 season, shattering last year’s season ticket sales record.

The Hogs have ranked top-five in average attendance each of the previous three seasons.

The Nia Carter File

Redshirt senior transfer Nia Carter, who joined Arkansas after a successful four-year career at Iowa, has the fourth-most hits amongst active NCAA players with 254 to her name.

Carter is only four shy of Oklahoma’s Tiare Jennings, who leads all active NCAA players with 258. Carter boasts the 14th-highest career batting average across the NCAA (.404). Carter is also the hardest to strikeout in the country with just one K through 58 ABs this season.

Follow the Hogs

For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on X, Instagram and Facebook.