No.19 Arkansas Prepares for Home Series Versus No.9 LSU

FAYETTEVILLE – The University of Arkansas softball team is looking ahead to the weekend, when the No.19 Razorbacks will host No.9 LSU for a three-game series starting Thursday (April 18) at 6 pm (CT) at Bogle Park.

Fans are invited to join us all weekend for some Razorback softball, on Saturday (April 19) we will be hosting our annual Easter egg hunt, set to take place at the conclusion of Saturday’s game. Admission is always free for all fans; seating is first come first serve and gates open one hour prior to first pitch.

Games one and two will stream live on SEC Network+ and the WatchESPN app. Saturday’s game will air live on ESPNU and the WatchESPN app with Jenn Hildreth and Jenny Dalton-Hill on the call.

 Arkansas (32-14, 6-9) heads into the weekend after securing its third consecutive run-rule victory, playing only five in a doubleheader against Furman (April 14) and then UAPB (April 16). Arkansas has now won six-straight games, including its first extra inning contest of the season: a 12-inning 6-5 victory over Furman on Saturday (April 13).

Over the course of the winning streak, two Hogs are batting .500 or better: Ashley Diaz (.524, 11-21) and Sydney Parr (.500, 9-18). The Razorbacks have fired off 20 extra-base hits, slugging .561 and building a .448 on base percentage.

The Arkansas pitching staff combined for a 1.23 ERA, striking out 45 batters and forcing its opponents to a .163 average at the plate.

Scouting the Competition

LSU (36-9, 13-5) travels to Fayetteville after defeating Kentucky in games two and three last weekend. The Tigers are hitting .332 on the year, which leads the SEC.

In the circle, Maribeth Gorsuch and Shelby Wickersham are both 10-1. Wickersham owns a 1.76 ERA, while Gorsuch and Shelbi Sunseri both have a 2.13 ERA. Sunseri leads the Tigers in strikeouts with 58 in 79 innings of work.

The Tigers own a 59-9 record after the Razorbacks dropped all three of the weekend series last season in Tiger Park.

Razorback Notables

• Danielle Gibson is only one of eight Razorbacks to ever record double-digit home runs and doubles in the same season (11 doubles, 10 home runs). She is the first since Nicole Schroeder achieved such in 2017 and only the fourth sophomore.
• Nicole Duncan’s 14 hit-by-pitch calls in 2019 is two-short of the single-season high of 16, set by Kim Eiben in 2002.
• Kayla Green is only one of four SEC catchers to catch eight or more runners stealing – of those four, Green has the least number of stolen bases allowed (4) and therefore the best SBA% (.333).

In the Polls

After a 5-0 week at home, the Razorbacks are holding steady in the polls, cruising into Week 10 sitting at 25th in the NCAA Women’s Softball RPI, and ranked #19 by USA Today/NFCA, #16 by Fast­pitch News, #18 by FloSoftball, #22 by Softball America and #25 in the USA Softball/ESPN poll.

Up Next

The Hogs and Tigers will play Friday at 6 p.m. (CT) and on Saturday for the series finale at 1 p.m. (CT). Arkansas has only three conference series remaining, with a road series to follow next weekend (April 27-29) at Texas A&M and the final home series of the season against Auburn (May 3-5).

For all Razorback softball news and information, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com and follow the Hogs on Twitter at @RazorbackSB, on Facebook at Razorback Softball and on Instagram at @Razorback_SB. Fans can also follow head coach Courtney Deifel on twitter at @CoachDeifel.