Five Hogs Named to Softball America Top 100 Players List

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas softball’s Dakota Kennedy, Robyn Herron, Ella McDowell, Reagan Johnson and Payton Burnham were named to the Softball America Preseason Top 100 Players list ahead of the 2026 season, the publication announced on Monday morning.

Kennedy checks in at No. 19 overall on the list as the No. 4 outfielder in the country heading into the final season of her illustrious collegiate career. The Sacramento, Calif., product arrives in Fayetteville after spending her freshman-junior seasons at Arizona, where she was a two-time Third-Team NFCA All-American, three-time first-team all-conference selection, three-time NFCA All-West Region selection and won the Rawlings Gold Glove Award in left field in 2024. Kennedy started 44 of Arizona’s 61 games in left field in 2025 while missing 17 games due to injury. She recorded career-highs in batting average (.444), on-base percentage (.539), slugging percentage (.689), and OPS (1.228) in 2025 while tallying 60 hits, 10 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 25 RBI, 28 walks, 48 runs scored and seven stolen bases. She posted 19 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI games, highlighted by a career-high six RBI during a 14-6 win over Western Michigan on Feb. 7. Kennedy also registered a 23-game reached-base streak from Feb. 6 to April 6. Defensively, she had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 74 putouts.

Herron was slated at No. 30 on the list and was ranked eighth among all pitchers ahead of her senior season in Fayetteville. The senior left-hander has already etched her name among the program’s greats in the record books during her three seasons on The Hill. Herron ranks first in program history in career opponent batting average (.182), sixth in shutouts (11), seventh in earned run average (2.23), and eighth in wins (38). Additionally, her 10 career 10+ strikeout games are the third-most in program history, trailing only Katy Henry (2005-08, 14) and Mary Haff (2018-22, 16). Herron earned Second-Team All-America honors from both D1 Softball and Softball America and was also named Second-Team All-SEC and Second-Team NFCA All-Central region in 2025 after posting a team-high 18 wins while registering an 18-7 record, with a 2.72 ERA and team-leading 160 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a .195 batting average in 144.0 innings of work.

McDowell was named the 31^st best player in the country and ranked third among third basemen nationally. She made history in 2025 by becoming the first freshman in program history to earn NFCA All-America honors when she was selected as a Third-Team NFCA All-American at third base. McDowell batted .352 with 63 hits, 10 doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 54 RBI and 21 walks to go along with a .425 on-base percentage and a .961 OPS. She was among the Arkansas leaders in hits (2nd, 63), assists (2nd, 79) and home runs (T-3rd, 7). She registered 18 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games while posting a 16-game reached base streak and a seven-game hitting streak during the season. Defensively, she started the season on a 29-game errorless streak and posted a .969 fielding percentage with 79 assists and 44 putouts in 127 chances. Her .352 batting average and .425 on-base percentage were the third-highest by a freshman in program history (min. 100 AB). Additionally, she also garnered Second-Team All-SEC recognition and was a D1 Softball and Softball America Freshman All-American.

Johnson checked in at No. 70 overall and 14^th across outfielders nationally. The senior speedster ranks second all-time in Arkansas career batting average at .370 while ranking sixth in career on-base percentage (.420), seventh in career triples (7) and fifth in career stolen bases (50). Johnson’s 224 career hits rank third nationally among all D1 players entering the 2026 season, trailing only Mihyia Davis (254) of Texas Tech and Haley Ahr (227) of Marist. Of the top three active leaders in career hits, Johnson is the only one to spend her entire career at the Power 4 level. She is the only Razorback in program history with multiple 70+ hit seasons with 72 in 2025, 73 in 2024 and 79 in 2023. Johnson has started and batted leadoff in all 172 of her collegiate games, which is the most consecutive starts in the leadoff spot in program history. She is the only Razorback in program history to lead Arkansas in multi-hit games in three or more seasons. The Karnes City, Texas, product earned Second-Team All-SEC and Second-Team NFCA All-Central Region honors in 2025 while batting .351 with a team-leading 72 hits, including six doubles, two triples, 11 RBI and 26 walks while recording a .427 on-base percentage. She also stole 20 bases in 22 tries, which was the fifth-most in a single season in program history. Johnson enters her senior season 38 hits shy of breaking the all-time Arkansas career hits record held by Hannah McEwen, who tallied 261 from 2018-2022.

Rounding out the Razorbacks was Payton Burnham in the 84^th spot, while being named the 19^th-best pitcher nationally. The sophomore right-hander broke onto the scene in 2025 with a 16-2 record, 94 strikeouts and three saves in 117.1 innings pitched while limiting opposing hitters to a .217 batting average and posting a team-best 2.62 ERA. Her 16 wins were the most by a Razorback freshman since Mary Haff’s 29 in 2017 while becoming just the third Arkansas freshman since 2010 to throw multiple seven-inning complete game shutouts in a season, joining Robyn Herron (2, 2023) and Mary Haff (8, 2018). Burnham became the first Razorback in program history to throw a no-hitter in an NCAA Tournament game in a 10-0 win over Saint Louis (May 16), striking out six and allowing just one walk and a hit batter in her five innings of work. As a result of her efforts, she earned freshman All-America honors from both D1 Softball and Softball America in 2025.

Arkansas opens its 30^th season of play and 11^th season under the direction of head coach Courtney Deifel in Conway, S.C., at the Kickin’ Chicken Classic (Feb. 6-8). The Razorbacks will commence the season by facing Virginia (9 a.m.) and Akron (11:30 a.m.) on Friday, Feb. 6. The Hogs are coming off a 44-14 mark in 2025, which featured their eighth-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and fourth NCAA Super Regional appearance in program history, all of which have come under Deifel’s guidance

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