No. 8/9 Arkansas Travels to Alabama for Top 10 Showdown

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 8/9 Arkansas Softball team resumes SEC play by traveling to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for a top 10 matchup with No. 4/6 Alabama this weekend at Rhoads Stadium.

The Hogs and Crimson Tide will open the series on Friday at 6 p.m. before returning to action at 2 p.m. on Saturday and wrapping up the series at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. All three games will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Gray Robertson (PxP) and Kaylee Tow (Analyst) on the call.

The Razorbacks are 22-2 this season with 15 wins coming by run-rule. Arkansas is coming off a 12-0 (5 inn.) run-rule win at Missouri State on Monday and a 2-1 series win against Georgia last weekend by taking the final two games, 7-6 and 6-0, after dropping game one 7-2. The Hogs are outscoring opponents 231-47 this season.

Arkansas entered the sixth week of the 2026 season as a consensus top 10 team nationally, having garnered rankings of No. 9, No. 8, No. 6 and No. 5 in the ESPN/USA Softball, NFCA/GoRout D1 Coaches, D1 Softball and Softball America Top 25 Polls.

The Arkansas Razorbacks, one of the nation’s most successful programs in recent years, have been ranked in the Top 25 of the NFCA Coaches poll for a program-best 94 consecutive weeks dating back to the start of the 2020 season.  Arkansas is one of five programs nationally to have appeared in the Top 25 of every NFCA Coaches Poll since the start of the 2020 season, joining Oklahoma, Florida, UCLA, and Florida State.

SERIES SCHEDULE

Friday, March 13
#8/9 Arkansas at #4/6 Alabama – 6 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Live Stats

Saturday, March 14

#8/9 Arkansas at #4/6 Alabama – 2 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Live Stats

Sunday, March 15

#8/9 Arkansas at #4/6 Alabama – 1:30 p.m. – SEC Network+ – Live Stats

ROAD HOGS

Since 2020, the Razorbacks have excelled on the road, posting a 69-23 record, the second-best mark among current SEC members, trailing only Oklahoma (81-12).

Arkansas has won 10+ road games in each of the past five seasons and is one of nine programs to finish in the Top 25 in road winning percentage in each of the previous two seasons alongside Grand Canyon, Chattanooga, Oklahoma, Marist, Duke, Tennessee, Texas and Florida. Arkansas went 12-4 on the road in 2025 and 12-5 on the road in 2024.

Arkansas is one of three SEC programs to post 10+ road wins with a road win% of .500+ in each of the past three seasons alongside Oklahoma and Tennessee.

With Arkansas’ road series victory at No. 1/2 Texas A&M on April 25-27, 2025, the Hogs have won 18 of their last 20 SEC road series, which is the best mark among all SEC members during that time span (2021-present). From 1997-2020, the program had only won 17 SEC road series.

The Hogs recorded two top 10 ranked SEC road series wins last season and have accounted for seven top 10 road series wins in league play over the past four seasons.

ROBYN CAN SPIN IT

Senior LHP Robyn Herron is 9-1 this season with a 1.79 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 47 innings of work while limiting opposing hitters to a .151 batting average and collecting two saves. The Tampa, Fla., product collected her 15th career double-digit strikeout game during a complete-game shutout in which she only allowed three hits and three walks in a 6-0 win over Georgia (March 8). Herron threw her third career no-hitter and struck out 12 in a 6-0 win over Northwestern on Feb. 20. She retired her final 14 batters in the contest. Herron ranks among the national leaders in fewest hits allowed per 7 innings (15th, 3.72), strikeout-to-walk ratio (21st, 6.00), strikeouts (14th, 84), strikeouts per 7 inn. (12.5 4th), WHIP (24th, 0.83), wins (13th, 9) and shutouts (13th, 3).

WOOO SLAM SOOIE

Arkansas has smashed five grand slams in just 24 games this season. The Hogs’ five grand slams rank tied for third over a total season in program history. The single-season program record of seven was accomplished in 2022, while the 2013 squad registered six. In addition to the 2026 Razorbacks, Arkansas also hit five grand slams in 2017 and 2025.

Tianna Bell and Ella McDowell have both registered a pair of grand slams this season, marking just the third season dating back to 2005 that Arkansas has had multiple players with 2+ grand slams.

McDowell became the first player in program history to hit grand slams in consecutive games by accomplishing the feat in wins over Georgia (3/8) and Missouri State (3/9).

McDOWELL WOWS

Sophomore infielder Ella McDowell 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 and has continued her high level of play in 2026.

The Richmond, Texas product is hitting .403 with six doubles, seven homers and 34 RBI while scoring 28 runs to go along with 11 walks this season.

She went 3-3 with a grand slam, double and 6 RBI in a win at Missouri State (March 9). She became the first Arkansas sophomore to drive in 6+ runs in a single game since Danielle Gibson’s 10 during her home run cycle in a win over SIU-Edwardsville on Feb. 23, 2019. Her six RBI also marked a career high. She is just the third sophomore to drive in 6+ runs in a single game in program history, alongside Gibson and Cortney Mitchell, who accomplished the feat on March 11, 2002, during a win over Coastal Carolina.

BRINLI IS ALWAYS ON BASE

Freshman C/INF Brinli Bain is batting a team-leading .491 with 27 hits, a home run, 10 doubles, 19 walks, 23 runs scored and 19 RBI. She ranked fifth nationally with a .627 on-base percentage as of Tuesday this week.

Bain has reached base safely in all 24 games this season and is the first freshman to reach in the first 24 games of the season in program history. Her 24-game reached base streak ranked tied for fourth nationally this season as of Tuesday this week, trailing only Mia Gomez of Utah (26) and Mya Perez and Kennedy Powell of Texas A&M (25), while being tied with Megan Grant of UCLA (24). Additionally, Bain’s 24-game reached-base streak is the second-longest to open a season by an Arkansas player, trailing Devon Wallace (2013, 31), and it is the sixth-longest in program history overall.

RAE$ RACING AFTER THE RECORD

Reagan Johnson ranks second all-time in Arkansas career batting average at .373 while ranking fifth in career on-base percentage (.434), seventh in career triples (7) and third in career stolen bases (60). She is just 10 hits away from breaking the Arkansas all-time hits record currently held by Hannah McEwen (261).

She has posted a .406 batting average this season with 28 hits, three doubles and eight RBI while drawing 17 walks, scoring 29 runs and stealing 11 bases.

Defensively, Johnson is among the best center fielders the game has seen during her four years on The Hill with a .979 career fielding percentage. She is on a 100-game errorless streak dating back to April 6, 2024.

Johnson’s 252 career hits ranked tied for fourth nationally among all D1 active players entering the week, trailing only Mihyia Davis (299) of Texas Tech and D’Auna Jennings (260) and Aminah Vega of Duke (253) of Duke while being tied Haley Ahr (252) of Marist.

HAVING FUN WITH MULTIPLE HOME RUNS

Arkansas is 60-8 all-time when a Razorback player hits multiple home runs in a single game, including a 45-3 mark in the Courtney Deifel era.

The Razorbacks have won 36 of their last 37 games when having a player hit multiple home runs in a single game, dating back to Feb. 20, 2021, when Linnie Malkin started the streak by belting a solo home run and a two-run shot in a 6-4, 14-inning win at McNeese. Malkin’s two-run homer in the top of the 14th ended up accounting for the winning runs in the victory.

Active Razorbacks on the 2026 roster have accounted for 12 multi-HR games during their careers. Arkansas is 3-0 this season when a player hits multiple HR in a single game this season with Tianna Bell, Kailey Wyckoff and Dakota Kennedy all accomplishing the feat.

Additionally, Arkansas is 164-25 under head coach Courtney Deifel when hitting 2+ home runs as a team in a game. Since 1998, the Hogs are 260-57 when hitting two or more round-trippers.

SERIES HISTORY

Alabama holds the all-time series lead 61-16, but Arkansas has taken the last two series between the programs, and the last 16 meetings between the programs have been tied 8-8.

In the most recent series on April 19-21, Arkansas earned a thrilling series victory by defeating the Crimson Tide 1-0 in a nine-inning series opener before falling in game two, 5-0, and run-ruling Alabama in the series finale 8-0.

KNOW THE FOES

Alabama is ranked No. 4 in the NFCA Poll and No. 6 in the ESPN/USA Softball Poll with an overall record of 24-0 and conference record of 3-0 this season, after sweeping Ole Miss last weekend and picking up a midweek win over Samford (8-1) on Tuesday.

Vic Moten leads the Tide with a 10-0 record and an ERA of 0.55 in 50.2 innings pitched. The freshman is limiting opposing hitters to a .109 batting average and was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on Feb 23, 2026. Brooke Wells is leading the team with a batting average of .533 with 32 hits, seven doubles, 10 home runs, 29 RBI and an OPS of 1.768. Alexis Pupillo is a close second with a batting average of .463 with 31 hits and an OPS of 1.477. Head Coach Patrick Murray is in his 28th season with Alabama and owns a record of 1341-397-1.

30 SEASONS OF RAZORBACK SOFTBALL

2026 marks the 30th season of Arkansas Softball. The Razorbacks hold an all-time program record of 903-815-1 (.523) with four head coaches in the entirety of its history.

Arkansas played its first official game in program history on Feb. 20, 1997, which was a 4-3 loss to Cal State Northridge during the San Diego State Classic. The Razorbacks rebounded later that same day with a 5-4 triumph over Hawaii to earn the first win in program history. Designated Player Lisa Flores provided the winning runs in the victory with a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

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