Hogs Open 2025 Season at Texas State Tournament

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – No. 13/14 Arkansas begins its 2025 campaign and 29^th season of play by taking on Texas State, Lipscomb, Bradley and San Diego at the Texas State Tournament in San Marcos, Texas on Feb. 6-8.

First pitch of the Hogs’ season opener is set for 5 p.m. against tournament host Texas State. The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Arkansas then returns on Friday against Lipscomb at 1:15 p.m. and Bradley at 3:30 p.m. before wrapping up tournament play on Sunday with Bradley (10 a.m.) and San Diego (12:15 p.m.).

Arkansas enters year 10 of the Courtney Deifel era and is coming off a 37-18 mark in 2024, which featured their seventh-consecutive NCAA Tournament berth in 2024 and fifth national seed, all of which have come under head coach Deifel’s guidance.

LEADING OFF

• Arkansas is 16-12 all-time in season openers and has won its last three season openers. The Hogs hold a 7-2 record in season-opening contests under head coach Courtney Deifel and own a 32-9 mark on opening weekend under Deifel.

• Arkansas enters the 2025 season ranked in the Top 15 of all four nationally recognized preseason polls. The Razorbacks checked in at No. 10 in the D1 Softball Preseason Poll and were ranked 13^th in the Softball America and ESPN/USA Softball preseason polls and 14^th in the NFCA Preseason Coaches Poll.
• The Razorbacks have been ranked in the Top 25 of the NFCA Coaches poll for a program-best 72 consecutive weeks dating back to the start of the 2020 season. Arkansas is one of eight 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, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Florida State and Washington.

• Thursday’s meeting is just the second all-time between the Hogs and Bobcats and is the first since Texas State defeated Arkansas 4-1 on Jan. 31, 2003, in San Marcos. Texas State is coming off a 47-15 mark in 2024, culminating in an NCAA Regional appearance.
• The Razorbacks are 1-0 all-time against Lipscomb, having won the lone meeting between the programs, 5-0, on Feb. 9, 2019, in Lake Charles, La. Current Arkansas assistant Danielle Gibson-Whorton walked twice and scored a run during the win while Mary Haff spun a complete-game shutout. Lipscomb posted a 16-36 record a year ago.
• Arkansas owns a 3-0 all-time record against Bradley. The Hogs won the last matchup 9-1 on March 9, 2014, in Fayetteville. Bradley is coming off a 29-27 record in 2024.
• Arkansas will meet San Diego for the third time in program history as the Hogs hold a 2-0 advantage over the Toreros with wins in 2014 and 2017. San Diego posted a 18-38 record in 2024.

• Arkansas is the only SEC program to record a top-four conference finish in SEC play in each of the past four seasons. The Razorbacks finished fourth in 2024 and 2023 and won the conference in 2022 and 2021.

• Arkansas continued its multi-year run of major portal additions in the summer of 2024 with the addition of Texas Tech Transfer Kailey Wyckoff.
• During her two seasons at Texas Tech, Wyckoff appeared all over the field for the Red Raiders, with nine or more starts at five different positions. She appeared in 51 games at catcher, 24 games in right field, 12 games in left field, 10 games at designated player and nine games at first base.
• Her career batting average of .400 ranks fourth among all players with multiple seasons of collegiate playing experience at the Power 4 level and 15th nationally among all Division I players.
• Wyckoff has garnered a plethora of preseason recognition from numerous publications. She was named a Top 100 player from both D1 Softball and Softball America. On Jan. 22 she was named a Preseason Second-Team All-American at the utility position from D1 Softball and was ranked as the No. 3 utility player in the D1 Softball position rankings.
• In 2024, she posted a .407 batting average with 12 doubles, seven home runs and a career-high 35 RBI to earn First-Team All-Big 12 honors. She also recorded 15 multi-hit games and a team-best 24-game reached-base streak.
• As a true freshman in 2023 she became just the second individual conference award winner in Texas Tech history along with earning Second-Team All-Big 12 recognition. She hit .393 with a .740 slugging percentage thanks to 17 doubles, nine home runs, five triples and 31 RBI. She also posted 14 multi-hit games with 10 multi-RBI games.

• Arkansas has registered 31 shutouts since the start of the 2023 season. The Razorbacks are one of only nine programs to rank in the top 20 nationally in shutouts in 2023 and 2024, joining the likes of Oklahoma, Boston, Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Stanford, Alabama, South Dakota State and Cal State Fullerton.
• Arkansas ranked 19th nationally in shutouts in 2024 with 14 and 17th nationally in 2023 with 17.
• The Razorbacks have posted 11+ shutouts in each of the last four seasons, one of just 16 programs nationally to accomplish the feat.

• Bri Ellis made an immediate impact in her first season on The Hill in 2024 after transferring from Auburn.
• Her 48 career home runs are the second most in a career among all active DI players, trailing only Shaylon Govan of Baylor (50).
• Led Arkansas in slugging percentage (.651), on-base percentage (.444), runs scored (36), home runs (14), RBI (47) and total bases (97) in 2024 while earning first-team SEC and NFCA All-Region honors and being named a Second-Team NFCA All-American.
• She also posted a career-best .322 batting average and .444 on-base percentage.
• Ellis became just the sixth Razorback since 2002 to record 10+ home runs, 30+ walks and 40+ RBI in a season in 2024, joining Rylin Hedgecock (2023), Taylor Ellsworth (2022), Braxton Burnside (2021), Nicole Schroeder (2017) and Sandra Smith (2008).
• Became the first Razorback in program history to win SEC Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks on March 19, 2024.
• Has homered in four consecutive games twice during her career, accomplishing the feat in 2022 and 2023 while at Auburn.
• The Houston native hit .345 with runners in scoring position while driving in a team-high 19 runs with two outs. She also drove in a runner on third with less than two outs, an astounding 88.9% of the time (8-9) and advanced runners in 55.9% of her at-bats.

• Reagan Johnson enters her junior season as the all-time program leader in career batting average at .379 while ranking sixth in career on-base percentage (.420), ninth in career triples (5) and 10th in career stolen bases (30).
• Johnson enters the 2025 season as one of six active Division I players with 73+ hits in each of the previous two seasons, joining D’Auna Jennings (Duke), Kendra Falby (Florida), Korbe Otis (Florida), Mia Scott (Texas) and Paige Rocha (SIU-Edwardsville). Of the six players to accomplish the feat, Johnson and Jennings are the only non-seniors entering the 2025 season.
• She is the only Razorback in program history with multiple 70+ hit seasons courtesy of 73 in 2024 and 79 in 2023. In 2024, she became one of four Razorbacks in program history to post an on-base percentage of .426 or better while registering 70+ hits in a season, joining Danielle Gibson (2022), KB Sides (2022) and Hannah McEwen (2019).

• Robyn Herron enters 2025 looking to build off an impressive sophomore campaign a year ago.
• Herron appeared in 29 games while making 19 started and posting a 12-9 record with a team-best 143 strikeouts in 125.1 innings pitched. Her 1.62 ERA ranked 25th nationally and third among SEC pitchers. She also ranked 40th nationally with five shutouts during the 2024 season while posting three 10+ strikeout games.
• She is one of just seven returning pitchers nationally who ranked in the Top 25 in ERA and Top 40 in shutouts during the 2024 season, joining Nijaree Canady (Texas Tech), Maddia Groff (Omaha), Karlyn Pickens (Tennessee), Kasey Ricard (Boston), Alivia Wilken (North Alabama) and Isabella Smith (Oklahoma).
• Herron became the second pitcher in program history to throw a seven-inning perfect game while striking out a season-high 11 batters on just 86 pitches in a 7-0 win over Illinois State on Feb. 24, 2024, joining Mary Haff as the other Razorback to accomplish the feat
• Her eight 10+ strikeout games are the third-most in program history, trailing only Katy Henry (2005-08, 14) and Mary Haff (2018-22, 16).
• Herron ranked in the Top 10 in the Arkansas single-season program record books in 2024 in multiple categories, including opponent batting average against (.171, 2nd), shutouts (5, T-10th) and strikeouts/7 IP (7.99, 5th).

• Since 2020, the Razorbacks have excelled on the road with a record of 55-19 (.743) which is the second-best mark of all current SEC members, trailing only Oklahoma (64-6, .914).
• Additionally, Arkansas has posted a 67-27 (.713) record in the Courtney Deifel era (2016-present) in neutral site games.