The Arkansas softball team (47-12, 15-9 SEC) has developed into a college softball powerhouse under head coach Courtney Deifel's leadership. Deifel has assembled a team this season that has no true weaknesses. Arkansas has one of the best lineups from top to bottom. The lineup has demonstrated a consistent ability to hit for power from top to bottom and generate timely hits, even against elite competition. Such an excellent lineup places significant pressure on opposing teams' pitchers, given that they never face a batter who allows for any level of comfort.
The Razorbacks have some of the best pitchers in the country, especially their two aces, Payton Burnham and Robyn Herron. In a three-game series, when a team must confront them back-to-back, that team finds itself in an undesirable predicament, to say the least. Even beyond those two aces, the Hogs have excellent pitchers supported by one of the best defenses in the country.
For all the previously mentioned reasons, Haylie McCleney, ESPN softball expert and analyst, Olympic softball medalist, and veteran professional softball player, argued thatArkansas softball is the true contender from the SEC to win the Women's College World Series. McCleney, however, is in the minority in seeing the Hogs as the favorite to win the national championship, as many more people, especially the oddsmakers, view Alabama as the favorite to win the Women's College World Series, while putting several teams ahead of Arkansas as favorites.
After Arkansas lost to Nebraska 5-3 in a thrilling game that went 10 innings, oddsmakers were feeling pretty good about themselves for not choosing the team as the favorite to win the College World Series. Despite an evenly played game, many will continue to doubt that the Hogs are legitimate contenders, and some will argue that Arkansas is not even worthy to be in the Women's College World Series, which marks the first time the Razorbacks have been in the Women’s College World Series.
Arkansas softball had some costly pitching struggles
Robyn Herron, one of the Razorbacks' aces, got the start in the circle. After three innings, Herron held the Cornhuskers scoreless with only two hits. However, in the bottom of the fourth inning, with the Razorbacks nursing a 2-0 lead, Herron got into some trouble in the circle, and Deifel decided to replace her with Payton Burnham. Although many, especially in Razorback Nation, will not like this position, Deifel's decision to replace Herron with Burnham was the turning point that ultimately cost Arkansas the game.
In relief for Herron, Burnham allowed two runs, though, of course, they were charged to Herron, which tied the game. Herron had earned the right to attempt to work herself out of the metaphorical jam she faced. Nebraska gained great confidence in forcing Arkansas to remove one of its aces from the circle. Although the Hogs would do some excellent things after that inning, they never really seemed to recover the momentum they had going into the bottom of the fourth inning, even when they regained the lead, 3-2, in the top of the eighth inning.
Deifel's decision to bring Herron back to the circle to replace Burnham did not seem to make sense, given that Burnham had started to develop a rhythm, pitching three scoreless innings before she was replaced. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Herron surrendered a home run to Hannah Coor, tying the game. Even more important than tying the game, the homer recaptured any momentum the Cornhuskers lost when the Razorbacks regained the lead in the top of the eighth. That homer increased the momentum for Nebraska, providing Ava Kuszak with the necessary energy to hit a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the tenth inning.
Arkansas does not have much time to lick its metaphorical wounds, as the team will battle UCLA tonight at 8:30 p.m. CT. The losing team will exit the Women's College World Series. ESPN will televise the game.
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