Razorbacks Set to Host Central Arkansas in Midweek Matchup
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Following a road trip to Alabama, the No. 8/9 Arkansas Softball team returns to action on Tuesday, March 17, by hosting Central Arkansas for an 11 a.m. tilt on Field Trip Day at Bogle Park.
The first meeting of the 2026 season between the programs will be televised on SEC Network with Lowell Galindo (PxP) and Nicole Mendes (Analyst) on the call.
The Razorbacks are 23-4 this season with 15 wins coming by run-rule. Arkansas is coming off a 4-1 loss at Alabama in the series finale on Sunday. Sophomore INF Ella McDowell went 3-3 in the loss with a solo home run in the top of the sixth inning. The Hogs are outscoring opponents 247-64 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. This week’s polls have yet to be released as of Monday morning.
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.
FOLLOW ALONG
Tuesday, March 17
Central Arkansas at #8/9 Arkansas – 11 a.m. – SEC Network+ – Live Stats
BOGLE PARK IS THE PLACE TO BE
Arkansas is just one of three programs to rank in the top five in single-season attendance every year since COVID, joining the likes of Alabama and LSU.
The Razorbacks have ranked in the top three nationally in total home attendance in three consecutive seasons and have finished in the top five in national total attendance in each of their past six seasons at Bogle Park.
Since its gates opened in 2009, Bogle Park has welcomed 542,020 fans through the turnstiles. Of those 544,737 fans, 457,109 (83.9%) have come during head coach Courtney Deifel’s tenure (2016-present).
DAKOTA DOES IT ALL
Arkansas bolstered its roster with the signing of two-time NFCA All-American LF Dakota Kennedy this past summer.
This season, she is batting .329 with 7 doubles, 9 homers, and 24 RBI while scoring 27 runs.
Kennedy batted .500 during the Hogs series last weekend at Alabama while tallying five hits, two doubles, a grand slam, and a solo home run in addition to seven RBI and three runs scored while registering a 1.300 slugging percentage and a .545 on-base percentage. She became the first Hog since Rylin Hedgecock (April 23, 2023) to drive in seven runs in a game with a 3-4 performance that included a solo shot, grand slam, double, walk and seven RBI in a win over Alabama (March 14).
Kennedy recorded her 200th career hit while going 2-3 with a run scored and a walk in a win over Georgia (March 7).
Against Kansas (March 1), Dakota Kennedy became just the third player in program history to hit 3+ home runs in program history by going 3-3 with three home runs and 5 RBI. She joined Danielle Gibson (4, 2/23/19) and Rylin Hedgecock (4/22/23) as the only Hogs to accomplish the feat.
WOOO SLAM SOOIE
Arkansas has smashed six grand slams in just 27 games this season. The Hogs’ six grand slams rank tied for second over a total season in program history, trailing only the 2022 squad’s seven while being tied in second with the 2013 team.
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 .407 with six doubles, eight homers and 36 RBI while scoring 31 runs to go along with 12 walks this season.
Last week, McDowell batted .583 with seven hits, two home runs, a double, eight RBI, six runs scored while posting a 1.167 slugging percentage and a .643 on-base percentage.
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 was 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.
EIGHT IS GREAT
Arkansas is 297-9 when scoring eight or more runs all-time, including a 166-1 mark during the Courtney Deifel era (2016-present).
The Razorbacks are on a 109-game winning streak when scoring 8+ runs. The last loss the Razorbacks had when accomplishing the feat was a 12-11 loss to Oklahoma State on Feb. 11, 2021, during the season opener at the Best on the Bayou Classic in Monroe, La.
SAYLOR HEADS SOUTH
Freshman Saylor Timmerman arrived on The Hill in the fall of 2025 after an outstanding prep career playing at Lakeland Union High School in Minocqua, Wis.
She is 4-0 with a 2.47 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 34.0 innings pitched this season while limiting opponents to a .244 batting average.
Timmerman recorded all 21 outs during a 14-9 win at No. 4 Alabama on March 14, to earn her fourth win of the season.
Against SEMO, she threw a complete-game shutout while striking out 11, becoming just the fifth Arkansas freshman in program history to strikeout 11 or more batters during a complete-game shutout alongside, Heather Schlichtman, Rachel Talley, Mary Haff and Robyn Herron.
Timmerman turned in a quality start in a win over BYU. Allowing just one run on four hits and a walk while striking out one in 3.1 innings (Feb. 14).
She picked up her first career win in a 9-1 victory over Akron (Feb. 6) after allowing one unearned run on one hit and two walks while registering two strikeouts in four innings pitched. Timmerman retired her last nine batters faced in the game.
Timmerman was rated as a five-star prospect while being ranked as the No. 8 overall player and No. 3 pitcher in country for the class of 2025 by Softball America. She was also a member of the U-18 USA Women’s Junior National Team alongside current teammates Ella McDowell and Cam Harrison.
SERIES HISTORY
Tuesday will be the 10th meeting between the programs. Arkansas leads the all-time series with UCA, 7-2 and has won the last three meetings between the programs.
The Razorbacks won the most recent matchup in Conway, 7-0, on April 15, 2025, and also took the last matchup in Fayetteville, 6-3, on March 18, 2025.
KNOW THE FOES
Central Arkansas is 19-10 this season and 1-2 in ASUN play. The Sugar Bears are coming off a 1-2 series loss at North Alabama last weekend that featured an 8-6 win in the series finale after they dropped the first two games 6-5 and 7-5.
Baillie Runner headlines the Central Arkansas pitching staff with a 3.02 ERA and an 8-3 record to go along with 28 strikeouts in 65 innings pitched.
Renee Christian leads the Sugar Bears with a .424 batting average while recording six doubles, a triple and seven RBI to go along with six walks. Emma Robertson has driven in a team-high 31 runs while bashing six home runs and five doubles to go along with a .329 batting average.
30 SEASONS OF RAZORBACK SOFTBALL
2026 marks the 30th season of Arkansas Softball. The Razorbacks hold an all-time program record of 904-816-1 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.