FAYETTEVILLE — An Arkansas softball program with increased expectations will open its season this Friday and test itself in nine tournament games on the road over the next couple of weeks before making its home debut on Feb. 21.
After a 42-17 campaign last season that ended a step away from the Women's College World Series, fourth-year Razorbacks coach Courtney Deifel’s team enters this season ranked 12th nationally in the ESPN/USA Softball poll, 14th by USA Today/NFCA and 15th in the first-ever Softball America poll.
Those are the highest preseason rankings ever for a program that finished 16th last season in the ESPN/USA Today poll and has been picked fifth by coaches in the preseason SEC poll behind Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and South Carolina.