FAYETTEVILLE — Coach Courtney Deifel might not like the manner in which her Arkansas softball team is claiming SEC series wins, but it's hard to argue with the results.
For the third straight weekend, the No. 14 Razorbacks (30-11, 9-6 SEC) won a rubber match to claim a series win against South Carolina last weekend. Arkansas knocked off Georgia and Missouri in similar fashion. The pattern has been the same in all three series wins: win the first game, lose the second game, then rally to win the third.
“Well, I don't like that pattern so much, and I don't think the team does either,” Deifel said. “I think this team doesn't care about rankings. You just know when it's an SEC game, or any game for that matter with the parity in the sport and how strong everybody is, it's just digging in and finding a way to win.”
This weekend doesn't get any easier as Alabama (30-10, 7-8), ranked No. 15 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, comes to Bogle Park.
Arkansas rode a stellar pitching performance from left-hander Robyn Herron to claim the road series at South Carolina. Herron, the SEC Pitcher of the Week, went 2-0 and did not allow an earned run in 12 1/3 innings in the circle.
The two teams will start the series at 6 p.m. Friday, in a game that will be live-streamed on SEC Network+. Saturday's game is set for 8 p.m. on SEC Network, and series concludes at 1 p.m. Sunday on ESPNU.
What you need to know about Alabama:
Outlook
Alabama is one of the most storied softball programs in the SEC, but the Tide has stumbled some this season, dropping series to Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and last weekend to Texas A&M.
Coach Patrick Murphy is in his 26th season at Alabama. He has led the program to 14 College World Series berths and owns more than 1,200 career wins.
“It's kind of unheard of in college athletics now to stay that long and be that successful,” Deifel said of Murphy's longevity. “He is the face of Alabama softball. I hope that I can have that long of a career here. Hopefully we can stay relevant and good enough to stay here as long as we want. We've had some really big coaches in this conference, and he's definitely one of them.”
Alabama won its first 18 games of the season, but has gone 12-10 since then. The Crimson Tide's only series win in SEC play came against Ole Miss.
Their series with Texas A&M last weekend encapsulated their season: Alabama defeated the Aggies 2-0 in the opening game behind Kayla Beaver, then lost 17-6 and 9-4 in the next two games to drop the series.
Arkansas won a rubber game 2-1 in 10 innings at Alabama last season to win a series in Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the first time. The teams met again in the SEC Tournament at Bogle Park and the Crimson Tide won 3-2 in 9 innings.
Pitchers
Beaver is no stranger to Arkansas. The senior right-hander dominated the Razorbacks 4-0 last season when she pitched for Central Arkansas. This season the transfer is 14-4 with a 1.42 ERA with 129 strikeouts over 123 innings pitched. She is holding opponents to a .199 batting average.
“She has the potential to go up and down, in and out,” Deifel said. “It looks like she has added a little velo. She lives in the upper 60s [MPH], and she's hit 70. She's very disciplined with her spin pitches.”
Last season, Beaver was 25-7 at UCA with a 1.15 ERA and 11 shutouts. This season she twirled a no-hitter in her Alabama debut.
Jaala Torrence, a senior right-hander, is 7-3 with a 2.23 ERA and 48 strikeouts with 11 walks in 47 innings. She had a complete-game win against North Alabama this season. In the postseason last year, she went 3-0 with 18 2/3 scoreless innings.
Freshman right-hander Jocelyn Briski is 6-2 with a 2.96 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 49.2 innings. She has made 5 starts this season. She had a complete-game win against Georgia Tech in her college debut.
Position Players
The Crimson Tide may not have big offensive numbers, but they do know how to attack the defense, Deifel said.
“I think that they get the job done,” Deifel said. “With their pitching staff, they have a chance to win any game that they're in. They have a good mix of speed and they've driven the ball a little better this year. They have the offense to win games with the pitching as dominant as they have.”
Sophom*ore shortstop Kenleigh Cahalan leads the way for the Tide, batting .299 with 2 home runs and 22 RBI. She has started every game this season. Against Georgia, she belted a pair of doubles and a homer, and she had 2 tripled against Georgia Tech.
Sophom*ore infielder Abby Duchscherer provides the big pop in the lineup. Duchscherer has 6 homers and 30 RBI with a .294 batting average. Sophom*ore utilityplayer Marlie Giles also has 6 homers and 10 RBIs across her 24 starts.
As a team, Alabama is batting .272.
