FAYETTEVILLE -- Courtney Deifel is beginning to see what a true home-field advantage can provide.
Now in her third season as Arkansas' head softball coach, Deifel has guided her squad to a near-perfect 16-1 mark at Bogel Park this season, and has the Razorbacks (25-6 overall) in the top 25 for the second straight year.
"It's been just awesome," said Deifel, who took over a program that went 16-37 in 2015, the year before she arrived. "I keep saying it, but Razorback Nation is just so incredible, just to see them show up. No matter what sport you go to here, there is just such a cool vibe that everyone is just so into it, Calling the Hogs."
Never was that more evident than last weekend when an all-time record 4,616 fans entered Bogel for a three-game series with rival Missouri. Saturday's crowd of 2,756 shattered the previous single-game attendance record by more than 700.
"It was like we had surround-sound in here with our fans," Deifel said with a big chuckle. "It was awesome to see this place filled up and fans having something to cheer for."
Arkansas overcame a four-run deficit in Sunday's finale to win 10-7 and secure a 2-1 series advantage. It was also Deifel's 100th career victory -- 73 of those with the Razorbacks.
Now, the 23rd-ranked Hogs will host No. 20 Mississippi Sate for a weekend series with hopes of winning back-to-back SEC series for the first time since 2013. First pitch against the Bulldogs is scheduled for 6 p.m. today. The Saturday and Sunday games are both slated to start at 1 p.m.
"I think last weekend was a really important series for us, because we got tested in a lot of ways, and our girls answered the call, big time," Deifel said. "I think we showed a lot of grit and a lot of fight to get those two wins. I love the way our girls have just started trusting in the process and the resiliency that they have, no matter the situations."
Mississippi State comes to town with a 28-6 record (3-3 SEC), including a 5-4 win over No. 6 Georgia last Saturday. Arkansas will counter with a young pitching staff that ranks 25th nationally with a 1.91 ERA, and an offense that has smacked 39 home runs, seventh-most in the country. The Razorbacks have five players with at least five homers this season.
"The game starts in the circle with pitching, so if we can take care of business there, it just sets a really good tone for everything else," Deifel said. "Our offense just has so many tools, across the board for us. I think we are a lot more balanced than what we saw last year, and we have the ability to be productive, one through nine -- no matter who we put in there.
"And more than anything, they have each other's back. Pitching has the hitters' backs, and when it's not there, the hitters have the pitchers' backs, and that's what the team setting is all about."
Freshman hurler Mary Haff has shot out to a 15-2 record with a 0.74 ERA, eighth nationally, with 140 strikeouts. Sophomore Autumn Storms, last season's workhorse on the mound, is 9-4 with a 2.30 ERA.
The pitching staff has also received a needed boost from freshman catcher Kayla Green, who has thrown out nearly half (11 of 23) of the baserunners attempting to steal.
"We have some young players that are really performing at a high level for us," Deifel said. "Opening day we had four freshmen in the lineup, and more that are going to continue to knock. So, the future is very bright for our program."
Freshman Hannah McEwen, who garnered SEC Player of the Week honors three weeks ago, shares the team-lead with six home runs and a team-high 35 runs batted in, which is 19th nationally.
"This team is just playing with a lot of confidence right now," McEwen said. "We feel like we can win every time we take the field."
Arkansas also has a mix of upperclassmen, providing leadership, and kick-starting the offense. Senior Autumn (Russell) Buczak has been a spark in the leadoff spot with a team-high .364 batting average, with four doubles, four triples and six stolen bases.
"Momentum is huge in this sports, and I think we understand, that when we can get some momentum, good things can happen," Buczak said. "I just try to keep it simple and not try to do more than what I am supposed to do. Normally my job is to just get on base, because I have some great hitters behind me."
As one of the few holdovers from the previous coaching staff, Buczak has witnessed a complete culture change within the program and says the sky is the limit for this year's squad.
"It's pretty tough to stay motivated and excited to play when you struggle the way we did those two years, so I think the biggest thing for us was learning how to win," she said. "We used to play scared with the lead, but this team plays confidently with the lead, or when we are behind. Confidence is huge for us right now."
Deifel, who was a 2003 All-American catcher at California, helped lead the Golden Bears to the 2002 national championship. She knows what it takes to reach the pinnacle, and is confident that something special is brewing in Fayetteville.
"I really just like the path that we are on, and as long as we keep getting better every day, then there is no reason why we can't go all the way," she said. "The more we compete in this conference, I think things are just going to start falling our way. Success can become very contagious."
Sports on 03/30/2018