Arkansas softball receives highest preseason rankings in program history

January 29, 2019 at 10:38 a.m. | Updated January 29, 2019 at 12:11 p.m.

by Scottie Bordelon

Arkansas coach Courtney Deifel prepares to step into the team huddle against Wichita State Saturday, May 19, 2018, at Bogle Park during the NCAA Fayetteville Softball Regional on the university campus in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas softball received its highest preseason rankings in program history on Tuesday.

The Razorbacks, coming off a 42-win season and their first Super Regional appearance in 2018, came in at No. 14 in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll.

Eleven SEC teams make up the poll, and six are ranked in the top 11, including Florida (5), Georgia (6), Tennessee (8) and Alabama and South Carolina (T9).

Later Tuesday morning, Arkansas was ranked No. 12 in the ESPN/USA Softball preseason top 25.

On Jan. 16, Arkansas was picked to finish fifth in the SEC in a vote of the league’s 13 coaches. The predicted fifth-place finish is also the highest in program history.