NORMAN, Okla. — Arkansas softball has nothing to hang its head about.
For Razorbacks coach Courtney Deifel it's now about building on a year filled with firsts and toward the future, adding to a foundation laid by a selfless group of upperclassmen and young stars eager to further put their stamp on the program.
But first, she wants to relish in what 2018 meant to her team.
Arkansas lost 7-2 Friday and 9-0 Saturday to No. 4 Oklahoma, bringing its season to an end at Marita Hynes Field in the Norman Super Regional. Oklahoma (55-3) is making its seventh trip to the Women's College World Series in the last eight seasons.
The Razorbacks end their season with 42 wins – four shy of the program record set in 1999 and two shy of second-most in program history.
Arkansas got to experience its first super regional this weekend after putting away DePaul last Friday and Wichita State twice over the next two days at Bogle Park - the first home regional in program history. Freshman pitcher Mary Haff wants more of the postseason feel, and believes the heights reached this season should be the standard for Arkansas softball moving forward.
"That’s definitely going to be my goal every year since we’re here and we got the little taste of it," she said. "We’re going to be wanting to come back every year. That’s what we’re going to be working for."
Deifel doesn't want it to get confused: her team did exceed expectations, but it wasn't because she didn't expect much from this team. Arkansas got its feet wet in postseason play a season ago after a two-year stretch in which the program won only two SEC games combined.
The goal this year wasn't just to make the postseason, it was to make a splash. Mission accomplished. Deifel's four seniors – A.J. Belans, Loren Krzysko, Tori Cooper and Autumn Buczek – deserve credit for elevating the program and placing their trust in her and her staff.
"(Supers is) going to be our goal moving forward," Deifel said. "That senior class knows where they came from and they were determined to make sure we only moved forward. So that's what we'll continue to do.
"Looking at what they've done and their full experience, to send them out this way is really incredible. They poured their heart into this program. They trusted us when we came in. They've been huge leaders. So to send them out this way is just a fitting ending."
Buczek, her eyes filled with tears above her red and black face paint, said she takes great pride in knowing where she will leave the program in comparison to the state it was in when she arrived.
"I'm so excited to see the future of Arkansas softball," she said. "Just knowing that I got to have a small part in that is incredible and it's something I'll hold onto forever. It's been a blessing.
"I know that Arkansas softball is going to go places."
Arkansas' core will be in place for another run next season. Haff will return following a 29-win season – a single-season program record. Hannah McEwen will be back in Deifel's lineup and in the outfield after driving in 57 runs – a single-season program record – and hitting 12 home runs.
Autumn Storms, a 12-game winner this season, will be back for her junior season. The Razorbacks bring back five of their top nine hitters for 2019 and, as of now, 100 percent of the team's innings pitched.
"It took a lot of working from everyone - from the players, from the staff, from our families," Deifel said. "We poured our heart and soul into this thing. Every staff does, every team does across the country.
"It takes an absolute consistency in your preparation every single day, and this team did that."