For the second year in a row, one road to the Women’s College World Series will run through Fayetteville.
Arkansas (44-9) claimed the No. 4 overall seed in the 2022 NCAA Softball Tournament after winning both the regular season and conference tournament crowns this year. The No. 4-ranked Razorbacks will open the Fayetteville Regional at 5 p.m. Friday against Princeton (27-15-2), winners of the Ivy League.
The seed is the highest in program history.
“It was really exciting,” Arkansas Coach Courtney Deifel said of watching the selection show. “It’s always nice to come into a night like tonight when you know your name is going to be on there, and you’re just kind of wondering where it’s going to land. Having a four next to Arkansas was really, really exciting.”
KB Sides, the SEC Player of the Year, said her team is looking at what’s ahead rather than what’s already been accomplished.
“You have to be really good about staying focused and staying present where you are, not getting too high and just focusing on the next game,” Sides said. “It’s something that I think is super important for this time of year.”
Danielle Gibson, a top 10 finalist for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year, said the team has no shortage of belief in each other.
“We are at a spot where it doesn’t matter who’s in the other dugout or who’s in the circle pitching against us,” Gibson said. “We have all the confidence in the world in each other and we’re excited to kind of showcase that in a new season.”
Playing at Bogle Park has been kind to the Razorbacks this season. Arkansas, which had its 2021 run end to Arizona in a super regional after defeating Stanford in the Fayetteville Regional, enters Friday’s game with a 24-4 home record.
“There’s no place like Bogle and our fans,” Deifel said. “So hopefully they flood that ticket line to show up for us. And I know they will. It’s the best atmosphere in college softball.”
There’s no shortage of power in the Fayetteville Regional. The Razorbacks rank third in the nation in home runs per game. The pool’s No. 2 and 3 seeds, Oregon and Wichita State, rank 26th and second in the category, respectively.
“We got a really tough draw,” Deifel said. “There’s a lot of power hitters in this regional. I think that’s probably why they kind of grouped us together. There’s a lot of bombs hit by these teams…I think we will be tested, but the good thing is we are battle-tested through this year, we faced some adversity and we faced some tough games and opponents.”
Deifel said the team will take a one-game-at-a-time approach.
“We are going to focus on Princeton on Friday,” she said. “We have our eyes set on playing long into the postseason, so what we need to do is just focus on the next game, and really focus on being Arkansas.”
At a glance
WHAT NCAA Fayetteville Regional
WHO No. 4 Arkansas (44-9) vs. Princeton (27-15-2)
WHEN 5 p.m., Friday
WHERE Bogle Park, Fayetteville
TELEVISION SEC Network