FAYETTEVILLE — With one regular-season series remaining for the Arkansas softball team, coach Courtney Deifel said it is “hard to believe” how fast the season has gone.
But before her 12th-ranked Razorbacks (37-14, 13-9 SEC) can buckle up for next week’s SEC Tournament at Bogle Park, the eighth-year Arkansas coach is prepared for a challenge in Columbia, Mo.
Missouri (31-22, 5-16) has won six of its last eight games. The Tigers are scheduled to host the Razorbacks for a three-game series beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
“I think that Missouri's playing about as well as they've played all year,” Deifel said. “And having their last regular-season home weekend and all the emotions that come with that, we know that we're going to have a really big challenge ahead of us. So we're ready.”
The road has been Arkansas’ friend since April 2021, which was the last time the Razorbacks lost a series away from home. Deifel’s team carries a streak of 11 consecutive road series victories as it travels to Mizzou Stadium, where Arkansas has not played since 2017.
“I don't know what it is,” Deifel said of the Razorbacks’ road success. “I know that when we're on the road, our team is really focused — not that we aren't at home, but there's not as many distractions.
"I've loved our approach on the road....I know that it just gets you ready for whatever the post-season brings.
"Right now, I feel like whether we're home or whether we're on the road in postseason, I feel like we're really comfortable either way. So I don't know what the special recipe is, I just think that they like to compete in the games that they're in, and it's worked in our favor.”
Arkansas is tied with Auburn for third place in the SEC standings as it enters the final weekend. The Razorbacks trail second-place Georgia by 2 1/2 games and have a one-game lead over fifth-place Alabama.
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Missouri is projected by D1Softball.com to be a No. 3 seed in the Norman Regional hosted by top-seeded Oklahoma. All 13 SEC teams are projected to make the postseason, but Missouri doesn’t have much room for error.
“They're playing with a little bit of a chip,” Deifel said, “obviously coming down to crunch time and feeling like they're playing for something....When I look on tape, I think that they're better than their record. I wouldn't get distracted by their SEC record or standing.
“It's a really long season and I think you can have some tough weeks. I think they've had some tough weeks, and they're a good team, so I am ready for a challenge.”
Friday’s game will likely feature a pitching rematch of the 2022 SEC Tournament Championship Game, which Arkansas won 4-0. Missouri right-hander Laurin Krings took a loss in the title game as Razorbacks ace Chenise Delce tossed a two-hit shutout.
Krings highlights the Tigers’ pitching staff again with a 2.53 ERA in 132 2/3 innings pitched, which is the fifth-most innings among SEC pitchers. She leads the team with 11 wins.
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Missouri center fielder Alex Honnold has the SEC’s fifth-highest batting average (.417) and shortstop Jenna Laird’s 58 hits rank seventh in the league.
“Krings, is throwing really, really well,” Deifel said. “I mean, [Missouri's pitchers] just complement each other really well. [Coach Larissa Anderson] mixes and matches them really well. So we know that, and then I think they're swinging it better every weekend. I mean, you have Laird and Honnold up at the top who are two of the best.”
Arkansas is coming off an upset series win over No. 3 Tennessee, which had not lost an SEC series prior to visiting Fayetteville. Deifel said she hopes the team can carry the momentum to Missouri.
“It was an incredible weekend,” she said. “I hate losing, but if we would have played the way we played and they edged us out in all three, I still would have been really pleased with our team, the way they competed and the way we played.
"It was a really great regular-season finale at home. Our fans showed up, our team showed up and they competed. Winning the series against Tennessee is so, so huge.”
All three games of Arkansas-Missouri are scheduled to stream on SEC Network-Plus.