Arkansas Softball seeking fourth Super Regional berth

The Arkansas Razorbacks (42-12) look to clinch the Fayetteville Regional against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls (34-19) at Bogle Park on Sunday.

Arkansas, the No. 4 overall seed in the NCAA Softball Tournament, took down the Cowgirls 6-5 in eight innings on Saturday thanks to a late rally. It was the first NCAA Tournament extra-inning win in program history. Another victory over the Cowgirls, who are having to grind their way through the loser's bracket, will advance Arkansas to its fourth Super Regional in program history, while a loss will force a winner-take-all matchup tomorrow night.

The Razorbacks rested on Saturday evening and got a chance to watch Oklahoma State fight to keep its season going and the Pokes did so with authority, run-ruling Indiana 16-8 in six innings. Oklahoma State has heavily relied on ace pitcher Ruby Meylan all season and the Nebraska native has endured up and downs over the weekend.

Meylan was chased in the opening round against Indiana after surrendering three runs in as many innings and threw 162 pitches in Saturday's two games, including 5.1 innings of nine-hit ball against the Razorbacks and also issued six walks.

10th-year Arkansas head coach Courtney Deifel, the winningest coach in program history, said the comeback against the Cowgirls was one of the best she has ever been a part of.

“I am just so incredibly proud of this group. It is one of the most resilient and grittiest performances that we have had in my time here and that I have seen in general," Arkansas head coach Courtney Deifel said. "We stayed the course and let the game come back to us in the unwavering belief that this group has in themselves and each other is incredible.

"Our work is not done, and we know we still have a lot of work ahead of us, but today was huge."

Down 5-1 with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, shortstop Atalyia Rijo launched a solo home run to right field to cut it to a two-run game.

The Razorbacks got two on in the seventh via a one-out single by Raigan Kramer before SEC Player of the Year Bri Ellis walked on a full count. Senior Courtney Day came to the plate representing the tying run and she doubled to the right center gap to score Kramer from second base, then Ellis slid home after the throw from shallow right rolled past Oklahoma State catcher Amanda Hasler to the backstop to make it 5-4.

Sophomore Kasey Wood pinch ran for Day, who moved to third on the error, and freshman Ella McDowell batted her home on an RBI double that ultimately sent the game into extras tied at five.

Oklahoma State went down in order in the top of the eighth before Day came through again, this time hitting softly up the middle on a 2-2 count with two outs and the bases loaded to score Rijo from third, who led off the inning with a single, sending the Hogs to the championship round.

"We knew they were going to walk Raigan and Bri, so I knew it was going to be up to me and I wanted it to be me," Day said. "I wanted to have that moment and do it for my team. I was just trying to find a pitch to hit and not do to much, just make it happen."

Courtney Day's first RBI cut the Oklahoma State lead to one and her second sealed the game, but the other hero of the afternoon was Atalyia Rijo, who finished a perfect 4-for-4 with the solo shot in the sixth inning. Rijo is one of many in Arkansas' lethal batting lineup who has benefited in Year Two under hitting coach DJ Gasso as she has increased her batting average from .214 a season ago to .315 in 2025 to go with six home runs and 36 RBI, which ranks fourth on the team.

However, Rijo is not the only one to have a perfect run at the plate during regional play. Texas Tech transfer Kailey Wyckoff powered the Hogs to a dominant 10-0 run-rule opening round victory over Saint Louis in five innings, going 3-for-3 with five RBI.

Deifel signed three pitchers in the 2024 class and Oregon native Payton Burnham has earned her spot as a reliable No. 2 behind ace Robyn Herron in her first collegiate season.

Burnham, who won 2023 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior, opened the Fayetteville Regional with a bang, twirling the first postseason no-hitter in school history against St. Louis and struck out six batters while walking only one.

As many plays as the Razorbacks made offensively in the extra-inning triumph over Oklahoma State, Burnham was equally as important after taking the circle to relieve Herron in the fifth. After Herron got off to a tough start getting tagged for five runs, Burnham threw four innings of scoreless two-hit ball to claim the win.

On the season, Burnham has compiled a 15-2 record with a 2.56 earned run average as well as 83 strikeouts to 42 walks in 106.2 innings.

Who: Arkansas Razorbacks (42-12) vs. Oklahoma State Cowgirls (34-19)

When: Sunday, May 18 at 3 p.m. CT (Game 2 at 5:30 p.m., if necessary)

Where: Bogle Park – Fayetteville, Arkansas

Stream: ESPN+

• Atalyia Rijo had a career-high four hits in the win, which was an Arkansas NCAA Tournament single-game record. 11 others previously held the single-game record of three.

• The Razorbacks are 22-26 all-time in NCAA Tournament play, including a 15-14 mark under Courtney Deifel. She is the only coach in program history with a winning record in NCAA Tournament Play.

• Bri Ellis scored her 63rd run of the season which is the second-most in program history trailing only KB Sides who scored 67 in 2022.Courtney Day extended her career-best reach-based streak to 17 games with two hits in the contest.

• Bri Ellis tied a career-high with four walks in the win.

• With two doubles today, Arkansas set the single-season program doubles record with 83.

• Reagan Johnson increased her reached-base streak to 13 games with a first-inning single.