FAYETTEVILLE -- Courtney Deifel said she knows the comforts of home far outweigh long road trips, and her University of Arkansas softball team is hopeful of taking advantage of that over the next three weeks.
After two tournaments at opposite ends of the country to start the season, the No. 14 Razorbacks will play the next three weekends at Bogle Park starting with this weekend's Razorback Invitational.
"It's nice to be able to play in front of our fans," Deifel said. "I think that's a separator for us, an advantage for us. So it's always nice to stay in your own bed and be in your comfort area."
Arkansas (8-2) has put together back-to-back solid tournaments, going 4-1 to open the season at the Paradise Classic in Boca Raton Fla., then had another 4-1 stint at the Bear Down Fiesta in Tucson, Ariz., last weekend.
Arkansas opens the Razorback Invitational today against Illinois State (0-10). First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
On Friday, the Razorbacks take on Texas-Arlington (3-7) at 3 p.m. and Wichita State (3-2) at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, Arkansas will face Illinois State (3 p.m.) and Wichita State (5:30 p.m.) before wrapping up the event against Texas-Arlington on Sunday at 12:15 p.m.
Arkansas won its final three games of the Bear Down Fiesta including a 3-2 decision against Arizona. It was a payback of sorts after the Razorbacks dropped a 3-2 game the day before to the Wildcats, who debuted in the rankings this week at No. 23.
Not having a defined ace in the circle may have been a concern coming into the season, but the Razorbacks have found plenty of reason to be confident moving forward, particularly with Morgan Leinstock (3-0, 1.07 ERA) and Robyn Herron (3-2, 1.30), who dominated in Arizona.
Herron came on in relief during the the first inning of the loss to the Wildcats with no outs and the bases loaded, and allowed one run over the next six innings before giving up the winning run in the seventh. She was solid again in the 3-2 victory the following day, going the distance for the complete-game win.
Leinstock followed that with a start in the 5-2 win against Nebraska-Omaha to wrap up the tournament. She suffered a lone hiccup in the late innings when she allowed a two-run double, but recovered quickly to close out the win.
The Razorbacks also swung the bats well in Arizona. The top of the batting order, Reagan Johnson (.462 batting average, 6 stolen bases), Nia Carter (.361, 8 RBI) and Raigan Kramer (.238, 3 stolen bases), continued to shine. Bri Ellis (.345, 3 home runs, 12 RBI) and Rylin Hedgecock (.281, 2 homers, 10 RBI), Cylie Halvorson (2 homers and 9 RBI), and Kennedy Miller (.357) have also provided pop.
Deifel said the Razorbacks will prepare for three distinctly different opponents this weekend.
"We're going to have to make quick adjustments," she said. "We're going to have to play defense and we're going to have to limit some explosive offenses."