FAYETTEVILLE -- Five games over the next three days will likely set the tone for the No. 20 Arkansas softball team as the start of its SEC schedule looms ahead.
The Razorbacks (17-4) will host their third consecutive tournament and conclude a 16-game homestand with the Razorback Rumble that starts today at Bogle Park.
The tournament was originally scheduled to begin Thursday, but the threat of inclement weather forced the cancellation of a scheduled game against Nebraska.
The rest of the SEC teams open conference play this weekend with a full slate of games, but Arkansas won't begin league play until next weekend at Auburn.
In the latest ESPN.com/USA Today top 25 poll, every SEC team with the exception of Ole Miss is ranked, led by No. 3 LSU. Georgia (6), Tennessee (9) and Alabama (10) are all ranked in the top 10.
Texas is this week's No. 1 team and Oklahoma ranked No. 2. Both teams will join the SEC next spring.
Arkansas Coach Courtney Deifel said her team is still working to solidify some spots and this weekend should provide some answers.
"I think we're still looking to fire in all aspects of the game," Deifel said. "I think it's kind of nice we get one more weekend of multiple opponents before SEC starts where we can look from the outside and see what this is going to be like this year.
"We haven't felt like we have fully found ourselves. So we have another weekend to try and establish that before we get into that one-team, three-game series weekend where it takes a lot of grit and guts. I think we're close, but I'm not sure we are really there yet."
Arkansas will look to continue a trend of not having lost consecutive games this season, but the teams that comprise the Razorback Rumble field will present a strong challenge to that streak, Deifel said.
The Razorbacks open against South Alabama (12-5-1) at 4:45 p.m. today, followed by a 7 p.m. clash against St. Francis (12-8).
On Saturday, Arkansas will take on Northern Iowa (9-6) at 4:45 p.m. and South Alabama at 7 p.m. The Razorbacks' final game of the weekend will be Sunday at 12:15 p.m. against Northern Iowa.
All games will be live-streamed on SEC Network-Plus.
"All three of them have a lot of strengths," Deifel said of her team's opponents. "They pitch it very well. They are very pesky, they like to put things in motion and put a lot of pressure on the defense. We're going to have a huge challenge this weekend. Every weekend has prepared us for the next.
"Next weekend is SEC, so we're hoping this weekend prepares us to tackle that part of our schedule."
Arkansas has a team batting average of .307. Hannah Camenzind, whose hitting has forced Deifel to find a spot for her in the order, is batting .545 in a small sample size after being used primarily as a pitcher earlier. In the circle, she is 4-0 with a 2.47 ERA.
Freshman catcher Kennedy Miller Miller belted three home runs last week and is batting .432 with 16 RBI. Reagan Johnson is batting .410 and Bri Ellis has 7 home runs and 22 RBI.