Davison helps power Arkansas’ Bogle Bombers to pair of softball routs

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

FAYETTEVILLE – As Arkansas women’s basketball team was finishing up a 34-point exhibition win on Friday night, the Razorback softball team was just across the street beginning a 26-run victory of its own.

Utah transfer second baseman Karlee Davison had six RBIs as Arkansas routed Arkansas Tech 27-1 in a 10-inning scrimmage at Bogle Park.

“I was just really happy with their approach tonight,” Razorback head coach Courtney Deifel said. “Not necessarily the outcome, but that it is what we are capable of doing when we have the right mindset and the right approach.

“I just felt like we were pretty business-like and really aggressive when the ball showed up and that is what we challenged them to do yesterday.”

Davison had a solo home run as Arkansas downed Oklahoma Christian 13-1 on Thursday night before more than doubling that run count the following night.

“We all just felt pretty loose and pretty good at the plate,” Davison said. “I came up with the bases loaded a few times and that was fun. I just had confidence in myself and the people behind me so it was fun.”

The Razorbacks jumped to 6-0 and 16-1 leads on Friday night before exploding for 11 runs in the bottom of the ninth to expand the margin.

The Razorbacks moved to 6-1 against outside opponents this fall while outscoring foes 97-11.

“Every single hitter is dangerous and that showed especially in the last part of this game,” Davison said. “There are no easy outs for the other team. It’s fun and makes it easier on the rest of the team knowing the person behind us is going to get it done if we don’t.”

Davison comes from a diamond family as her father, Scott, was a fourth-round draft pick by the Montreal Expos in 1988 and played professionally for 11 years.

Both of Davison’s grandfather’s, Ralph Davison and Dave Marsden, played professional baseball with Davison being drafted by the San Diego Padres in 1969.

Marsden signed in 1961 with the Los Angeles  Angels, who have also been called the California Angeles and Anaheim Angels in their history.

Scott Davison  is now is now the Head Baseball Instructor/Program Manager at the Los Angeles Dodgers Training Academy.

“I come from a family that has always loved being on the field and just playing and being competitive,” Davison said in an earlier interview. “I do, too.”

Davison is a 5-9 second baseman from Torrance (Calif.) Chadwick before signing with Utah and playing three seasons there.

She hit .294 with three home runs, five double sand 12 RBIs last season for the Utes.

With former Utah assistant coach DJ Gasso now an assistant at Arkansas, the Razorback program drew her interest.

“Where do I start? This place is amazing,” Davison said of Arkansas. “This staff is the best in the country, playing at this field is amazing and the girls are just amazing. You could see that all over tonight with the camaraderie and what it was like. I absolutely made the right decision.”

She did not know any of her new teammates.

“I didn’t,” Davison said. “I just watched them on TV. But I don’t think playing with them now, you would know that, These are like my sisters…It feels like I have known them all my life.”

Gasso was a welcome sight for Davison.

“That made the transition a whole lot easier,” Davison said. “He knows who I am and how I play so that made it much easier.

Thursday and Friday’s two Arkansa wins came after a split last weekend in Tulsa with the Razorbacks beating Tulsa 5-0 and falling to last season Women’s College World Series program Oklahoma State 6-0.

“I think it was a great test,” Davison said. “I think it is pretty rare to have that sort of test in the fall so it was good for us to kind of see what it is going to be like.

“We realize that we need some more confidence if we are just going to play loose and play Arkansas softball. I don’t think we carried into this games. We kind of flipped the switch. It was good.”

Deifel was of the same mindset.

“I just feel like we are at our best when we are loose and having fun,” Deifel said. “We have this air about this team and we had not felt that in about a week and a half.

“It was our toughest stretch with what we asking them to do here, in the weight room and the classroom and you could feel that. We got to Tulsa and Oklahoma State and it just seemed like we were not present and not really competing in the moment.

“But we certainly were the past two days and that was great to see.”

Photo by John D. James