Deifel gets a chance to spotlight Arkansas softball program’s success on Finebaum

BY DUDLEY E. DAWSON

FAYETTEVILLE – When going on the SEC Network’s Paul Finebaum show on Wednesday to celebrate the channel’s 10th anniversary, Arkansas softball coach Courtney Deifel couldn’t help see a parallel.

Deifel is headed into her 10th season as the Razorbacks head coach after taking over an Arkansas program that went 16-37 in 2015 under previous head coach Mike Larabee.

She has since gone 238-128 at the helm of the Razorbacks and led them to three SEC championships, including two regular-season titles and the 2022 conference tournament crown, and made seven NCAA tournament appearances.

“It feels like a lifetime ago, but it also just feels like the wink of an eye ago,” Deifel said. “It’s kind of crazy coming on this show to celebrate 10 years of the SEC Network means I am going into year 10. The SEC Network is so well established and it has been so good for our sport and for the Arkansas softball program, it is just crazy to think it’s been about the same time.”

Finebaum lauded Deifel for having one of the SEC and nation’s best programs in a rebuilding effort that started with just one conference win her first season.

“We weren’t all that great at the beginning,” Deifel said. “We knew everything was here to really build this thing up and make it really special and we feel like we have done that.

“We’ve had some huge players that have come in and made big impacts and if they don’t take a chance on us we are not in the spot where we are.”

Deifel noted that exposure on the SEC Network helped recruits know that Arkansas was indeed in the league.

“To think about the recruiting conversations of just them, kind of saying ‘is Oh, Arkansas is in the SEC?’ and your like ‘yeah, we are in the SEC.’

“And now when you fast forward, and even if you just fast forwarded five years at that point, and just the exposure the SEC Network (gave us), so players in California and Texas and Florida and all these big players that made huge impacts on our program, if they don’t have the opportunity to see us and feel us more importantly.

“I think the thing you really know about our program is, if you watch us, you feel who we are. So when I think of everything that has contributed to getting us where we are, the SEC Network was just so huge.”

Deifel and her team will begin fall practice soon with a roster that includes two transfer portal additions and an eight-member high school recruiting class ranked fifth nationally by Extra Inning Softball.

Those transfers are Utah shortstop/third baseman Karlie Davison and Texas Tech utility player Kylie Wyckoff.

Arkansas has three prep All-American right handed pitchers joining the roster in freshmen Cameryn Harrison, Lexi King of Windmere, Fla., and Payton Burnham of Eugene (OR) Sheldon.

The other members of freshman class are all position players in Richmond (Texas) Foster infielder Ella McDowell, Green County Tech utility player Ava Carter, Fresno (Calif.) Central first baseman Jayden Ramos and Shreveport (LA) Calvary Baptist outfielder Ramsey Walker.

Photo courtesy of Razorback Communications