Arkansas softball earns national seed, will host regional

Arkansas' softball program has reached a new height.

For the first time in school history, the Razorbacks have been selected as a national seed and will host a regional at Bogle Park in the NCAA Tournament.

They are the No. 13 overall seed and will host Oklahoma State, Wichita State and DePaul. Arkansas' first game is against DePaul at 4 p.m. Friday on the SEC Network.

It is the second consecutive season Arkansas has reached the postseason under third-year head coach Courtney Deifel, who inherited a program that went 16-37 overall and 1-23 in the SEC.

The Razorbacks won one more game and still went 1-23 in SEC play in Deifel's first year, but have improved astronomically over the last two seasons.

Despite making the SEC Tournament as the 12th and final seed last year, they reached the NCAA Tournament with a 31-24 mark. Their season ended in the Norman Regional against eventual national champion Oklahoma.

Led by second-team All-SEC freshmen Mary Haff and Hannah McEwen, Arkansas posted a 39-15 record that included a 12-12 mark in the SEC. The Razorbacks made a run to the SEC Tournament semifinals in Columbia, Mo., this week, helping clinch the national seed.

If the Razorbacks win their regional, they'll reach the super regionals for the first time in school history and likely travel to the two-time defending national champion Sooners to play for a spot in the Women's College World Series.