FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ softball program reached new heights in 2018, hosting a regional and advancing to the super regionals for the first time ever.

With several key pieces returning, expectations are through the roof for the Razorbacks. They are ranked 12th, 14th and 15th in softball’s three major preseason polls and were picked to finish fifth in the 13-team SEC, all of which are program bests.

It’s hard to ignore those kind of accolades, but Arkansas isn’t getting starry eyed over the preseason recognition.

“We got excited, but we expect it from ourselves now, it’s not a surprise to us where we are,” junior pitcher Autumn Storms said. “We would obviously love to be higher, but we’re just going to have to show people that we deserve it.”

With back-to-back postseason appearances under their belts, the Razorbacks have their eyes set on bigger things in 2019 - such as reaching the Women’s College World Series for the first time in program history.

“It’s different because we have higher standards this year,” senior infielder Haydi Bugarin said. “I think we’ve set some goals really high and we’re expecting a lot from ourselves. I think this is the first time we’ve had that.”

Head coach Courtney Deifel is entering her fourth season at Arkansas and stressing to her team not to rest on their laurels.

The 2018 squad may have gone 42-17 and reached the super regionals, which is what the preseason rankings are based on, but the 2019 Razorbacks are 0-0 and must adjust from being the underdog to being the hunted.

“With how great last year was and the steps we took as a program, this team hasn’t done anything yet,” Deifel said. “You’re going through a new year, you have more expectations and more of a target on your back, so we have to figure out how to be our best version because teams are going to be gunning for us.”

That message started from the top of the program and has trickled down, seemingly getting through to the players based on their comments to the media Tuesday afternoon.

“We’ve decided we’re not going to ride what we did last year,” Bugarin said. “We’re going to start a new year, but there is some pressure on ourselves. … If there’s no pressure, there’s no reason to be out there.”

The fact that just making a regional has become an expectation and not the primary goal in Deifel’s fourth year at the helm is nothing short of remarkable.

When she was hired before the 2016 season, she inherited a program coming off a 16-37 season in which it went 1-23 in SEC play and won only four of its final 34 games.

After a rough first season that saw them replicate that 1-23 conference record, Deifel led the Razorbacks to a 31-24 season - including a 7-17 SEC mark - that ended with a couple of close losses to top-25 teams in the Norman, Okla., Regional.

That set the stage for the 2018 breakthrough. Arkansas earned its highest ranking ever at No. 15, finished .500 in conference play for the first time in five years, made it to the SEC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2001 and hosted/won a regional for the first time ever.

“When you come in, you always have the hope that you can just move the program forward and as quick as you can do that, the better,” Deifel said. “But it’s not my doing, it’s the players’ doing.

“We’re on their timeline and how they want to take jumps and take those steps and how they want to buy in to the work that it takes to do that, we’re going to move as they move. If we’ve prodded that a little bit and got them moving, then we’ve done well there, but that’s completely their doing and their timeline. I’m just really proud of them.”

Transfer Additions

Even after a highly successful 2018, the Razorbacks bolstered their roster by adding four transfer players this offseason.

Arkansas natives Braxton Burnside (Paragould) and Lauren Graves (White Hall) returned to their home state over the summer from Missouri and Maryland, respectively, while Danielle Gibson of Arizona State and Ryan Jackson of Bethune-Cookman joined the team in January.

“I don’t think you ever plan for it, but we’re always open for it,” Deifel said about the transfers. “Any time we have a chance to make our program better and it’s the right fit, then we’re going to go for it.”

The biggest of those additions is Gibson, who was a first-team all-conference selection in the powerful Pac-12 as a true freshman last season.

She said that she fell in love with Arkansas as soon as she stepped foot on campus after deciding to leave Arizona State. It also helped that she has known current Razorbacks Kayla Green, Sam Torres and Storms.

Despite Gibson not being on the team for very long, Storms is already seeing some of the same qualities in her that she saw nearly a decade ago when they were teammates on a 12-and-under travel ball team.

“She brings a leadership role,” Storms said. “She is so consistent and so willing to do anything for her teammates. I think it really shows on the field.”

Jackson was another big get for the Razorbacks. She put up huge numbers at Bethune-Cookman - including a .412 batting average as a freshman and 17 home runs as a sophomore - and earned MEAC Player of the Year honors both seasons.

Although it’s still Division I, going from the MEAC - a conference comprised of HBCUs - to the SEC is quite the jump, but Deifel is confident her bat will translate.

“The level doesn’t matter; it’s the skill set and mindset,” Deifel said. “With offensive approach, it’s just getting in there and being confident and knowing who you are as a hitter and it’s very clear she knows that.”

Unlike other sports that require athletes to sit out a year when transferring as a non-graduate, with a few exceptions, transfers are almost always immediately eligible in softball. The exception is when moving within a conference, which means Burnside will miss the 2019 season.

The state’s all-time leader in career home runs at the prep level, she was selected to the SEC All-Freshman team last year, but decided to leave amid a coaching change. Even though she can’t play, Burnside is taking advantage of this year and Deifel has been pleased with her work ethic

“She’s going to have a huge impact on this team even though she’s not going to step on the field game day,” Deifel said. “You see her play every day, you wouldn’t even know that she’s not working toward being game ready just like everybody else.”

Of the three transfers who are immediately eligible, Graves will likely have the smallest impact this season. However, she could still eat a few innings in the circle if called upon.

Early-Season Tests

It will be a few weeks before fans in Northwest Arkansas get their first glimpse of the top-15 Razorbacks because their first nine games are at a pair of tournaments in Lake Charles, La., and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The trip to Louisiana begins with a doubleheader Friday, with the nightcap being a true road game against McNeese State - a traditionally strong softball program the received votes in the preseason coaches poll. Arkansas will also play Campbell twice, Samford and Lipscomb.

Things will be even tougher in Mexico, as that trip is highlighted by a matchup with No. 3 Washington. The Huskies are coming off a 52-10 season and national runner-up finish in 2018. North Dakota State, Northern Colorado and Sacramento State are also on the slate.

Players are always excited to get another season started, but with a trip outside the country looming, the excitement has picked up a notch.

“We’re really excited to go to Mexico, obviously,” Storms said. “A lot of us had to get passports (because) we haven’t been out of the country, so we’re super excited for that.”

California Dreaming

Nearly half of Arkansas’ roster is from California, with 10 of the 23 players listing the Golden State has their home state.

That is more players from that state than the Razorbacks have ever had on one team, which is a good thing because it traditionally produces top talent. Each of the last five Gatorade National Players of the Year have come from California and 4.9 percent of high school players in the state are recruited by Division I schools, the highest rate in the country, according to an NCAA study.

“The good thing about softball in California is they play year around,” Deifel said. “They have a great game sense (and) they’re competing against the best.”

It probably helps that Deifel spent a large chunk of her life in the state, growing up just outside of Fresno and then playing collegiately at Cal.

Her staff also includes assistant Matt Meuchel, who had an eight-year run as Nevada’s head coach and developed strong ties on the west coast.

“I’ve been out there my whole life and played out there and played college out there, so you get to know the travel ball coaches really well,” Deifel said. “Just recruiting a long time and Matt being at Nevada and being out there a ton, you get to know the organizations that are strong, the coaches out there and create relationships that have trust.”

Projected Starters

Outside of the circle, the Razorbacks must replace four starters and only two will be in the same spot as last year, so they will look much different when they take the field in Louisiana this weekend.

The constant for Arkansas will be on the rubber, with a 1-2 punch of Mary Haff and Storms. Together, they threw 94.2 percent of the Razorbacks’ innings last season. By contrast, they’ll have to replace 41.4 percent of their at bats.

“It’s pretty consistent with who we have in the circle, but outside of that we have a lot of new faces and a lot that are going to contribute,” Deifel said. “It’s going to be interesting to see who steps up and when.”

In the month of practice since getting back from Christmas break, though, Deifel has seen seen her lineup take shape and knows pretty well what it will look like at 3 p.m. Friday against Campbell.

“We’ve really seen that starting lineup really separate themselves in the last week or two,” Deifel said. “They’re playing really confidently, so we have a pretty good idea (on the starters).”

Here’s a quick position-by-position look at Arkansas’ projected starters…

C - Kayla Green, so.

2018 stats: .237/.331/.447, 12 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 20 R

Although she didn’t hit for a high average, Green showed some pop at the plate with 19 of her 36 hits going for extra bases. She was also a ball magnet, drawing a team-high nine hit by pitches.

Green made her biggest impact, though, behind the plate. She committed only four errors in 429 chances, giving her a .991 fielding percentage. That ranked seventh among SEC players with at least 300 chances, while her 15 runners caught stealing were second most in the conference.

1B - Ashley Diaz, sr.

2018 stats: .313/.370/.458, 6 2B, 6 HR, 29 RBI, 18 R

One of three seniors in the starting lineup, Diaz started all but two games at first base last season and finished third on the team in batting average. She is already on the UA’s career top-10 lists for batting average (5th, .309), slugging percentage (7th, .474) and home runs (t-7th, 21).

2B - Danielle Gibson, so.

2018 stats: (Arizona State) .343/.417/.633, 12 2B, 12 HR, 39 RBI, 27 R, 1-1 SB

As mentioned above, Gibson was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection as a true freshman last season at Arizona State. She started all but 10 games for the Sun Devils, helping them earn the No. 8 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and reach the Women’s College World Series.

3B - Haydi Bugarin, sr.

2018 stats: .246/.331/.403, 5 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 28 R, 2-3 SB

After being the Razorbacks’ starting second basemen last season, Bugarin makes the move to the hot corner to replace Autumn Buczek. She did make one spot start at third early in 2018, so she has experience at the position.

Offensively, Bugarin was as similar to Buczek as anyone else on the team. She was the only other player with multiple triples and the only other starter with multiple stolen bases. Where Bugarin is different, though, is she has a little more power.

SS - Maggie Hicks, fr.

2018 stats: (high school) .506, 9 HR, 31 RBI, 14 SB

Arkansas got major contributions from two freshmen last season and will hope to replicate that in 2019 with Hicks. She has experience at Bogle Park, helping Sheridan win three straight Arkansas Class 6A state championships. Following a senior season in which she hit an incredible .506, Hicks was named the Softball Player of the Year by the Arkansas Activities Association.

LF/DP - Sydney Parr, jr. -OR- Ryan Jackson, jr.

2018 stats (Parr): .275/.348/.350, 1 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 15 R, 4-4 SB

2018 stats (Jackson): (Bethune-Cookman) .349/.467/.738, 12 2B, 2 3B, 17 HR, 52 RBI, 54 R, 31-37 SB

The only position battle yet to sort itself out is for the final outfield spot. Jackson’s offensive acumen will get her in the lineup, but whether her defense is good enough to start in left field remains to be seen.

If she ends up as the designated player - softball’s version of the designated hitter, but not limited to replacing only the pitcher in the lineup - then Parr is the most likely candidate to end up in left. She actually started 15 games at that spot in 2018 and was Arkansas’ second-best base stealer.

CF - Hannah McEwen, so.

2018 stats: .339/.411/.582, 8 2B, 1 3B, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 45 R

McEwen is coming off arguably the best freshman season by a hitter in UA history, leading the team in all three major offensive categories. In fact, her 57 RBIs were nearly twice as many as other player on the team and shattered the single-season school record by seven.

With Loren Krzysko, one of three players to start all 59 games last season, gone after her five years in the program, McEwen shifts over to center after starting all 59 games in right field in 2018.

RF - Katie Warrick, sr.

2018 stats: .304/.362/.560, 8 2B, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 14 R

An injury caused Warrick to miss the first 18 games of the season and then limited her to designated player duty for all but a nine-game stretch at first base in 2018. She is primed to take McEwen’s spot in right field this year.

Despite missing all of that time, Warrick still finished second on the team with eight home runs and a .560 slugging percentage, so she brings some pop to the lineup.

P - Mary Haff, so. -AND- Autumn Storms, jr.

2018 stats (Haff): 29-7, 1.51 ERA, 249 K, 44 BB, 213 1/3 IP, .157 avg.

2018 stats (Storms): 12-10, 2.67 ERA, 113 K, 33 BB, 152 1/3 IP, .259 avg.

The strength of Arkansas’ team will likely be in the circle thanks to Haff and Storms returning for their sophomore and junior season, respectively.

Together, the pair helped the Razorbacks post their sixth-best ERA (2.34) and third-best opponent batting average (.218) of all-time. Both marks were their best in 16 years.

Both pitchers spent the offseason fine-tuning their craft, Deifel said, and could be even better this season.

“I think where they’ve grown the most is between the ears,” Deifel said. “They have a competitiveness that is rare and I think that’s the big thing.”

As a true freshman, Haff emerged as the staff ace and ended up breaking single-season school records for wins and opponent batting average, while matching the record for shutouts and posting the second-most strikeouts.

That helped her become one of three finalists for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Freshman of the Year award and has landed her on the Preseason All-SEC team and top-50 watch list for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award.

Behind her in the rotation, Storms is optimistic that she will build on her 2018 performance because she’s had a full offseason after missing all of last fall and preseason with injuries.

If that comes to fruition, Arkansas would have a dangerous 1-2 punch in the circle, which is a key to success is softball.

“Me being a drop ball pitcher and Mary being a rise ball pitcher, we really do complement each other really well,” Storms said. “We work a lot in bullpens together and it really helps us build a camaraderie. Not that we didn’t have it last year, but we’re really close this year.”

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