Razorbacks drop rain-delayed tourney quarterfinal to Mizzou

Arkansas will set its sights on deep run in NCAA tournament

From the University of Arkansas

arkansasrazorbacks.com

AUBURN, Ala. – Four-seed Arkansas dropped its SEC Tournament quarterfinal game to five-seed Missouri, 3-1, Friday morning at Jane B.

Moore Field.

Weather greatly impacted the quarterfinal matchup as it began at 8:07 p.m. CT Thursday but was suspended in the top of the fifth inning with no outs, runners at the corners and the Tigers in front 2-1.

Play resumed at 9:02 a.m. Friday.

The Razorbacks fall to 30-16 overall and look to turn the page at the 2024 NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks, vying for the program’s fifth national seed under head coach Courtney Deifel, await their destiny when the 2024 NCAA Tournament Selection committee announces teams and locations for regional play..

Senior RHP Morgan Leinstock (13-5) started in the circle for the Razorbacks and surrendered three earned runs on seven hits while striking out five across 4.0 innings.

The First-Team All-SEC honoree only walked one batter Thursday night. Missouri didn’t waste time as the Tigers scored on an RBI double to left center in the first to grasp onto a 1-0 lead.

Senior third baseman Hannah Gammill blasted her 12th home run of the season and the 45th of her career (fourth all-time in program history) in the bottom of the fourth to tie it at 1-1. In the top of the fifth, the Tigers regained a 2-1 lead with an RBI double to center.

Leinstock was then replaced by sophomore LHP Robyn Herron with no outs and runners at the corners. Herron quickly fired two strikes to carry a 0-2 count before the game was suspended until the morning due to weather.

Resuming play Friday morning, Herron dealt her first strikeout for the first out of the inning. Next, Kennedy Miller erased a would-be base stealer in a rundown but the play allowed Missouri’s runner at third to score to push its lead to 3-1.

Arkansas had its chance in the bottom of the sixth after loading the bases with no outs.

First, Nia Carter singled through the left side and then Bri Ellis was hit by a pitch to move Carter to second. A line-drive single that pounced off the shortstop’s glove by Cylie Halvorson allowed both to advance and juice the bases. The Razorbacks were then retired in order and kept off the board in the sixth.

Carter paced Arkansas with a 2-for-3 effort that included two base knocks. Hannah Gammill was responsible for the Hogs’ lone run off her solo home run. Reagan Johnson and Cylie Halvorson rounded out Arkansas’ hits tally with a base hit apiece.

Arkansas Softball Garners 5 All-SEC Selections

Headlined by three First-Team selections, the No. 13 Arkansas softball team garnered five All-Southeastern Conference selections as voted on by the coaches.

For the first time in their careers, junior first baseman Bri Ellis, sophomore center fielder Reagan Johnson and fifth-year senior RHP Morgan Leinstock were tabbed First-Team All-SEC. Senior second baseman Cylie Halvorson was named Second-Team All-SEC for the second consecutive year.

Earning the honor in 2022 and again in 2024, senior third baseman Hannah Gammill was selected to the SEC’s All-Defensive Team along with Bri Ellis. They’re the first Razorback duo to be named to the SEC’s All-Defensive Team in the same year since Gammill (third base) and Danielle Gibson (first base) were named to the 2022 SEC All-Defensive Team. Additionally, Arkansas’ three First-Team honorees are the most since collecting a program-

See HOGS, page A9 HOGS

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record six First-Team All-SEC selections in 2022.

Bri Ellis has dominated the SEC in her first year as a Razorback, leading the team with a 1.124 OPS, runs scored (36), home runs (14), RBI (47), total bases (95) and slugging percentage (.679). Ellis brings a .329/.679/.446 slash line into Friday’s week’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal game vs. Missouri. The Houston native also leads the team in two-out RBI with 17. She became the first Hog in program history to win SEC Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks after earning the accolades on March 12 and March 19. An integral part of Arkansas’ defense at first base, Ellis has recorded a .991 fielding percentage on 347 total chances while helping turn 21 double plays.

Building upon her breakout freshman campaign, Reagan Johnson continues to be amongst the SEC’s best at center field and as a leadoff batter. The Karnes City, Texas, native ranks second in the conference in hits with 70 and sixth in batting average, sporting a team-high .388 clip.

Johnson paces Arkansas in hits, stolen bases with 11 and multi-hit games with 21. Defensively, Johnson has posted a .988 fielding percentage on 84 total chances.

In her lone SEC season in the circle, Leinstock has showcased why she’s one of the conference’s premier pitchers after racking up two SEC Pitcher of the Week honors. Leinstock (13-4) brings a 1.75 ERA, 129 strikeouts, eight complete games, three complete-game shutouts and a .205 opponent batting average into this week’s SEC Tournament quarterfinal matchup vs. Missouri. During leagueonly play, Leinstock finished amongst the league’s best, finishing fourth in saves with two, sixth in wins (8), sixth in batters struck out looking (20), eighth in ERA (2.00), ninth in innings pitched (80.1), ninth in batters struck out (66) and 11th in opponent batting average (.213). She’s second on Arkansas’ pitching staff with a 1.12 WHIP this season.

Despite changing positions from first to second base during the offseason, Cylie Halvorson made sure the transition was flawless as she was recognized as Second- Team All-SEC for the second year in a row. Halvorson, slashing .304/.558/.365 during the regular season, heated up during conference play and hit at a .313 clip while notching 20 hits, a team-best five doubles, three home runs, nine RBI, a .531 slugging percentage and a .389 onbase percentage. The Sioux Falls, S.D., native made her presence felt at second base after amassing a .967 fielding percentage on 182 total chances while helping flip 16 double plays.

Hannah Gammill has been a staple in the Razorback lineup throughout her four seasons on The Hill. Claiming her second SEC All-Defensive Team honor, Gammill has filed a .985 fielding percentage on 137 total chances with eight double plays. During conference play, Gammill finished with a .986 fielding percentage on 71 total chances with four double plays. During the conference season, Gammill slashed .230/.525/.347 with 18 hits, three doubles, five home runs and a team-high 20 RBI. The Beebe, Ark., product also drew the second-most walks on the team with nine and reached via hit by pitch three times.

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