Arkansas Softball Fact Sheet #14

This WeekThe University of Arkansas softball team takes on Louisiana Tech Wednesday in a midweek doubleheader in Sherwood, Ark., before hosting No. 6 LSU at Lady’Back Yard Saturday and Sunday. RecapThis past weekend the Lady Razorbacks won the first game of a Southeastern Conference series against Mississippi 7-0, before falling in dramatic fashion the next two games to drop the series. A walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the seventh in game two (0-1) and a walk-off grand-slam home run in the bottom of the seventh in game three (4-7) doomed the Lady’Backs. Run Rachel RunSenior Rachel LeMaster broke the career stolen base record with the 73rd stolen base of her career Sunday, in Oxford, Miss. LeMaster earned her 20th stolen base of the season and the 73rd of her career after stealing second base in the top of the first inning. She beat the previous record of 72 set by Dana Gulick from 1997-2000.Bachkora Ties Triple RecordFreshman Jessica Bachkora tied the record for most triples in a single season after hitting her fourth triple of the year in game one Saturday against Ole Miss. Lady’Back LeaderFreshman Miranda Dixon led the team with a .500 batting average thie past weekend. Dixon also kept Ole Miss scoreless through 4.1 innings in game two with seven strikeouts which is her career-high in strikeouts per inning and her second highest career strikeout count.Most Home Runs in a Single SeasonSophomore Whitney Cloer leads the team and is second on the list for most home runs in a single season with six. Junior Dayna Huckabee and Dixon sit tied for third with five home runs.About Louisiana TechThe Lady Techsters were swept by Utah State this weekend and face Louisiana-Monroe Tuesday before facing the Lady’Backs in Sherwood, Ark., Wednesday. Louisiana Tech is led by Emma Barnes with a .351 batting average. She is also top on the team with 52 hits, 21 walks, 28 runs, a .443 on-base-percentage and 19 stolen bases.Versus the Lady TechstersLouisiana Tech leads the all-time series against Arkansas 1-0, winning the only contest between the two teams in 1999, 5-1.About LSUThe Tigers are ranked 6th in the nation and hold a record of 42-6. LSU hosts cross-town rival Southern in a mid-week game on Tuesday, before travling to Fayetteville for the weekend series with Arkansas. The Tigers swept a doubleheader from Mississippi State this past weekend in two close 9-inning games. LSU won 4-1 and 4-3. Leslie Klein currently leads LSU at the plate with a .408 batting average.Versus the TigersLSU leads the all-time series against the Lady’Backs 31-7, but Arkansas won last year’s series upsetting the No. 11 Tigers twice. Game one went to Arkansas 3-2, while LSU took game two 4-3. The Lady’Backs then downed the Tigers Sunday, 3-2 in nine innings. Hitting StreaksLeMaster had the longest hitting streak on the team this season with an eight-game streak that ended April 15 against Florida. During the streak she hit .367 with 11 hits, three runs, one double and two RBIs. Freshman Jessica Bachkora and sophomore Kayla Johnson had six-game hitting streaks, while sophomore Whitney Cloer hit in five consecutive games. There’s a First Time For EverythingSophomore Hillary Freeman hit her first collegiate home run and first collegiate double against Kansas, April 3. Freeman went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI, a career-high. Her homer was the 20th of the season for the Lady’Backs and broke the team’s single-season home run record.Creeping UpCloer began the year batting .243 through the first half of season. The second half she increased her batting average over .100, hitting .371. Cloer’s slugging percentage also jumped from .338 to .661. Blasting RecordsThe 2007 Arkansas softball team broke the single-season home run record smashing its 20th home run of the season against Kansas, April 3. The previous record was 19 set in 2005. The Lady’Backs have 21 home runs this season.Record-Breaking Game OneIn the first game of the series against Kentucky, Arkansas tied the single game records for most runs scored (14) and most hits (19), and broke the record for most runs batted in (14). The previous record of 19 hits was in a 19-inning game against Alabama in 1999, while the 2007 Lady’Backs tallied their 19 hits in just seven innings.Another Single Game RecordCloer also broke the single game record for most hits in a game with five. Cloer was 5-for-5 with four RBIs, two runs scored, two doubles and one home run. Pinkerton’s 200th WinHead coach Jamie Pinkerton picked up the 200th win of his career as a Division I head coach Sunday, April 1, in the final game of the Kentucky series.Bring Out the BroomArkansas swept Kentucky March 31-April 1. The last time the Lady’Backs swept an SEC opponent was against Kentucky in 2005.Leading the WayFreshman Jessica Bachkora continues to lead the Lady’Backs with a .305 batting average, 27 runs, 50 hits, nine doubles, four triples, and a .352 on-base percentage.LeMaster’s 200th HitSenior Rachel LeMaster collected the 200th hit of her career in the final game of the Tennessee series, March 25. LeMaster is fourth on the career list with 213 hits. The current record is 224 held by Danica White.Fanning the OpponentJunior Katy Henry is third in the SEC in strikeouts with 201. Tennessee’s Monica Abbott leads the way with a commanding 498 K’s while Auburn’s Anna Thompson is second with 248.Top ThievesLeMaster and Bachkora account for 70% of the Lady’Backs’ stolen bases.LeMaster leads the team with 20 and is followed closely by Bachkora with 15. Arkansas has 50 stolen bases as a team.It’s Out of HereJunior Dayna Huckabee tied the career home run record March 18 with a two-out, two-run blast in the first inning against Nebraska. She hit five home runs this year and 12 in her career. Lady’Back Home Run RecordsThe Lady’Backs hit three home runs, a team game record, in two contests this season, March 4 against Louisiana-Monroe and March 18 against Nebraska. The previous record was two. Dixon Homers Three TimesFreshman Miranda Dixon hit three home runs and was 7-for-7, helping the Lady’Backs to two victories March 4 at Lady’Back Yard. Dixon put Arkansas up 6-5 against Northern Iowa with a two-run shot on two outs in the fifth inning. Against ULM she hit a lead-off home run in the fourth inning to bring the Lady’Backs within one run of the Warhawks, and homered again in the seventh to put the Lady’Backs up 8-4. Dixon had seven hits, seven RBIs and four runs on the day. She also marked a new Lady’Back Yard record, hitting two home runs in a game.Bachkora Breaks Triple RecordBachkora broke the school record for most triples in a single game on Feb. 25 against Missouri. Bachkora hit two triples, breaking the previous record of one. Preseason PredictionsArkansas was selected to finish fourth in the SEC Western Division. The Lady’Backs received 37 points trailing LSU with 14 points, Alabama with 15 points and Auburn with 30 points. Tennessee was unanimously voted as the overall champion with 10 votes while Florida received one vote.2008 SigneesAmanda Caldwell of Victoria, Texas, Lauren Chisom a Bentonville, Ark. native, Leslie Dixon from Edmond, Okla., Lauren Iverson of Grove, Okla., Emily Jones a Joplin, Mo. native, Kim Jones from Lenexa, Kan., Jacey Juden of Arkansas City, Kan., and Wynne, Ark. native Layne McGuirt signed national letters of intent to play softball at Arkansas and officially become part of the Lady’Back program in the 2007-08 academic year.