Lady'Backs Ready for Home Opener

FAYETTEVILLE – The University of Arkansas softball team is set for its home opener Friday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m. against Drake (1-5) in the Lady’Back Invitational.

The Lady Razorbacks (1-7) meet Penn State (2-3) at 3 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, the team faces North Dakota State (0-4) at 1 p.m. and then concludes the tournament with Missouri-Kansas City (0-0) at 3 p.m. and Missouri State (3-2) at 5 p.m., Sunday.

Arkansas softball head coach Jamie Pinkerton said the team is excited to play in Fayetteville after tournaments in Miami and Shreveport, La.

“Well it’s good to be home,” he said. “Our hands are full. We definitely have to clean-up all three facets of our game. We’ve got to be more consistent in the circle. Hopefully, being at home will cure a lot of our ills and hopefully we’ll do a better job.”

In the tournament opener, Pinkerton expects the Lady’Backs to see similar aspects of themselves in the Drake Bulldogs. Arkansas leads the all-time series 1-0, after a 2-1 victory in 2001.

“They are going to be a team that is a mirror image of us,” he said. “They are going to have a lot of speed at the top and bottom of the lineup.”

When the Lady’Backs meet Penn State and North Dakota State it marks the first contest between the programs. Arkansas posts a 2-0 all-time record against UMKC after a 7-1 win last season in Fayetteville and the Lady’Backs trail Missouri State 10-15 in the series after splitting a doubleheader in Springfield, Mo., in 2005.

Freshman infielder Sandra Smith is returning to action after an injury caused her to miss the first eight games of the season.

For more information on Arkansas softball, log on to LADYBACKS.COM.