FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas begins this weekend with a road trip to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.
The three-day tournament begins Saturday and continues through Monday. Two of the Razorbacks’ five opponents—Utah and Fordham—advanced to last year’s NCAA Tournament.
2018 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic (all times central)
Big League Dreams | Palm Springs, Calif.
Feb. 17 vs Grand Canyon – 5 p.m.
Feb. 17 vs #21 Utah – 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 18 vs Weber State – 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 18 vs Loyola Marymount – 7 p.m.
Feb. 19 vs Fordham – 10:30 a.m.
Let’s Try This Again
With last weekend’s Lion Classic cancelled due to inclement weather, the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic stands as the Razorbacks’ latest season opener since 1998. Overall, the program is 9-12 in season-opening games.
Against the Field
The Razorbacks own a combined 13-5 record against this weekend’s opponents at the Mary Nutter: Grand Canyon (0-1), Utah (3-3), Weber State (1-0), Loyola Marymount (6-1) and Fordham (3-0). Arkansas and LMU played last year at the MNCC; the Razorbacks won, 15-2, in five innings.
There’s Something About Cali
Arkansas has hit 11 home runs in each of its past two trips to the Mary Nutter Classic, good for 2.75 homers per game over eight outings in Palm Springs. Senior Tori Cooper and junior Ashley Diaz have each hit three in that time.
Heading Home
This weekend’s trip to Palm Springs marks a trip home for five Razorbacks. Ashley Diaz (South El Monte), Kayla Green (Temecula), Aly Manzo (Roseville), Hannah McEwen (San Diego) and Autumn Storms (Temecula) all hail from the Golden State.
Who’s Back?
The Razorbacks return three players—A.J. Belans, Autumn Buczek and Ashley Diaz—that started all 55 games in 2017. Overall, Arkansas welcomes back 18 letterwinners and nine starters. Belans was named to the All-SEC Second Team while sophomore Autumn Storms was an All-SEC and All-South Region performer.
Starting Point
In the SEC preseason coaches’ poll, Arkansas was picked to finish 10th in the league; the team had been picked 13th in the previous two seasons. The Razorbacks also start the year receiving votes in the NFCA and USA Softball polls.
