SEC Network’s Peter Burns and Kayla Braud take a look at the SEC Softball Tournament bracket.
Razorbacks open play in SEC Softball Tournament against Tide
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ return to postseason play begins Wednesday against Alabama in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The 5-12 matchup will serve as the opening game of the tournament with first pitch set for 11 a.m. at Sherri Parker Lee Stadium, home of the Tennessee Volunteers.
The game will be televised on the SEC Network and streamed live through the WatchESPN app.
Arkansas is making the program’s 10th overall appearance at the SEC Tournament and first since the 2013 season. Under second-year coach Courtney Deifel, the Razorbacks closed out the regular season with a 31-21 record which marks a 14-game improvement from last year’s mark.
Arkansas’ seven conference wins this season equals the team’s combined efforts from the previous three seasons.
The Razorbacks secured their spot in the SEC Tournament with a 6-2 win over Georgia in Friday’s series opener.
Through its regular-season schedule, Arkansas launched an SEC-leading 56 home runs which currently stands as the fifth-highest total in program history heading into Wednesday’s game against Alabama.
Razorbacks fall in regular-season finale against Georgia
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas closed out its regular season with a 10-0 loss to Georgia Sunday afternoon at Bogle Park.
A.J. Belans tallied her team-leading 12th double of the season and Loren Krzysko extended her on-base streak to 14-consecutive games.
The Razorbacks will enter next week’s SEC Tournament with a 31-21 overall record under second-year coach Courtney Deifel, a 14-game improvement from last season.
Prior to Sunday’s game, Arkansas celebrated its senior and graduating class of Parker Pocklington, Marley Harmon, Betina Beringhele, Grace Moll, Stephanie Canfield, Kylie Smith, Shelby Hiers, Nicole Schroeder and manager Katie Magness. The team also recognized its opponent with a flower for Georgia’s seniors.
Trailing 3-0 through four and a half, the Razorbacks put together their first scoring threat of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. Madison Yannetti drew a one-out walk, and after a Georgia error at shortstop, the home team had runners on second and third with one out.
However, the would-be rally was cut short with a fly out to right field and ground ball to short. Prior to the fifth, Arkansas’ lone base runner came courtesy of a walk to Ashley Diaz in the third frame.
Georgia (33-21, 6-18 SEC) added two more runs in the top of the sixth to push its advantage to 5-0. The Razorbacks looked to respond with another rally in the home half of the inning that started with a walk to Krzysko.
On the first offering in her at-bat against reliever Kylie Bass, Belans lined a double to left center for Arkansas’ first hit of the game and to put two runners in scoring position for a second-straight inning. The visitors got out of the jam with a fly ball to right field.
The Bulldogs tacked on five more runs in the top of the seventh inning to cushion its lead. Sunday’s finale marked the first time Arkansas has given up double-digit runs this season.
Cortni Emanuel paced Georgia’s offense with three hits and two runs scored in the game.
Up Next
With a win in Friday’s series opener against Georgia, the Razorbacks secured a spot in next week’s SEC Tournament which begins Wednesday in Knoxville, Tenn.
Seeding and game information will be announced following the day’s slate of league games.
In addition to online coverage, the first two rounds of the SEC Tournament will be televised on the SEC Network with the semifinals and final airing on ESPNU and ESPN, respectively.
Fletcher, Stephan lift Arkansas to split doubleheader with Vols
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Freshman Dominic Fletcher’s solo home run in the fifth inning was all Arkansas needed to split a double-header with Tennessee Saturday afternoon.
His homer, coupled with a great performance on the mound by junior Trevor Stephan, gave Arkansas the 2-0 victory in seven innings over the Volunteers, its 14th conference win of the year.
Stephan was locked in from first pitch striking out the side in the first and third innings. He ended up tallying 11 strikeouts over a complete seven innings, his third outing of 10 or more strikeouts this season, joining Blaine Knight with three outings of 10+ strikeouts this year.
It’s also the first complete game shutout by a Razorback pitcher this year and first since Zach Jackson pitched a complete game shutout in seven innings at Kentucky on April 23, 2016.
As for Fletcher, the freshman was nearly unstoppable at the plate in both games of the double-header, going 5-for-7 at the plate with two home runs on the day.
He now has eight homers on the year, which leads all freshmen in the SEC.
The victory for the Hogs is key for them to stay in the hunt for the SEC Western Division as their 14 conference wins keeps them just a game and a half back of leader Mississippi State and just a half game behind second-place Auburn.
Game 1: Tennessee 5, Arkansas 4 (Box Score)
A fielding error by Chad Spanberger in the sixth inning allowed the go-ahead runs to score for Tennessee and ended up being the difference as the Volunteers won the recently suspended game, 5-4, in nine innings.
The lead changed hands three times with Arkansas holding the advantage on two separate occasions.
However, once starting pitcher Blaine Knight was taken out of the game, sophomore Jake Reindl was brought in to try and continue the success that Knight had going.
Two runners reached for Tennessee before the one-out error allowed the two runs to come home unearned.
Fletcher provided much of the offense for the Hogs after going 3-for-4, including a home run in the sixth.
At the time, his homer put the Hogs ahead 4-3, but was the last time Arkansas could push a run across over the final four innings.
The three-hit game breaks Fletcher out of a 2-for-15 (.133) slump he had coming in dating back to the second game of the Auburn series (April 22). It was also his first home run since March 26 against Missouri.
The series opener began on Thursday before the rains moved through the Knoxville area all Thursday night and through Friday. The game finally resumed Saturday morning at 9 a.m. CT, more than 36 hours after it was suspended.
Arkansas had the early 1-0 lead thanks to the base-running of Jared Gates on Thursday after he reached on a one-out single. He, then, moved around the bases on a wild pitch and a failed pick off by Tennessee pitcher Hunter Martin before scoring on, yet, another wild pitch.
Upon resuming the game two days later, neither team made a change to its lineup, including bringing back both starting pitchers. After a hitless first inning Thursday, Knight returned to the mound for the Razorbacks, but had trouble early on. Three runs scored for the Volunteers in the second inning off Knight, two from a double by Jeff Moberg.
Knight was able to settle in, however, retiring nine of the final 10 batters he faced over the third through fifth innings and the Hog offense did its job to tie the game with two runs in the fifth and re-take the lead with a lone run in the sixth.
It ended up being a good five innings of work for Knight, allowing just three runs, all in the second inning. It was his second straight start of five innings or more, but he wound up with the no-decision after the bullpen couldn’t hold the one-run lead in the sixth.
Game 2: Arkansas 2, Tennessee 0 (Box Score)
After fighting through the rain over three straight days, the Hogs and Vols finally caught a break in the second game of the double-header Saturday as the weather finally subsided for the first time all weekend.
Stephan did everything he could to make sure the Hogs got a quality outing from its starting pitching, especially with the good weather.
The seven innings was the junior’s longest outing since going seven strong against LSU back on April 8, where he only gave up two runs on five hits, while striking out seven.
The shutout with one hit allowed and 11 strikeouts marked his best overall outing since going 8.1 innings against Rhode Island on March 10, where he struck out 13 batters and only gave up two hits.
Only four batters combined between both teams reached base in the first four innings. However, Fletcher changed all of that with his monstrous home run over the right field wall in the fifth to light up the scoreboard and give the Razorbacks the 1-0 lead.
Arkansas got an insurance run in the top of the seventh after Carson Shaddy doubled to lead off the inning. He was later brought around to score on an Eric Cole single up the middle. It was Cole’s only hit of the game and Shaddy finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Up Next
Arkansas gets back to Baum Stadium next week for its final regular-season series of the 2017 season when it welcomes Vanderbilt for a three-game set starting on Friday, May 12 at 6 p.m. on the SEC Network.
It will be Senior Weekend for Razorback seniors Alex Gosser, Josh Alberius, Dominic Taccolini, Jake Arledge, and Cannon Chadwick. All seniors will be honored prior to the series finale on May 14.
Late game efforts not enough as Hogs fall to Bulldogs
FAYETTEVILLE — After a quiet start to the game and shortened scoring threats in the sixth and seventh innings, Arkansas dropped a 6-2 decision to Georgia on Saturday afternoon at Bogle Park in front of a record crowd.
Loren Krzysko pushed her hitting streak to nine games to continue her strong finish to the regular season. With the setback, Arkansas is now 31-20 overall with a 7-16 mark in SEC play.
Saturday’s game was played in front of 2,023 fans, the largest home crowd in program history which marked the first time eclipsing the 2,000 mark in a home game.
Overall, four of the top-seven attendance figures have been established this year including Friday’s crowd of 1,228 which now stands at No. 7 on Arkansas’ all-time list.
Georgia (32-21, 5-18 SEC) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead after scoring a pair of unearned runs off freshman starter Caroline Hedgcock.
An RBI double by Alyssa DiCarlo in the third inning pushed the visitor’s advantage to three, and forced a pitching change to Katie Warrick who retired the first five hitters she faced.
The Razorbacks’ offense was held in check early by Georgia starter Brittany Gray who only allowed one baserunner through three, a first-inning walk to Tori Cooper.
With two outs in the fourth, A.J. Belans collected Arkansas’ first hit with a line-drive single to left field but was left stranded at first. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs scored three runs over the fifth and sixth innings to take a 6-0 lead on the scoreboard. Lacey Sumerlin had the big hit with a two-run shot in the sixth.
With her team facing a six-run deficit, Warrick got things started in the bottom of the sixth with a single to center field. After a fielder’s choice, Autumn Russell stood on first base when Krzysko stepped to the plate.
The Barrington, Ill., native drove a pitch to the right-center gap for an RBI triple which allowed Russell to score from first and put Arkansas on the board.
In addition to her nine-game hitting streak, Krzysko has reached base safely in 13 straight. She eventually scored on an errant throw to first to cut Georgia’s lead to four.
Grace Moll, who entered the game to get the final three outs of the sixth, worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning to get the offense right back to the plate.
With the help of two Georgia errors, the Razorbacks had runners on first and third but were down to their final out. The game ended in the next at-bat with a low pop up back to the pitcher.
Up Next
Sunday’s regular-season finale between Arkansas and Georgia is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start at Bogle Park and will be streamed on SEC Network+ which is also available through the WatchESPN app.
Prior to the game, the Razorbacks will recognize their senior class.
General admission is free for all home games with gates opening one hour prior to first pitch.
Arkansas downs Georgia; secures tourney spot
FAYETTEVILLE — Behind four home runs in Friday’s series opener, Arkansas registered a 6-2 win over Georgia to secure a spot in the 2017 SEC Tournament.
In the victory, Nicole Schroeder tied the program’s single-season mark with her 15th home run and was joined in the jog around the bases by A.J. Belans, Katie Warrick and Madison Yannetti.
The Razorbacks improved to 31-19 overall and 7-15 in conference play.
While the offense was knocking the ball over the fence, freshman starter Autumn Storms responded with a complete game to pick up her 16th win of the season. Her win total is tied for the second most by a freshman in program history.
Prior to the game and in conjunction with the Bentonville Film Festival, Academy Award winner Geena Davis threw out the first pitch. Friday’s game was played in front of 1,228 fans, the sixth-largest home crowd in program history.
Arkansas is headed to the SEC Tournament for the first time since the 2013 season, and for the 10th time overall in program history.
In their second season under coach Courtney Deifel, the Razorbacks are sitting at a 14-win improvement over last year’s record, including a six-win increase in league play.
Play at the SEC Tournament begins Wednesday, May 10 in Knoxville.
“We never put a result-oriented goal on anything we did,” Deifel said of her team’s approach this season. “We just wanted to be better Razorbacks than the day before. Our girls have absolutely shown up every day and done that. They’ve lived that.
“For them to experience the SEC Tournament, and hopefully the NCAA Tournament, they’ve put themselves in a really strong position to be part of that conversation. I’m just so proud of them and I’m excited for them to get to experience that, especially for this senior class to get to keep playing.”
Yannetti opened the scoring with a two-out solo shot in the second inning, good for her sixth home run of the year. The Mesquite, Texas, native entered her junior campaign with two career home runs.
With the big fly, the Razorbacks have now hit a home run in six-consecutive games. Yannetti added a double in the fourth to tally her sixth multi-hit performance of the season.
In the fourth, the Razorbacks pushed their advantage to 3-0 with the help of a two-run homer off Schroeder’s bat. The senior from Yorba Linda, California, tied the single-season mark first established by Jessica Bachkora in 2010 and equaled by Devon Wallace in 2012.
Schroeder crushed the 10th pitch of the at-bat against Georgia starter Kylie Bass to center field, delivering her 36th career home run in the process.
Belans got in on the power display with a two-run blast to left field, her eighth home run of the season. The junior shortstop made a defensive impact on the game in the first inning.
With runners on first and third, Georgia (31-21, 4-18 SEC) looked to take the lead with a bloop to shallow left field but Belans ranged from her position and made the diving catch to snag the third out.
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard with two runs in the sixth inning without the ball leaving the infield. With a pair of fielder’s choice ground outs, the Bulldogs cut into Arkansas’ lead and the score was 5-2 heading to the bottom of the sixth.
Warrick, in her first start since April 2, got one of those runs back with her fifth home run of the season, a solo homer to left and the lead was 6-2 after six frames.
Georgia put together a threat and had runners on second and third with two outs in the top of the seventh.
On a hot shot to third base, Autumn Russell secured the final out with a throw from her knees across the diamond to Ashley Diaz who picked the ball to end the game. Backing up Storms, the infield registered 14 assists and turned two double plays in Friday’s win.
Up Next
Game two of the weekend series is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start Saturday at Bogle Park and will be streamed online at SEC Network+ through the WatchESPN app.
The first 75 fans in attendance will receive an Arkansas Razorbacks snapback hat. General admission is free to all home games with gates opening one hour prior to first pitch.
Razorbacks set several PR’s at final meets of regular season
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas capped its regular season with a flood of personal best performances at the Arkansas Twilight in Fayetteville and at the Payton Jordan Invitational in Stanford, California on Friday evening.
Veterans Lead by Example
All-Americans Taliyah Brooks, Payton Stumbaugh and Lexi Weeks all picked up wins in their respective events with seasons’ best performances. Brooks won the 100-meter hurdles in 13.29, besting the field by .20 seconds.
Stumbaugh claimed the long jump victory with a wind-assisted mark of 6.29m/20-7¼. Lexi Weeks narrowly edged out her sister Tori Weeks for the pole vault title, winning off a first attempt clearance of 4.55m/14-11.
The Weeks sisters moved up to No. 2 in the NCAA with that clearance, which was an outdoor personal best for Tori Weeks.
New Hogs Forge On
Sprinter Jada Baylark led the flurry of Razorback newcomers who found success on the oval at John McDonnell Field. Baylark was the top performer in the 200-meter dash with a wind-legal PR of 23.29.
Baylark also captured runner-up recognition in 100, second only to All-American Hog, Kiara Parker.
Sophomore Sunkietra McCallister finished second in the 400 with a PR of 54.18. McCallister was top collegiate performer in the event.
Freshman Carina Viljoen dropped 1.81 seconds off her 800 best, crossing the finish line as the runner-up in 2 minutes, 8.77 seconds.
Payton Jordan PRs
Middle distance tandem Nikki Hiltz and Therese Haiss closed out the Razorbacks’ evening with a pair of PRs in the 1,500 at the Payton Jordan Invitational. Hiltz won section two of the event by 3.50 seconds, placing first in 4:12.09. Haiss took third with 4:16.31.
Next Up
The Razorbacks will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, next week for the 2017 SEC Outdoor Championships on May 11-13 in pursuit of their third-consecutive conference triple crown.
Arkansas Twilight
100 Meters: 1. Kiara Parker – 11.36, 2. Jada Baylark – 11.38, 4. Tamara Kuykendall – 11.74, 14. Kaylee McCarthy – 12.81
200 Meters: 1. Jada Baylark – 23.29, 2. Daina Harper – 23.50, 3. Kiara Parker – 23.51, 4. Sunkietra McCallister – 24.30, 6. Kelsey Herman – 24.54, 8. Tamara Kuykendall – 24.86, 11. Leigha Brown – 25.60, 15. Ashlee Moore – 26.02, 16. Kaylee McCarthy – 26.10
400 Meters: 2. Sunkietra McCallister – 54.18, 3. Ceara Watson – 54.65, 4. Sydney Hammit – 54.96
800 Meters: 2. Carina Viljoen – 2:08.77, 3. Alex Byrnes – 2:09.00, 6. Kailee Sawyer – 2:10.43, 13. Emily Jeacock – 2:16.28, 14. Autumn Sehy – 2:21.03, 17. Madison Cooley – 2:23.79
1,500 Meters: Rachel Nichwitz, Kelsey Schrader
3,000 Meters: 7. Grace Taylor – 11:11.27
100 Meter Hurdles: 1. Taliyah Brooks – 13.29, 3. Leigha Brown – 13.95
400 Meter Hurdles: 6. Jada Pollard – 1:05.42
4-x-100 Meter Relay: 1. Brooks, Stumbaugh, Harper, Parker – 44.31
4-x-400 Meter Relay: 2. Hammit, McCallister, Byrnes, Moore – 3:48.85
Pole Vault: 1. Lexi Weeks – 4.55m/14-11, 2. Tori Weeks – 4.55m/14-11, 3. Desiree Freier – 4.35m/14-3¼, 7. Rylee Robinson – 3.65m/11-11¾, 9. Madeline Telford – 3.65m/11-11¾, 12. Stephanie Diettinger – 3.05m/10-0
Long Jump: 1. Payton Stumbaugh – 6.29m/20-7¾, 3. Kelsey Herman – 5.91m/19-4¾, 4. Ashlee Moore – 5.87m/19-3¼, 5. Leigha Moore – 5.68m/18-7¾
Javelin: 3. Kelsey Herman – 32.97m/108-2
Sullins gets program best hammer throw at Twilight Invitational
FAYETTEVILLE — The final outdoor regular season meet got off to a hot start courtesy of a program-record hammer throw toss by redshirt sophomore Erich Sullins at the Arkansas Twilight on Friday afternoon in Fayetteville.
Sullins broke his previous record by 7 inches, capturing the gold with a mark of 202-10, which paced the No. 7 Arkansas men’s track and field team to a successful home meet finale.
Jumpers on the Rise
The meet marked the return of All-American long jumper Travonn White who leapt to top honors in his signature event with a best of 7.82m/25-8.
Junior Rubin Owens claimed the runner-up spot with a seasons’ best of 7.60m/24-11¼. Owens also finished second in the high jump with a PR of 2.12m/6-11½. Senior Ken LeGassey won the high jump with his first 7-foot clearance of the season.
Additional Notable Performances
Senior Josh Washington was .06 seconds shy of matching his PR in the 200, placing fourth in the half-lap sprint with 20.76.
Senior Eric Janise (46.39) and junior Jamarco Stephen (46.56) both ran outdoor personal bests in the quarter mile, finishing first and second, respectively.
Junior Kemar Mowatt posted a PR in the 110-meter hurdles of 13.94, moving him up to No. 15 on the NCAA West region performance list. Mowatt already holds the best 400-meter hurdle time in the country.
Next Up
The Razorbacks will travel to Columbia, South Carolina, next week for the 2017 SEC Outdoor Championships on May 11-13 in pursuit of their second-consecutive conference triple crown.
Arkansas Twilight
100 Meters: 4. Harrison Schrage – 10.42
200 Meters: 3. Kenzo Cotton – 20.74, 4. Josh Washington – 20.76, 5. Roy Ejiakuekwu – 20.93, 6. Rhayko Schwartz – 21.20, 7. Kevin Harris – 21.28
400 Meters: 1. Eric Janise – 46.39, 2. Jamarco Stephen – 46.56, 3. Carlton Orange – 47.07, 5. John Winn – 47.56
1,500 Meters: 8. Ethan Moehn – 3:49.51, 15. Chris Mooneyham – 3:57.63
110 Meter Hurdles: 2. Kemar Mowatt – 13.94, 3. Lane Austell – 14.63
400 Meter Hurdles: 2. Travius Chambers – 51.57
High Jump: 1. Ken LeGassey – 2.15m/7-0½, 2. Rubin Owens – 2.12m/6-11½, 4. Brendon Rivera – 2.02m/6-7½
Pole Vault: 3. Lane Austell – 4.60m/15-1, 4. Derek Jacobus – 4.60m/15-1
Long Jump: 1. Travonn White – 7.82m/25-8, 2. Rubin Owens – 7.60m/24-11¼
Shot Put: 2. Jeff Rogers – 16.36m/53-8¼, 3. Sam Kempka – 16.26m/53-4¼, 5. Gabe Moore – 13.53m/44-4¾, 6. Brad Culp – 12.95m/42-6
Discus: 2. Erich Sullins – 47.28m/155-1, 5. Gabe Moore – 42.65m/139-11, 7. Lane Austell – 39.00m/127-11, 8. Derek Jacobus – 36.69m/120-4
Hammer Throw: 1. Erich Sullins – 61.82m/202-10
Florida judge shows exactly why she should stick to courtroom
When it comes to sports, why do so many incredibly bright people make such ridiculous statements?
It happened again Wednesday, in Florida, and Arkansas native Charlie Strong caught the effect of it.
Judge Margaret Taylor said she was ashamed to be an alumnus of South Florida and questioned whether Strong had control of his players.
This came at a hearing in the case of South Florida defensive end LaDarrius Jackson, who is charged with sexual battery and false imprisonment stemming from an incident earlier this week.
“I graduated from USF in 1989, long before there was a football team. And while USF may not be the top-ranked school in the nation, I was never ashamed of being an alum until now,” Taylor said in video of the hearing posted by WTSP-TV. “I’m embarrassed and ashamed, Mr. Jackson. Let’s just say my USF diploma is not proudly hanging in my office right now.”
No problem there. A lot of South Florida graduates probably aren’t happy with the negative actions of a couple of football players arrested recently.
Then she showed how little she knew about the subject.
“Coach Strong, if you are listening, in the last couple of months there have been two arrests of your players for very violent felonies. This court, and I’m sure I’m not alone, questions whether you have control over your players. It’s fairly clear you do not have control of them off the field, and I guess only time will tell whether you have control over them on the field.
“I would implore you to think long and hard about whether being head coach at USF is a good fit for you before any other members of this community have to suffer at the hands of one of your players.”
Many fans at their schools probably agree.
But don’t blame the coach when the players make bad decisions. No coach in America would ever tell his players to do whatever they wanted, regardless of the consequences.
Blame the NCAA.
Under the existing rules, the coaches literally can’t babysit the players the way they used to be able to do. There are no more athletic dorms.
There are certain times of the year when their contact is so limited, they can’t do much more than say hello and goodbye. They can’t go tuck them in bed every night — or even visually be certain they are there — the way they could 40 years ago.
Strong tried to answer the charges as best he could.
“While I am shocked and saddened at the recent arrest of a member of our team, I am disappointed that the actions of two players over the last two months have harmed the reputation of our program, of our wonderful university and of my character.”
Charlie Strong
Unfortunately, that’s about all he can say. Based on Strong’s history, however, it’s a good bet the two players won’t be playing for South Florida when the season rolls around.
Which is all he can do.
But maybe this is an opportunity for a judge to drive a point home where it counts. Direct the comments at the presidents of the universities, who have taken away the control coaches used to have.
Maybe criticize them for taking away the control of coaches over their players. Yes, the NCAA has effectively taken away any control the coaches have, other than to kick a player off the team.
But that can only happen after the fact.
Razorbacks’ Redlicki, Salazar earn first-team All-SEC honors
Voted on by the league’s head coaches, seniors Mike Redlicki and Jose Salazar earned first team All-SEC honors announced by the conference office on Wednesday.
Redlicki was voted to the first team for the second consecutive season, making him the first Razorback since Oskar Johansson in 2000 and 2001 to earn first team honors in back-to-back years.
After being named to the second team a year ago, Salazar picks up first team honors for the first time in his career.
Arkansas has placed multiple individuals onto an All-SEC team in consecutive seasons for the first time in 12 seasons.
The duo ranks as the third best doubles squad in the country after going 10-6 in the spring, 13-7 overall during their final season.
The pairing went 4-3 against ranked SEC foes this season, including victories over No. 18 Max Hinnisdaels and Conner Huertas of Auburn and No. 21 Jack Schipanski and Luis Valero of Tennessee.
Individually, Redlicki heads into championship play ranked as the No. 10 singles player in the country, while Salazar comes in at No. 34.
Climbing as high as No. 3, Redlicki spent six straight rankings in the top 10 and never fell further than his preseason ranking of No. 11. Salazar started his senior campaign at No. 45 and rose to as high as No. 19.
Redlicki is 27-10 overall this season, 10-8 this spring. The Duke transfer has faced a ranked opponent in 26 of his 37 matches during his senior campaign, holding a 19-7 overall record and 8-6 during the spring.
Salazar leads the team with a 29-8 overall record, including an impressive 18-5 mark this spring and 9-3 against SEC opponents.
The Oklahoma transfer is 8-4 overall against ranked opponents, 6-1 this spring and is 4-1 against ranked SEC foes. Salazar is also 7-2 away from home this season and 5-1 on the road against SEC opponents.
