No Place Like HOME BASE W

ith the tell-tale sign of expanded coverage on ESPN’s family of networks, college softball has become one of the most popular sports in the United States. While players and supporters might say the sport’s rise in popularity isn’t surprising, the speed of the growth in interest is notable.

ESPN’s expansion of coverage might have something to do with the 2021 NCAA Women’s College World Series, which was the most watched in the tournament’s televised history, with 1.2 million viewers on average and 1.8 million viewers for the championship game between No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 10 Florida State.

Softball is officially ranked as one of the top seven highest-paying NIL collegiate sports by 2aDays and currently is ranked as the NCAA’s fastest-growing collegiate sport. This increase in view- ership correlates with the growth of the crowds at Bogle Park at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, where the defending SEC champion Razorbacks have become a consistent power. In 2022, Bogle Park was completely sold-out a total of nine times with nine of the 10 highestattended games in the stadium’s history taking place the same year.

Bogle Park is the SEC’s second-largest softball stadium with a capacity of 3,200. In 2017, a UA record crowd of 3,448 watched the Hogs beat Ole Miss; that number represents the second-highest attendance to ever see an SEC regular season game in person.

More girls and young women are playing softball than ever, according to FieldLevel and NCSA. In Arkansas, there currently are 58 travel softball leagues, 156 high school teams and 22 college and junior college programs. From 2019 to 2022, Razorback softball ticket sales in- creased 1,741.8 percent with total ticket sales in 2022 raking in $147,494 compared to $8,008 in 2019, according to the UA.

Now highly anticipated, much of the success of the Razorback program can be attributed to Courtney Diefel, head coach since 2015 and just the program’s fourth ever. Diefel has accomplished much the past eight years, including a return to postseason play, two SEC regular season championships, an SEC Tournament crown and five NCAA tournament appearances. Since the national tournament began in 2017, Diefel has led her team to the tournament each year. Last year’s super regional run was a part of the program’s most successful season, with the most single-season wins in program history, a 48-11 record and .814 win percentage, the program’s highest ever.

“We’ve made our product, our team, more competitive by competing at a higher level over the past eight years,” Deifel said. “That was our approach; that’s how we get more people to come watch games. We started focusing on how to succeed instead of on the results, and our fan base has grown a lot. They follow us, celebrate us and watch us play, which is extremely exciting.”

Deifel, who previously coached at Maryland, led the team to a 16-game improvement in her first season, and attributes the program’s success to the community of Fayetteville.

“There’s always been something here at the UofA to build and our department has always had a history of succeeding,” Deifel said. “We still get tremendous results from our department and community. I love Fayetteville, it’s an incredible community that supports us so well.”

With Deifel coaching, coveted recruits have continued to succeed under her leadership. This past November, Diefel announced the addition of four nationally ranked signees, including Kylie Brock- man, Kennedy Miler, Jayden Wells and Kasey Woods, who will join the currently stacked roster next year. In 2021, Razorback softball had the No. 1 signing class in the country, which is now playing its first season with the team. Impressive recruiting classes have been complemented by a solid group of upperclassmen.

Chenise Delce, a senior right-handed pitcher from Oklahoma City, has an impressive lineup of career accolades, including SEC Pitcher of the Year, SEC Tournament MVP and All-SEC First Team in 2022.

“The conference itself is what I would argue is the most-watched conference, and Arkansas is one of the bigger softball schools and gets a lot of great support,” Delce said. “I’m always so surprised by how many people here encourage and recognize me. Now, pretty much all of our home games have full stadiums, and it’s incredible to be able to see and feel the support of our team.”

Delce, like many of her teammates, grew up playing softball and has seen the sport gain traction with players and fans throughout the years. Delce has played softball for 16 years, almost her entire life.

“The popularity in the game has definitely increased over the years. A lot more people are noticing softball and engaging with the sport,” she said. “When it comes to the College Softball World Series, the support has grown very fast.”

Delce, who previously played three seasons at Tulsa, has a career record of 5922. At Arkansas, she’s 30-7. This season for the preseason Top 10 Hogs, she’s pitched a complete game against UCA and recorded 12 strikeouts against Arizona.

Raigan Kramer, a sophomore outfielder from Topeka, Kan., is proving to be a major asset to the team, having recently been named SEC Player of the Week after guiding the team to a 6-0 record at the Woo Pig Classic. Season highlights include four putouts, two assists and one double against Alabama; four RBIs and a home run against North Texas; two runs scored against Wichita State; and a stolen base against Drake.

Kramer, who started playing softball at age “5 or 6,” said the feeling of playing on a Top 10 team is nothing short of surreal.

“I love playing for this team, and I love playing in this conference. It’s super competitive, which is something that I’ve always loved,” she said. “The competitive level of the SEC was one of the main reasons I wanted to play in this conference. You have to work hard here, and if you don’t, you have talented people who are ready to step up and do the work.”

Kramer’s recent recognition as SEC Player of the Week was the first such honor of her career, and one for which she takes great pride.

“I was super excited when I found out. If you were to ask me a year ago, I wouldn’t have thought it was possible. I’ve felt so confident in my ability this year, and this recognition makes me believe in myself even more,” she said.

Kramer has been pleasantly surprised by the speed at which college softball has gained fans.

“This sport is continuing to get more popular over the years. It’s something that you can definitely see in college but also in all of the facets, from travel ball to school ball.”

Beyond the amateur level, the growth in National Pro Fastpitch is on an upswing as well and giving current college softball players something for which to aspire.

“I didn’t really even know professional softball was a thing when I first started playing as a kid,” Kramer said. “Now, it’s definitely a goal of mine. I am so excited that this is an opportunity that I can strive for. I believe that the sport will continue to grow on all levels, and because

I want to coach someday, it’s even more exciting.”

Arkansas softball has a history of players graduating and playing at a professional level. In 2022, Danielle Gibson was one of 13 college players in the Athletes Unlimited draft and now plays professional softball in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.