Smooth Transition: Ladner Producing For The Rebels

March 29, 2012

By: John Holt, Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations Graduate Assitant

OXFORD, Miss. - It's forever been a common element throughout sports: coaches are constantly making adjustments. An adjustment may occur during the middle of a game, directly after a contest concludes, or rather simply prior to the beginning of a season. Yet whatever the adjustment may be, a coach is always confident that the specific adjustment will benefit the success of its team.

First-year Ole Miss softball head coach Windy Thees elected to make an adjustment prior to the start of the 2012 season, which has proven to ignite the Rebels to already equaling as many wins as the team totaled last year (14).

Thees' adjustment sent the Rebels primary third baseman from a season ago, Londen Ladner, to a new position at first base. While learning the new position was difficult in the early stages of the season, Ladner said with each game she becomes more comfortable in her new role.

"The angles and cuts is the toughest part," Ladner said of the transition. "At third (base) your only real cut is on left field. At first (base), you really have to move and there always is a play somewhere."

Thees added, "We had a lot of kids playing positions this year that were their second position or not their natural position, so for (Londen) I think she's really embraced it."

While being assigned a new position on the field was something unfamiliar to Ladner, growing up in Brandon, Miss. she played a variety of sports as a kid. In ninth grade, she participated in four different sports (basketball, soccer, track and softball). Following her 10th grade year however, she shifted her entire focus toward softball.

The extra time into softball helped Ladner become the Gatorade Player of the Year for Mississippi during both her junior and senior high school seasons while attending Northwest Rankin High School. She also led Northwest Rankin to the Mississippi 5A state championship in 2009 and was an all-state selection each of her four years.

"I love the quickness and speed of softball," Ladner said. "It's such an adrenaline rush. It's just a fun game to play."

Aside from softball, Ladner enjoys fishing and spending time with her dog and teammates. This season, through 30 games, she leads the Rebels in homeruns (5), and holds the highest batting average (.397) on the team.

"London hits the ball so hard and she's a great forehitter for us," Thees said. "We challenge her to lead our team in RBI's. We want her to hit ten doubles. We want her to score base runners. We want her to get 40-45 RBI's this year. She's on her way right now."

Earlier this month, Ladner was named the SEC Player of the Week (March 12) following a stretch of games, against Arkansas, Central Arkansas and No. 10 Stanford. During that week of competition, she totaled 12 hits, 11 RBI's three home runs and three doubles to become the Rebels first SEC Player of the Week winner in three years.

"It was an honor being SEC Player of the Week," Ladner said. "It wouldn't have been possible without my teammates and coaches. It was definitely a great honor."

Ole Miss begins a three-game series with No. 24 Auburn Friday, and Thees expects Ladner to keep producing as the Rebels continue progressing toward achieving their preseason goal of winning 30 games.

"It's the same as far as fielding balls at first base as it is at third," Thees said. "It's just the matter of getting back to the base. (Londen's) got one of the best hands on our team. Her and Allison Brown have soft hands, and can pick up balls like you wouldn't believe. She's got such great hands, so I like having her over there and fielding the balls. I trust her to catch balls for us."

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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