The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Continue Fall Ball, Host Saturday Games
10/8/2014 | Softball
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss softball team continues to show improvement in the first session of fall ball under head coach Mike Smith and the team will play more fall games as a part of a busy weekend this coming weekend at home and on the road.
The Rebels will welcome Tennessee Tech and Jones Community College to Oxford for a pair of games on Saturday at the Ole Miss Softball Complex before heading up the road to face Memphis in a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon.
Ole Miss is coming off the first full week of practice and a pair of weekend games this past Friday against Northwest Community College that left the coaching staff pleased with the early progress and excited to continue work towards the 2015 season.
"We've really been preaching to get one percent better every day and the team has really been working hard and taking steps forward," Smith said. "We're on track right now, it's just about getting our reps in and creating a new culture while getting everyone in our system.
"I was really happy with Friday night's games," Smith said. "We swung the bats well, played good defense and got good pitching. We played really well and I'm looking forward to this weekend's games. We'll get some good competition again and I'm looking forward to seeing how we perform."
Smith and the coaching staff have been excited with the way the team is progressing and the progress that comes with learning a new system. The blend of drill work in practices, intra-squad scrimmages and fall games against outside competition are all key components that will help the Rebels prepare for the upcoming season.
The first week was successful and Smith hopes to see that progress continue with this weekend's games.
"From the standpoint of an athlete, you can see the same faces so often in practice that it's nice to see new faces and go through that mental preparation of seeing new players and new uniforms across from you," Smith said. "There's something about the spirit of competition and the drive to be better that is gained from having the opportunity to play these fall games.
"Allison Brown and Natalie Martinez had a really great weekend, but really the whole team did well," Smith said. "We talk about quality at bats. It's not so much about getting on base as it is taking quality at bats and seeing a lot of pitches. Our girls have really bought into our system with regards to making sure we take quality at bats, getting on base and making things happen to move runners over. I was happy with what we did on Friday night."
The Rebels will face Tennessee Tech at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday afternoon before facing Jones Community College at 5 p.m. Both games are open to the public and admission is free to any fans interested in coming out to watch the Rebels in action.
Ole Miss will then face Memphis at the University of Memphis in a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Sunday to close out the weekend.
