The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Poised for First NCAA Championship Appearance
5/19/2016 | Softball
Ole Miss Notes - NCAA Regional 
| Tournament Central
NCAA Championship - Norman Regional
Teams: No. 3 Oklahoma (47-7, 17-7 Big 12)
Ole Miss (39-20, 11-13 SEC)
Tulsa (35-19, 9-9 AAC)
Wichita State (35-19, 18-6 MVC)
Dates: May 20-22, 2016
Location: Norman, Okla.
Venue: Marita Hynes Field (1,378)
Dimensions: L-200, C-225, R-200
TV: ESPN3 (Friday) | Saturday/Sunday: TBD
Jenn Hildreth, play-by-play
Carol Bruggeman, analyst
Live stats: OleMissSports.comTwitter Updates: @OleMissSoftball
REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, May 20
Game 1: Tulsa vs. Ole Miss - 5:30 p.m.
Game 2: Wichita State vs. No. 3 Oklahoma - 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 21
Game 3: Winners of Games 1 & 2 - 1:30 p.m.
Game 4: Losers of Games 1 & 2 - 4 p.m.
Game 5: Game 3 Loser vs. Game 4 Winner - 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 22
Game 6: Game 3 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner - 3:30 p.m.
Game 7: If Necessary - 6 p.m.
TICKETS
- All tickets for the NCAA Norman Regional are sold out as of 5/19.
LEADING OFF
- Ole Miss makes its first ever appearance in the NCAA Championship this week.
- The Rebels, on the heels of the best season in school history, earned the No. 2 seed in the Norman Regional.
- Ole Miss will face Tulsa on Friday for the first time since 2004, and have only met with Oklahoma and Wichita State a combined five times in program history (Wichita State last in 2011; Oklahoma last in 2000).
- The Rebels set school records in wins (39), home victories (21), road wins (11), & tied the SEC wins record (11).
- In the last nine games of the season, eight were against top-25 teams in No. 14/15 Georgia, No. 9 Tennessee, and No. 1 Florida. In that span, the Rebels picked up three wins, totaling 10 against top-50 RPI teams all year.
- In the quarterfinals of the SEC Tournament, Ole Miss played four scoreless innings with No. 1 Florida, before eventually losing on a passed ball in the fifth, only allowing four hits to the Gators.
- Senior Madi Osias has been the warrior for the Rebels all season, totaling a program record 21 wins in the circle, fifth in the SEC and 36th nationally. Six of her last eight starts have been complete games with three shutouts.
- Freshman Hailey Lunderman was named a Top-10 Finalist for the National Freshman of the Year last week.
- The Rebels are the third-youngest team in the NCAA with 13 underclassmen (6 freshmen, 7 sophomores).
SCOUTING REPORT
No. 3 Oklahoma, Tulsa and Wichita State all head into the regional as automatic qualifiers. Oklahoma won the Big 12 Championship for the fifth time in a row, while Tulsa and Wichita State earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament after winning their conference tournaments (Tulsa - AAC, Wichita State - MVC).
No. 3 Oklahoma, the No. 3 national seed for the tournament, closed its regular season with a 47-7 record and a 22-game win streak. The Sooners boast the nation's No. 1 offense with a .359 average as the nine starters are hitting at least .330 or better on the year. Erin Miller is the top hitter with a .401 clip and 32 extra-base hits, with 47 RBI and .701 slugging mark. Shay Knighten leads the club in home runs (11) and RBI (48), while Fale Aviu has 44 RBI off eight long balls. The Sooners have walked 179 times on the year and struck out just 157 times, with 69 stolen bases in 87 attempts. Paige Parker leads the OU pitching staff with a 28-3 record and 1.45 ERA with 211 strikeouts and 46 walks. Kelsey Stevens is 9-4 in 19 starts with a 3.37 ERA, while Jayden Chestnut is a perfect 9-0 in just four starts.
Wichita State, winners of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship, also head into regional play with a potent offense at .311 as a team. The Shockers have three players with 40-plus RBI, led by Cacy Williams and Paige Luellen's 49 each. Williams also leads the team with 14 home runs, while Luellen has 11. Macklin Hitz is the club leader in hitting with a .366 clip and 10 blasts and 44 RBI. On the pitching side, two pitchers have split time in the circle in Jenni Brooks and Katie Malone. Malone has thrown 149 innings and is 14-7 with a 4.28 ERA, while Brooks is 18-6 with a 3.16 ERA in 126 innings. As a staff the Shockers have a .305 batting average against, and have only five more strikeouts (158) than walks (153).
Tulsa went 3-0 in the American Athletic Conference Tournament, topping No. 25 UCF and No. 24 USF to claim the tournament title. Pitching has been the key for the Golden Hurricane this season as Tulsa has a 2.16 team ERA, 14th-best nationally, led by Caitlin Sill and Emily Watson. Sill has the team lead with 19 wins and a 1.72 ERA, while Watson is 12-9 with a 2.31 ERA. She's eighth nationally in strikeouts per seven innings with 9.9, totaling 172 Ks and just 45 walks. Offensively, Tulsa is batting at a .293 clip led by five players at .300 or better. Maggie Withee has a team-best .374 average, while her sister Maddie has 45 RBI.
REBELS EARN FIRST EVER SEC TOURNAMENT WIN
For the second straight year and fifth time overall, Ole Miss qualified for the SEC Tournament, and this time didn't just make it, but made some noise earning their first ever win in the league's postseason tournament.
The Rebels opened the first round against No. 15 Georgia, their fourth meeting against the Bulldogs in three weeks, and came out on top thanks to a 4-2 win on the heels of Madi Osias' 4-hit effort in the circle, allowing only one earned run to one of the nation's top offenses.
The win over the Bulldogs advanced Ole Miss on to the SEC Tournament quarterfinals, where the Rebels had to face No. 1 Florida. The two teams, in a lenghty game due to inclement weather, played four scoreless innings, before the Gators eventually went on to score the only run in the fifth off a passed ball.
OLE MISS EARNS FIRST NCAA TOURNAMENT BID IN SCHOOL HISTORY
It's no question the Rebels put together the best season in program history, and for that they were rewarded becoming the first Ole Miss team to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels earned the No. 2 seed for the Norman, Okla. regional, after dropping no lower than 33rd in the RPI all season long.
SEC DOMINANCE IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
For the fourth consecutive year, the Southeastern Conference will send 11 teams to the tournament. The SEC earned eight national seeds, as SEC regular season champion Florida (53-5) earned the national No. 1 seed and SEC Champion Auburn (49-9) earned the No. 4 seed. Alabama (46-12) is the No. 6 national seed, while Kentucky (43-12) is the No. 9 seed. LSU (45-15) is the No. 10 seed, and Tennessee (41-14) earned the No. 13 seed. Missouri (39-14) earned the No. 15 seed, while Georgia (40-17) rounds out the list as the No. 16 seed. In addition, South Carolina (36-21) will compete in the Tallahassee Regional for the third consecutive year, while Ole Miss (39-20) earns its first trip to the NCAAs with a spot in the Norman Regional. Texas A&M marks its 27th NCAA appearance as the Aggies are set to play in the Lafayette Regional.
For all Ole Miss Softball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSoftball, on Facebook at Ole Miss Softball and on Instagram at Instagram.com/olemisssoftball. Fans can also follow head coach Mike Smith on Twitter at @msmithsb16. Additionally fans can get a behind the scenes look at Ole Miss Athletics on Snapchat under the handle, @WeAreOleMiss.
