The University of Mississippi Athletics
Softball Position Preview: Infielders
2/1/2017 | Softball
By Jackie Servais, Ole Miss Athletics Communications
As the Rebel softball team continues preseason work on the field, OleMissSports.com will breakdown each position group over the next week. Wednesday's in-depth look features the infielders, where a strong group returns, along with a talented incoming class.
The Rebels' army of infielders include senior Dakota Matiko (Corona, California), juniors Bry Castro (Yorba Linda, California), Grayce Majam (Pine Valley, California), and Alex Schneider (Southlake, Texas), sophomore Ashton Lampton (Decatur, Miss.), and freshmen Gabby Alvarez (Riverside, California) Alyssa Gonzalez (Chino, California), and Dylinn Stancil (Temecula, California).
With the departure of two infield starters from 2016, the Rebels now turn to one of many leaders in Matiko to lead the diamond and produce at the plate.
A transfer from McNeese State, the Corona native enters her second season at Ole Miss in her senior campaign. In 2016, she saw action in 40 games hitting .311 with 19 RBI. The infielder tallied a .364 average in her 10 SEC contests with one home run and 10 RBI.
"She is a good defender at both positions and extremely consistent with the bat. Dakota brings knowledge and has always shown good leadership both on the field and in the dugout," Smith said. "She loves to compete and that transfers to a great work ethic. She doesn't like to lose, which is one thing we love about her."
With Matiko slated to start on one of the corners, the Rebels will look to the likes of Castro, Majam and Schneider to bring even more experience and leadership.
Like Matiko, Castro was also a McNeese State transfer prior to the 2016 season, where she was named First Team All-Southland Conference. Last spring in her first in the SEC, she saw action in 41 games, primarily all as a pinch runner or in the infield. She scored 10 runs, drove in two, and finished 8-for-9 in stolen bases.
"Bry is a quality base runner making her one of our top pinch runners," Smith said. "She did a great job for us last year in that spot and we are looking forward to see what she will bring to the bags this season."
Majam, a name that's been around the program a few years, is another player that adds to the depth on the infield. She spent her sophomore showing patience at the plate, as she reached safely 15 times off either a walk or a hit by pitch and led the team in HBP with eight. In addition to her .357 on-base percentage, Majam finished with seven RBI and nine runs scored batting .260.
"Grayce comes from great softball genes, which helps her to be a good lefty bat and run extremely well," Smith said. "We are looking for her to play either shortstop or second base. We want her to be in the mix and potentially be one of those role players."
Schneider also returns with a wealth of experience for the Rebels, having competed in all but 12 games during her tenure. She's coming off a 2016 season in which she hit .253 with drove in 16 runs off four home runs and six doubles.
"Alex was an everyday starter for us last year. She's had a good fall and now a good spring, so we are very eager to see what her junior season will look like," Smith said. "She brings good leadership and good defense at first base, and those two things will be essential our success."
While Smith and his staff appear to have dependable leadership, the Rebels depth continues into the infield as the coaching staff welcomes three newcomers.
Alyssa Gonzalez, a two-time all-state selection, enters her first year in Oxford after hitting .343 with a .405 on-base percentage as a senior at Chino High School. She helped her team to the 2013 CIF Division 2 Championship and followed that up with a runner-up finish in 2014. She won the Mt. Baldy League Championship and the Hacienda League Championship two seasons, and is a former athlete for So Cal A's 18U Richardson and Bathbusters 18U.
"Alyssa is very similar to Gabby in that she is a power hitter and still raw at the game," Smith said. "She has a very good body type to hit home runs and produce power numbers, which has us looking for her to potentially hold the designated player spot."
Dylinn Stancil, also a California native, joins the Rebels with MVP experience. Projected to be a contender at third, short or second, Stancil hit .468 as a senior with a .663 slugging mark, where she was named all-league twice and offensive MVP twice.
"We are looking at Dylinn to potentially play some third base. She is a small kid, but has a powerful punch," Smith said. "She has the instincts to be able to play at this level and eventually we believe she is going to be a top player in the SEC."
Gabby Alvarez joins the team from Martin Luther King, Jr. High School, where she enjoyed a decorated four years. She earned First Team All-CIF honors and helped her team to the Big 8 League Championship. Alvarez finished with 14 career home runs and 64 RBI after hitting .410 as a senior. She also played for Team Explosion hitting six home runs with 57 runs and a .355 average.
"Gabby is still young and raw, meaning she is still learning how to compete at this level, but regardless she is definitely a power hitter," Smith said. "I will encourage her to be mentored by some of the older players, but I have a feeling she will be a huge asset to this program."
