The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
UCF
Softball Kicks Off 2019 at Friends of Jaclyn Tournament
2/5/2019 | Softball
Ole Miss Heads to Orlando for Five-Game Slate
Dates: Feb. 7-10, 2019
First Pitch (All Times CT): Thur.: 5 p.m.; Fri.: 1:30 p.m.
Sat.: 8 a.m./11:30 a.m.; Sun.: 8:30 a.m.
Opponents: UCF, Ohio State, No. 21 Minnesota, George Mason
Location: Orlando, Florida
TV: UCFKnights.tv ($) (UCF Game Only)
Live stats: OleMissSports.com
Twitter Updates: @OleMissSoftball
LEADING OFF
• Ole Miss enters its fifth season under head coach Mike Smith. During Smith's tenure, the Rebels have registered a 146-92 record, earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seasons. Those three tournament appearances are the only three in the history of the Rebel program.
• The Rebels are coming off of a 32-25 campaign in 2018 that saw Ole Miss finish its season in the Championship Game of the NCAA Tempe Regional.
• The Rebels appear in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and the USA Softball Poll, receiving votes in both sets of rankings.
• Ole Miss was picked to finish 12th in the SEC Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches. In three of the four seasons during the Mike Smith era, Ole Miss has exceeded its preseason expectations.
• The Rebels return 12 letterwinners and seven starters from last season's team, adding a talented crop of 10 newcomers to the roster.
• One of three seniors on the roster, Rebel outfielder Kylan Becker received some preseason recognition heading into the season. For the second-straight season, the Miami native was tabbed Preseason All-SEC and was named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List.
• The 2019 schedule will be a challenging one for the Rebels. Ole Miss will face off against 16 teams that received a bid to the NCAA Tournament last season. Additionally, five of Ole Miss' opponents are ranked in the top-10 of the NFCA Coaches Poll, as well as 11 in the top-25.
• Ole Miss will face off against a pair of players named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top-50 Watch List during the opening weekend of the season in Minnesota pitcher Amber Fiser and Ohio State shortstop Lilli Piper.
• Both the Golden Gophers and Buckeyes are ranked in the USA Softball Top-25 Poll, with Minnesota ranked No. 23 and Ohio State slated at No. 24.
SCOUTING REPORT
• The host Knights will provide a tough early season test for the Rebels in the season opener, returning all but two primary starters from a season ago. UCF, which was picked to finish fifth in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Poll, begin their first season under new head coach Cindy Ball-Malone, just the second coach in the program's history. Ball-Malone comes to Orlando from Boise State, where she led the Broncos to their first-ever NCAA Tournament Appearance in 2018.
Leading the way for the Knights will be sophomore outfielder Denali Schappacher, who was tabbed First Team All-AAC and named to the league all-rookie team last season after pacing UCF with a .340 batting average and 30 runs scored. The Knights also return NFCA All-Region and First Team All-AAC performer Cassady Brewer, a senior who ranked second on the team in batting average last season at .338. As patient a hitter as they come, Brewer ranked 25th nationally with 37 free passes in 2018, entering this season on a 22-game reached-base streak. Also returning is junior second baseman Aubrey Johnson, who led the Knights with seven home runs and 27 RBIs, also adding in five doubles.
Second Team All-AAC pitcher Alea White is back for her junior season after appearing in 49 of UCF's 56 games in 2018. White made 38 starts in the circle, going the distance 28 times and throwing an AAC-high 266.2 frames of work. The Knights'
bell cow maintained a 2.34 ERA on the season with a .251 opponent batting average, striking out 175 batters to 92 walks.
• The first of two Big Ten opponents for the Rebs during opening week, Ohio State begins its seventh season under head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly. Entering the season with 387 wins to her name, Kovach Schoenly has coached 10-straight 30-plus win teams, including each of her first six seasons at the helm of the Buckeye program. Ohio State seems primed for another big year, entering the season ranked No. 24 in the USA Softball Poll. The Buckeyes return five starters and 16 letterwinners back from a squad that went 36-16 last season (14-8 and tied for fourth in the Big Ten standings) and reached the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year, advancing to the NCAA Gainesville Regional title game.
One of the primary names to watch for the Scarlet and Gray is two-time All-American shortstop Lilli Piper. A USA Softball Top-50 Player of the Year Watch List honoree for the second-straight season, Piper started all 52 games for OSU last season, Tying for the Big Ten lead with 20 home runs and ranking second in the league with a .404 batting average and 58 RBIs. Senior Emily Clark will be another imposing player in the batter's box, boasting 12 home runs and nine doubles in 2018 with 43 RBIs, second most on the team.
Ohio State returns three of four pitchers from last season's squad, including appearance leader senior Morgan Ray. In her 38 trips to the circle, including 25 starts, Ray registered an 18-7 record with a 2.58 ERA, holding opposing batter's to a .187 average. The 5-9 righty did struggle with control at times, issuing 26 wild pitches and 10 HBPs.
• Providing another top-25 opponent for Ole Miss in Orlando will be three-time defending Big Ten Tournament Champion Minnesota, who enters the weekend ranked No. 21 in the USA Softball/NFCA Coaches Poll and No. 23 in the USA Softball Poll. The Golden Gophers are in their second season under head coach Jamie Trachsel. Minnesota finished second in the Big Ten last season after going 41-17, advancing to the NCAA Seattle Regional Championship Game.
Minnesota returns three NFCA All-Region players from last season's squad in Maddie Houlihan, MaKenna Partain and Ellee Jensen. Just a sophomore, Jensen led the team with a .401 batting average, third highest in the Big Ten, starting all 58 games and scoring 40 runs. A .375 hitter at the plate during her sophomore season, Partain paced the Gophers with 53 runs scored, flashing power with 13 doubles, five triples and seven home runs. One of four seniors on the roster, Houlihan batted.333 with eight doubles, four triples and six homers, going a perfect 17-for-17 on stolen base attempts. Minnesota also adds Oregon State transfer Hope Brandner to the lineup, a sophomore infielder who hauled in First Team NFCA All-Region and Third Team All-Pac 12 laurels in 2018.
In the circle the Rebels are likely to see a lot of junior Amber Fiser, a first team all-region and First Team All-Big Ten honoree in 2018. Another player listed on the USA Softball Top 50 Player of the Year Watch List, Fiser ranked third in the league last season with a 1.69 ERA, registering 237 strikeouts to just 63 walks. The Iowa native posted a 27-10 record, holding opposing batters to a .194 average. The Gophers also return all four of their other pitchers from last season, including Sydney Smith, who appeared in 23 games with a 2.92 ERA.
• The final opponent for the Rebels during opening weekend, George Mason was picked to finish tied for fifth in the Atlantic 10 Conference Preseason Poll after going 23-33 a season ago. The Patriots are in their 14th season under longtime head coach Joe Verbanic, who has registered a 243-412 record during his time in Fairfax.
Mason returns all but one starter from last season's team, including 2018 VaSID All-State Second Team player Jess Curbeira. A junior, Curbeira was the only Patriot to start all 50 games in 2018, leading the team with a .307 average and 24 RBIs. Sophomore Adriana Erickson also returns after belting a team-high 5 homers last season.
On the rubber, Mason returns junior Bekah Ansbro, who led the A-10 with 127 strikeouts while registering a 9-10 record in her 31 appearances. Hailie Gordon will be another key arm for the Patriots after leading the team with 33 appearances on the season, including 18 starts.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR CANDIDATE
For the second-straight season, senior outfielder Kylan Becker enters a new campaign on USA Softball's Top 50 Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List, announced earlier in the preseason by the sport's national governing body. Becker, the first player in Ole Miss' history to be named to the United States National Softball Team, also becomes the first Rebel ever to be named to the USA Softball Top 50 Player of the Year Watch List twice.
The Top 25 Finalists for the 2019 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced April 24. While an athlete does not have to be on the Watch List to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. The Top 10 Finalists will be announced May 8 and the Top 3 announced May 22. The 2019 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed May 28.
BECKER NAMED PRESEASON ALL-SEC
For the second consecutive year, Ole Miss outfielder Kylan Becker has been named to the Preseason All-SEC team, announced Thursday by the league office. A total of 14 players were named to the Preseason All-SEC Softball Team, as voted on by the league's head coaches. Becker is one of four outfielders represented, joining Alabama's Kaylee Tow, Florida's Amanda Lorenz and LSU's Aliyah Andrews.
The Miami, Florida native comes into her senior season having already secured herself as one of the most productive offensive players in Ole Miss-history. Becker ranks fourth all-time with a career .339 batting average and seven triples, while also ranking in the top-10 in career hits, on-base percentage and stolen bases. Last season, Becker led the Rebels with a .329 batting average with six doubles, a pair of triples and 29 RBIs. The senior demonstrated a keen eye at the plate, leading the Rebels with 19 walks, contributing to a team-best .407 OBP.
LATHAM TEARS UP TEMPE
No player on the Ole Miss roster was more key to the Rebels' run NCAA Tempe Regional Championship Game than then-freshman Abbey Latham. The Demopolis High School product batted .455 over the four games, crushing three home runs and a pair of doubles for a 1.455 slugging percentage, driving in five runs. Despite being limited to just 69 at-bats due to a lingering shoulder injury, Latham led the Rebels with seven big flies on the season, easily pacing the Rebs with a .652 slugging percentage.
YOUNG, BUT EXPERIENCED
The Ole Miss roster is chalked full of young players, having 15 of the 22 spots assumed by underclassmen. Despite the youth, however, the Rebels return a depth of experience from last season's squad, with the sophomore class alone making 252 appearances and 125 starts last season.
TOUGH ROAD AHEAD
Ole Miss faces arguably one of the toughest schedules in program-history in 2019, with the Rebels set to face off against 16 opponents who earned a bid to the 2018 NCAA Tournament (Arkansas, Boise State, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi State, Missouri, Ohio State, Oregon State, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Tulsa and UCLA). In the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, Ole Miss opponents make up half of the top-10, 11 of the top-25 and 15 teams appearing in the poll altogether.
HELLO OLD FRIEND
The Rebels will have a familiar face around in Orlando, with Minnesota and former volunteer assistant coach Katie Rietkovich also competing in the Friends of Jaclyn Tournament. Rietkovich is in her first season as an assistant coach on the Golden Gophers' staff after serving for three seasons at Ole Miss as both the volunteer assistant coach and camps coordinator. Ole Miss and Minnesota face off on Saturday at 9 a.m. CT.
Mining the Junior College Ranks
Ole Miss has had success in years past with players making the transition from junior college softball to Division I. The Rebels will look to keep that trend going in 2019 with a talented crop of newcomers from the JUCO ranks.
One of the players that seems likely to make an immediate impact on the Rebel pitching staff, junior Molly Jacobsen is coming off of one of the most dominant junior college careers in recent memory. The Des Moines Area Community College product was named the NJCAA Division II Pitcher of the Year in 2018 after posting a 26-2 record as a sophomore with a 0.47 ERA in 163.2 innings, allowing just 11 earned runs and striking out 312 players, 13.34 per seven innings pitched. The lefty was named an All-American after both seasons at DMACC, leading the bears to back-to-back NJCAA College World Series.
Jacobsen isn't the only NJCAA Player of the Year on Ole Miss' roster. Junior Kelsha Loftin received the Division II offensive honor last season after helping nearby Jones County Junior College to the 2018 National Championship. The speedster also earned NJCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player and All-American laurels , ranking second in the nation with 66 steals and fourth in runs at 75, while posting a .403 batting average with 41 RBIs.
Ole Miss also added a pair of NFCA All-Region JUCO products in sophomores Sydney Gutierrez and Kacey Hvitved. A former Georgia Bulldog, Gutierrez was named the region player of the year after leading Blinn College in batting average (.458), home runs (11) and RBIs (48). Meanwhile, Hvitved was tabbed the Shoreline Community College MVP, leading the team with a 414 average, 18 doubles, two triples and nine home runs in 2018.
ROAD REBS
Ole Miss begins the 2019 season with a swing of 17-straight games played outside of the Magnolia State, competing in three tournaments in Florida, California and Texas in addition to a pair of true road games in Los Angeles and Conway, Arkansas. Beginning Wednesday, the Rebels will be outside of Oxford for 16-of-19 days. The streak of 17 games away from home to open the season is tied with the 2015 campaign for the longest for Ole Miss since 2006.
REBS RECEIVING VOTES IN BOTH NATIONAL POLLS
Following last season's strong finish and a trip to the NCAA Tempe Regional Championship Game, Ole Miss enters the 2019 season appearing in the "receiving votes" section of both national polls. It is the third-straight year that the Rebels have appeared in both national polls to start the season, the only three appearances in the program's history.
OLE MISS PICKED 12TH IN PRESEASON SEC POLL
As voted on by the league's head coaches, Ole Miss was picked 12th in the 2019 Preseason SEC Softball Poll, the same spot the Rebels finished in the league in 2018. In three of the four seasons during the Mike Smith era, Ole Miss has outperformed its projection in the conference preseason rankings.
ERROR-FREE PLAY
Through her first three collegiate seasons, Kylan Becker has been the epitome of steady defensively in the outfield. The Miami, Florida native has never committed an error in 199 chances through her first two-plus seasons in Oxford. To this point, Becker has kept up her consistent play while adjusting to a new position, sliding from right field to center to start the 2018 campaign. No player in program-history has ever finished her career with a perfect fielding percentage in at least 100 chances. Becker isn't the only Rebel who is rock steady defensively, with senior pitcher/first baseman Brittany Finney also ranking in the top-10 all-time in fielding percentage.
BIG SHOES TO FILL
One of the biggest question marks for Ole Miss this season is how the team will cope with the departure of all-time greats Kaitlin Lee and Elantra Cox, two players that are plastered throughout the program's record books.
The school's single-season record holder for wins, complete games, shutouts, innings pitched, appearances and starts, Lee put herself in the conversation for Ole Miss' greatest pitcher of all-time after joining the Rebels for her final two seasons out of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. In her Rebel career Lee made 83 appearances and 69 starts in the circle, throwing a total of 40 complete games and collecting 41 wins. She is perhaps best known for throwing every single pitch through Ole Miss' runs to the SEC Tournament Championship and NCAA Regional Championship in 2017. With her playing career concluded Lee has joined the coaching staff at her alma mater for the 2019 season as a student assistant coach.
No one in a Rebel uniform has ever been more productive with a bat in her hand than Cox. Through her four-year Ole Miss career, the Henderson, Tennessee native set the all-time school records for batting average, hits, runs scored, and stolen bases. A 2015 Freshman All-SEC honoree, Cox is the only player in the history of the Rebel softball program to be named NFCA All-South Region three times.
C.A.R.E
Ole Miss enters the 2019 season with a new mantra, C.A.R.E. The acronym stands for celebrating and appreciating the relationships everyday. The new mantra is recognized on Ole Miss softball's social media platforms through the hashtag #CARE.
