Rebel Softball Resumes SEC Play at South Carolina

			No. 24 OLE MISS (21-7, 2-1 SEC) vs. No. 16 SOUTH CAROLINA (22-7, 1-5 SEC) March 23-25 Columbia, S.C. Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field (1,277)
Ole Miss Notes • South Carolina Notes • SEC Notes

Saturday, March 23 • 1 p.m.	Sunday, March 24 • 5 p.m.	Monday, March 25 • 6 p.m.
Live Stats	Watch • Live Stats	Watch • Live Stats

LEADING OFF
• Saturday's game will not feature a live broadcast, though live stats will be available. Both Sunday and Monday's games will be broadcasted to a national audience on the SEC Network, with Jenn Hildreth and Kayla Braud on the call.
• Ole Miss resumes conference play with the first road series of conference action, taking on South Carolina in Columbia. The Rebels are 2-1 in league play after winning their opening series against Arkansas.
• South Carolina leads the all-time series 32-20, though the bulk of that lead was built in the early days of the series after winning 13 of the first 14 meetings. In recent years things have been extremely even with Ole Miss going 13-12 in the last 25 matchups, splitting the last six games.
• In last seasons series in Oxford, the Gamecocks came out victorious in the first two matchups before the Rebels earned a 1-0 win in the finale behind Ava Tillmann's first-career shutout.
• Ole Miss is riding a seven-game winning streak and have come out on top in 13 of its past 14 games.
• Ole Miss is ranked in all three major national polls for the first time all season, ranking 15th in the Softball America Poll, 23rd in the USA Softball Poll and 24th in the NFCA Coaches Poll.
• The Rebels came in at No. 15 in the first NCAA RPI report of the season, released on Monday. It is the highest ranking in the initial report in program-history.
• After batting .615 with two doubles, two home runs five runs and four RBIs, Autumn Gillespie was named the SEC Player of the Week for the first time in her career. Gillespie joins Kylan Becker as a player of the week honoree this season, the second time ever Ole Miss has had multiple honorees.
• South Carolina comes to Oxford with a 1-5 SEC record, sitting at 22-7 overall for the season.
• The Gamecocks are ranked No. 16 in the NFCA Coaches Poll and No. 19 in the Softball America Poll, receiving votes in the USA Softball Poll.
• Carolina is ranked No. 30 in the first NCAA RPI report of the season, representing the chance for three more wins inside the top-30 for the Rebels, who have already collected five such wins.

SCOUTING REPORT
South Carolina is in its ninth season under head coach Beverly Smith, who has built the Gamecock program into one competing not only in the SEC but on the national stage, leading Carolina to six NCAA Tournaments in her first eight seasons, including a Super Regional appearance in 2018.

The Gamecocks enter this weekend's series with a 22-7 overall record, starting off SEC play at 1-5 while maintaining a 21-2 record in non-conference play. Carolina picked up its most recent win in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, erasing a four-run deficit in the final two innings for a 5-4 win over Duke in Columbia.

South Carolina boasts a dangerous offense, ranking fifth in the SEC in batting average at .322 while registering the third most doubles (50) and fifth most home runs (40) in the league. While the Gamecocks don't run a ton and are effective when doing so, successfully swiping 29 bags on 32 attempts.

Sophomore infielder Jana Johns leads the gamecocks with a .427 average, also leading the team with 31 runs, six home runs and a .813 slugging percentage ranking second with 25 RBIs. While Johns is the only Gamecock batting over .400, senior outfielder Kennedy Clark is closing in on the mark at .395, leading the team with 11 doubles while adding in five dingers, 22 runs and 20 RBIs. Junior infielder Mackenzie Boesel provides another strong bat in the Gamecock lineup, batting .382 with 10 doubles, five homers and 24 runs driven in, tying Johns for the team lead with 31 runs scored.

The Gamecocks have struggled a little to find their footing in the circle, entering the weekend with the second highest ERA in the SEC at 3.04, surrendering 79 earned runs (91 total) in 182.0 innings. A large reason for the struggles may be inconsistency from an accuracy standpoint, issuing the second most walks in the league.

Carolina has shared the load in the circle, with no player breaking the 60 inning mark. Junior Cayla Drotar leads the way with 59.1 frames, boasting a 3.30 ERA in 16 appearances and seven starts, earning a 6-4 record with three saves. Senior Dixie Raley has gone 7-1 in her 16 appearances (six starts), earning a 2.68 ERA in 49.2 innings. Freshman Karley Heath leads the team with a 1.89 ERA in 40.2 frames, winning all six decisions in 12 appearances with nine starts.

BECKER'S RECORD-BREAKING DAY
When senior Kylan Becker finds the gap, you can pretty much pencil her in for third base. Demonstrating her incredible wheels once she gets going, the Miami native has smacked three more three-baggers in her career than she has doubles. The Rebel centerfielder was up to it again in the doubleheader against Samford and Oklahoma State, cranking out two triples on the day to make some history. The second of the day was the 13th of her career and sixth this season, setting new career and single season records for triples at Ole Miss. The six during her senior campaign are good for the third most in the country.

Thanks in large part to Becker's contributions, the Rebels' 13 triples this season are the sixth most in the nation, ranking seventh in Division I at 0.46 per game. Becker isn't the only Rebel that has shown the ability to stretch out an extra-base hit, with Kaylee Horton ripping three off and Autumn Gillespie adding two (in the same game). Ally Mena and Brittany round out the Rebels with a triple this season, each holding one to their name.

GILLESPIE TABBED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
After helping lead the Rebels to five wins, junior catcher Autumn was named the SEC Player of the Week, her first weekly honor from the league and the second of the season for Ole Miss, joining Kylan Becker. It is just the second time in program-history that the Rebels have had multiple SEC Players of the Week, with Becker and Elantra Cox duplicating the feat in 2017. Gillespie was on fire at the plate, going 8-for-13 (.615) with a pair of doubles and homers each, scoring five runs and driving in four more. The Rebel backstop was particularly hot during Sunday's doubleheader, smoking two doubles and a pair of dingers. Gillespie also kept runners in check all weekend, gunning down both runners that attempted to steal on her, adding in one pickoff.

The month of March in general has been extremely kind to the Redlands, California native. Entering the month, Gillespie had recorded just four hits in 32 at-bats, sitting on three RBIs and three runs scored. Since the turn of the calendar page, the junior has ranked second on the team with a .486 average (17-for-35), racking up eight extra base hits and nine RBIs while scoring 12 times, slugging .886 to lead the Rebels.

THESE GIRLS ARE ON FIRE
Having won seven-straight games and 13 of their last 14 contests, everything seems to be clicking for Ole Miss. At no point was that on full display more than this past week as the Rebels picked up five wins in convincing fashion over Memphis, Samford and then-No. 18 Oklahoma State, three by the run rule.

Ole Miss racked up 47 runs on 45 RBIs during the week, cranking out 11 doubles, three triples and four home runs for 18 extra-base hits. The 45 RBIs represent 31.5 percent of Ole Miss' total runs driven in for the season. The Rebels collectively batted .395 over the five-game stretch, driving the team's season batting average up 21 points.

Four different Rebels batted over .500 during the week (Autumn Gillespie, Tate Whitley, Abbey Latham, Kylan Becker), while four players drove in at least five runs (Latham, Brittany Finney, Gillespie, Gabby Alvarez) and six scored at least five times (Kaylee Horton, Becker, Gillespie, Whitley, Latham, Allee). Finney was also extremely effective in the circle, picking up a pair of wins, allowing just nine hits and one earned run in nine innings.

COMING TO A CONSENSUS
Riding one of the hotter streaks in the nation, Ole Miss is a consensus ranked team for the first time all season, being selected No. 15 in the Softball America Poll, No. 23 in the USA Softball Poll and No. 24 in the NFCA Coaches Poll. It is the first time Ole Miss has been ranked in both the NFCA and USA Softball Polls since Week 5 of last season.

REBELS SITTING PRETTY IN FIRST RPI REPORT
When the first NCAA RPI report was released on Monday, the folks around Oxford, Mississippi had plenty to smile about with the Rebels coming in at No. 15, the highest ranking in the initial report in the history of Ole Miss softball. Ole Miss owns five wins over teams ranked in the top-30 (No. 12 Minnesota, No. 13 Oklahoma State, No. 29 Arkansas), while five of the Rebels' seven losses have come against teams ranked in the top-25 (No. 2 UCLA, No. 5 Texas, No. 19 Boise State, No. 25 Tulsa). The week's opponent, South Carolina, represents an opportunity for the Rebs to continue to climb, coming in at No. 30.

LUCKY NUMBER 7
Coming into this season, one of the biggest questions around Ole Miss was how Junior College Pitcher of the Year Molly Jacobsen would make the adjustment from the JUCO ranks to not only Division I softball but the greatest conference in America. Well, so far, so good doesn't begin to cover it. The lefty has the fourth lowest ERA in the SEC at 1.17, while ranking tied for fifth in saves (2), tied for seventh in wins (9), ninth in strikeouts (66) and fourth in batters struck out looking (21). The junior has been especially successful in limiting free passes, ranking 12th national in strikeout-to-walk ration (7.33) and 20th in walks allowed per seven innings (0.95).

SOPHOMORE ASCENSION
After starting just eight games and taking only 43 at-bats during her first collegiate season, sophomore Jessica Puk has experienced a renaissance during her second year to cement herself as a fixture in the Rebel lineup. The Iowa native has registered six home runs, five doubles and a .667 slugging percentage, batting .333 and driving home 21 runs to rank second on the team. With her increased production, Puk has raised her slugging percentage and batting average by 388 and 124 points, respectively.

For all Ole Miss softball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSoftball, on Facebook at Ole MissSoftball and on Instagram at Instagram.com/olemisssoftball. Fans can also follow head coach Mike Smith on Twitter at @msmithsb16.

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Players Mentioned

Gabby Alvarez

Kylan Becker

Elantra Cox

Brittany Finney

Autumn Gillespie

Kaylee Horton

Molly Jacobsen

Abbey Latham

Ally Mena

Jessica Puk

Ava Tillmann

Tate Whitley

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