Softball Begins SEC Play with Marquee Matchup Against Mississippi State

			OLE MISS (15-7, 0-0 SEC) vs. MISSISSIPPI STATE (15-5, 0-0 SEC) Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Softball Complex (1,000)
Ole Miss Notes (PDF) • Mississippi State Notes (PDF) • SEC Notes (PDF)

Saturday, March 13 5 p.m.	Sunday, March 14 4 p.m.	Monday, March 15 6 p.m.
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LEADING OFF
• Ole Miss is coming off of a dramatic, come-from-behind victory over South Alabama in Wednesday's midweek battle with South Alabama in Oxford. The Rebels erased a 4-0 Jaguar lead, eventually coming out on top 6-5 in eight innings.
• It was the first win of the season for Ole Miss after trailing in the sixth inning or later and also the first extra-inning game of the year for the Rebels.
• The victory improved Ole Miss' home record to a perfect 8-0 in 2021.
• The Rebels have won 34-straight non-conference games at home, last falling to a non-conference foe in Oxford in 2018. The Rebels have won 40 of the 45 games played at the Ole Miss Softball Complex dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
• The Rebels open up SEC play against Mississippi State for the first time since 2000.
• Ole Miss has won four of the last five matchups with the Bulldogs and 10 of the last 14.
• Picking up the win in relief on Wednesday against South Alabama, Anna Borgen became the first Rebel ever to start a season 5-0.
• Borgen retired all three batters she faced against the Jaguars, extending her scoreless innings streak to 24 frames, the third longest in program history.
• Sophomore Paige Smith is currently riding a six-game hitting streak, the longest active streak on the team. During the streak the Rebel third baseman has hit three home runs, taking over the team lead with six total for the season.
• True freshman Blaise Biringer ranks 10th in the SEC with a .443 average, the highest among all conference freshmen. Biringer also leads the nation with four triples on the year.

SCOUTING REPORT
The Bulldogs are led by head coach Samantha Ricketts, who is in her second season at the helm of the Mississippi State program after serving as an assistant coach and eventually associate head coach from 2015-19. In 2020, Ricketts became the fastest coach to 20 wins in the history of the program, finishing the shortened season at 25-3. As a player, Ricketts was one of the most dangerous power hitters ever at perennial powerhouse Oklahoma, earning a pair of All-American nods.

The Bulldogs enter the weekend with a 15-5 overall record, having won seven-straight after defeating Alabama State and Memphis earlier in the week in midweek battles. Of the Bulldogs' five losses, three have come against ranked opponents having lost to Texas, Baylor and Alabama.

Mississippi State is led offensively by a pair of Preseason All-SEC selections in Mia Davidson and Fa Leilua. Davidson paces the team with a .373 average, six doubles and 23 runs scored. The Bulldog catcher has also hit six home runs and ranks tied for ninth all-time in the SEC with 58 career dingers. Leilua is the only MSU player with more homers, racking up eight, while batting .362 with a team-high 20 RBIs. Junior Chloe Malau'ulu has reached base in all 25 games this season.

In the circle, Annie Willis leads the bulldogs with 37.0 innings despite only making four starts in nine appearances. Willis owns a 7-0 record with a 2.27 ERA, posting 39 strikeouts to just six walks. Emily Williams isn't far behind at 35.2 innings pitched, garnering a 3-0 record with a 1.96 ERA in five starts and 10 appearances. Aspen Wesley has also seen consistent work, making eight appearances and five starts with a 2-2 record and a 1.88 ERA in 22.1 innings.

OLE MISS ANNOUNCES UPDATED ATTENDANCE POLICY
In accordance with the State of Mississippi's latest executive orders, Ole Miss Athletics has announced updated attendance plans for softball this spring. These policies will take effect beginning with games this weekend.

After player guest lists have been received from both the home and visiting teams, priority admission will be offered to a select group of supporters through the Ole Miss Softball Diamond Club. Once those RSVPs are secured, remaining spots, which are expected to increase throughout the spring, will be offered to the general public on a first come, first served basis at the gates.

Current members of the Diamond Club (formerly the Dugout Club) that meet criteria will receive an email with details on attending games.

Fans are required to wear a face covering upon entry into the facility, while in transit around the stadiums and may only remove them when at their seat. All other previously announced COVID-19 safety measures remain in place.

FIVE AND... OH
Over the course of the last few weeks, left-handed pitcher Anna Borgen has been as close to unhittable as possible. Picking up the victory in relief in Wednesday's midweek tilt against South Alabama, the native Texan became the first Rebel ever to start a season 5-0, matching the fourth-longest winning streak for a pitcher at any point in a season. Borgen has also racked up 24-straight scoreless inning, the third longest streak ever recorded by a Rebel pitcher. On the season, the Dallas Christian School product has surrendered just two runs over 28.2 innings, ranking second in the SEC and 26th in the nation with a 0.49 ERA.

AGENT SMITH
There isn't a hotter bat in the Ole Miss lineup than that of sophomore Paige Smith. The Corona, California, native has posted a hit in seven-straight games and leads the Rebels during the eight games of the current home stand with a .526 average. The uptick in hitting has also produced runs, with Smith pacing the Rebels during the span with 10 runs scored while ranking second with six RBIs. The sophomore has done it with pop, too, cranking out three home runs over the last five games to take over the team lead with six on the season.

SWITCHED HITTER
When Kelsha Loftin first arrived at Ole Miss in 2019, she had been a right handed hitter her entire career. In fact, the Jones College transfer was an extremely accomplished hitter from the right side of the plate, garnering the 2018 NJCAA Division II Player of the Year Award. However, as a consumate team player, when asked to switch to the left side and become a slapper the Mississippi native relished the challenge. In Loftin's first two seasons at Ole Miss she took just three at-bats, primarily serving as a pinch runner and doing so with a smile on her face, scoring 33 times in 57 appearances. This season, Loftin has been rewarded for her patience and team spirit with more opportunities at the dish and has taken full advantage. Entering the year without a single hit at the Division I level, the senior has made six starts and taken 16 at-bats, tallying six base knocks for a .375 average.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Ole Miss Softball Complex has been a place of comfort for the Rebels in non-conference clashes in recent years. After going a perfect 8-0 at home in 2020 and kicking off the 2021 home slate with eight-straight wins, Ole Miss has won 41-of-46 games in Oxford dating back to the start of the 2019 season. The Rebs have not lost back-to-back home contests since dropping both ends of a doubleheader to No. 23 Mississippi State on April 15, 2018.

Outside of SEC play, the Rebels have been nothing short of dominant when playing in front of its home crowd. Ole Miss has won 35-straight non-conference regular season home games in a row, having not fallen to a non-SEC team in Oxford during the regular season since a 5-0 defeat to Boston College in 2018.

HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Ole Miss has resorted to a "by any means necessary" policy when it comes to getting on base, easily leading the nation with 34 HBPs on the season, 10 ahead of second best Mississippi State. The Rebels have been plunked at least once in all but four games in 2021, tallying multiple HBPs 12 times. Paige Smith and Mikayla Allee have been particularly adept, tying for the SEC lead with nine HBPs apiece. Allee has been wearing pitches her entire Rebel career, ranking second in school history with 30 HBPs despite only playing in 105 total games.

DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK
Ole Miss remained perfect at home during its midweek tilt with South Alabama on Wednesday, overcoming a 4-0 deficit to storm back late and take down the Jaguars 6-5 in extra innings. It marked the first time this season that Ole Miss won a game after trailing in the sixth inning or later. Paige Smith got the comeback started with a three-run homer in the fifth inning before the Rebels garnered a brief lead in the sixth and Aynslie Furbush drew a game-winning bases-loaded walk in the eighth.

REBS SWEEP OLE MISS CLASSIC
The Rebels were the class of the town during the Ole Miss Classic last weekend, making a clean sweep of their home tournament with six victories over three days. The Rebels outscored their opponents 28-1 over the course of the six games, recording a pair of run rule victories. As a staff the Rebel pitchers garnered a 0.18 ERA over the weekend after surrendering a single run during the tournament with five shutouts. The Rebel arms allowed opponents to bat a meager .147 with 48 strikeouts to just five walks.

JUST BLAISE
While boasting just 22 games of experience under her belt, true freshman Blaise Biringer has quickly established herself as one of the most consistent bats in the Southeastern Conference. Biringer ranks 10th in the league with a .443 batting average, the highest among all conference freshmen. The rookie has shown the ability to do more than just slap singles, too, leading the nation with four triples on the year and becoming the first Rebel to leadoff a game with a home run since Lauren Grill in 2008.

GRAND OPENING
True freshman Aynslie Furbush made about as loud of a statement to open her Rebel career as possible, plowing a grand slam in just her second career at-bat in the 10-1 victory over FAU during the second week of the season. The following day, the Winter Springs, Florida, native did it again, clearing a base path that was full of Rebels. Furbush became the first Ole Miss player ever to register a grand slam as her first collegiate hit. Additionally, it took the rookie just three at-bats to come the fifth player in program history with multiple grand slams. Furbush finished the weekend with nine RBIs, leading the team.

VETERAN GROUP
Thanks in part to the extra year of eligibility allowed by the NCAA due to the 2020 season being cut short, Ole Miss returns one of if not the most experienced lineup in the SEC. Ole Miss boasts a roster of 11 seniors, including three players entering their fifth collegiate season and one player entering her sixth. Arkansas is the only team in the conference with more players who are in at least their fourth season at the collegiate level.

The Rebels return five players with more than 100 games of experience (Gabby Alvarez, Autumn Gillespie, Abbey Latham, Jessica Puk, Amanda Roth), including three with greater than 100 starts (Gillespie, Latham, Roth). Entering her sixth season, Gillespie leads the way, cracking the starting lineup in 180 of her 185 appearances at the collegiate level. From top to bottom the Rebels boast experience, with 10 of the 23 players who play a position in the field having made at least 75 appearances in their career.

With every every-day player returning to the field for the Rebels in 2021, Ole Miss returns nearly all of its production in every offensive category, including at-bats (98.1%), runs (94.6%), hits (99.4%), RBIs (97.9%), doubles (100%), triples (100%), home runs (100%), walks (98.9% and stolen bases (100%).

ROOKIES IN THE RANKINGS
In addition to having nearly the entire 2020 roster returning, Ole Miss bolstered its lineup with a talented group of six true freshmen. Included in that crew are a pair of rookies who were ranked in FloSoftball's Hot 100 Rankings in infielder Blaise Biringer and Aynslie Furbush, who plays both in the field and in the circle.

A middle infielder from Nogales, Arizona, Biringer was tabbed as the No. 59 incoming freshman in the nation by FloSoftball. Biringer helped lead Cienega High School to a pair of state championships, earning all-state laurels three times, including back-to-back first team nods in 2018 and 2019.

In addition to being ranked No. 85 in FloSoftball's class of 2020 Hot 100, Furbush was also slotted as the No. 16 rookie in the nation in Softball America's Top-25 Freshmen list. A 2018-19 Florida State Champion with Winter Springs High School, Furbush garnered Junior All-American laurels from MaxPreps and was also tabbed as the FACA 8A Player of the Year in 2019.

WHO YOU CALLING HOKIE?
Among the new faces in the Ole Miss lineup is utility player Maddi Banks, a transfer from Virginia Tech. The Iowa native is expected to make an immediate impact, earning D1Softball's SEC Preseason Newcomer of the Year laurel. In her two seasons in Blacksburg, Banks played in 75 total games among various positions. After establishing herself as a regular contributor as a freshman, Banks broke out in 2020. The junior started 22 games for VT, ranking fifth on the team with a .340 average while posting a .581 slugging percentage with three doubles, a triple and a pair of home runs.

A NEW ERA
A new era of Ole Miss softball begins in 2021, with Jamie Trachsel being named the sixth head coach in program history on April 24, 2020. Trachsel brings 18 years of coaching experience to Oxford, including 10 as head coach at successful programs in Minnesota, Iowa State and North Dakota State.

In her 10 seasons as a head coach, Trachsel has guided her teams to the postseason seven times. The Duluth, Minnesota, native has steered her teams to 11 conference regular season and tournament championships, coaching 47 all-league players along the way. Trachsel's crowning achievement came in 2019, earning NFCA Great Lakes Coach of the Year honors after taking the Golden Gophers to the program's first-ever Women's College World Series.

A familiar face in Oxford, former Rebel volunteer assistant coach Katie Rietkovich Browder returns to Ole Miss after spending two years on Trachsel's Minnesota staff. In addition to helping the Golden Gophers in their run to the WCWS, Rietkovich Browder was a key piece in Ole Miss' 2017 SEC Tournament Championship and trip to Super Regionals. Rietkovich Browder was also crucial in the development of the Rebels' corps of slappers, including the likes of Kylan Becker and Elantra Cox.

Former United States Junior Men's National Team member Ryker Chason is in his first season as Ole Miss' pitching coach. Prior to making the move to Oxford, Chason spent four seasons as a student at LSU, assisting Tiger head coach Beth Torina with pitching charts and pitch calls. During his time in Baton Rouge, Chason worked with a plethora of top-end talent, including All-Americans Carley Hoover and Allie Walljasper. While at LSU, Chason also served as the pitching coach for the nationally renowned Georgia Impact Premier Club travel ball team in Atlanta.

Rounding out the new faces on the pitching staff is former Elon standout Kara Shutt. Shutt spent the past two seasons as a graduate assistant at fellow SEC foe South Carolina. During her playing career, Shutt put together one of the finest careers in the history of Elon softball, setting the Phoenix' all-time record for career doubles with 63, while ranking second in school history with 253 career hits. Shutt also filled up her mantel with plenty of awards, earning a trio of All-CAA and NFCA All-Region awards apiece.

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. Also, follow head coach Jamie Trachsel on Twitter at @Jamie_Trachsel.

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Players Mentioned

Mikayla Allee

Gabby Alvarez

Maddi Banks

Kylan Becker

Blaise Biringer

Anna Borgen

Elantra Cox

Aynslie Furbush

Autumn Gillespie

Abbey Latham

Kelsha Loftin

Jessica Puk

Amanda Roth

Paige Smith

The University of Mississippi Athletics