The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Georgia
Softball Set for Weekend Series Against No. 17 Georgia
3/25/2021 | Softball
Ole Miss Looking to Stay Hot at Home
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OLE MISS (19-10, 3-3 SEC) vs. No. 17 GEORGIA (21-3, 5-1 SEC) Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Softball Complex (1,000) |
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| Ole Miss Notes (PDF) • Georgia Notes (PDF) • SEC Notes (PDF) | ||||||||
| Friday, March 26 6 p.m.  |
Saturday, March 27 1 p.m. |
Sunday, March 28 1 p.m. |
| Watch • Live Stats | Watch • Live Stats | Watch • Live Stats |
PROMOTIONS
• The first two hundred fans in attendance on Friday will receive a FREE Ole Miss howler.
LEADING OFF
• Ole Miss is coming off of a 4-1 victory over Southern Miss on Wednesday in Oxford.
• With the win, the Rebels have won 23-consecutive games at home, having not fallen in Oxford since the 2019 NCAA Oxford Regional.
• Ole Miss has won all 12 of its home games in 2021, setting a program record for a home winning streak contained within the same season.
• Ole Miss has been victorious in each of its last 35 non-conference home games, having not lost since a defeat to Boston College in Oxford in 2018.
• The Rebels have scored at least one run in 60 of their last 61 games, including 24-straight after being shutout by Iowa State in week two.
• Friday's meeting will be the 60th all-time between Ole Miss and Georgia. The Rebels are looking to snap a streak of four-straight losses to the Bulldogs.
• The last time Georgia visited Oxford, Ole Miss pulled the upset with a 2-1 series win against the No. 5 ranked Bulldogs in 2018.
• Abbey Latham hit the 27th home run of her career at Arkansas, moving the senior into solo possession of third place in the all-time Rebel record book.
• Officially qualifying with more than 150 career innings, Anna Borgen ranks first all-time at Ole Miss in both career ERA (1.88) and opponent batting average (.207).
• Blaise Biringer ranks fifth in the nation with 38 hits on the season, while also ranking fifth nationally with five triples.
• Ole Miss' 11 shutouts in 2021 is the fourth most in the nation, while Borgen ranks eighth individually with four shutouts.
SCOUTING REPORT
Lu Harris-Champer is the architect of Georgia softball, building the Bulldogs into a nationally-recognized program. Entering her 21st year at the helm, Harris-Champer has guided Georgia to 18-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, two SEC Championships, one SEC Tournament Championship, 10 NCAA Super Regional showings, and four trips to the Women's College World Series, including two in the last four seasons.
Off to a hot start in 2021, Georgia boasts a 21-3 record and is ranked No. 17 in the nation according to USA Today and D1 Softball. Through their first 24 games, the Bulldogs have yet to play a true road game.
After a series win over Missouri to open conference play, a pair of Bulldogs earned SEC Honors. Jaiden Fields was named SEC Newcomer of the Week and Jayda Kearney was Freshman of the Week. Fields went 5-for-10 on the weekend including a double and a home run. She ranks second on the team with a .372 batting average. Kearney went 4-for-8 in the two wins, hitting her first home run. Leading the team offensively is Lacey Fincher. Fincher is hitting .475 with a team-high 29 hits and 25 RBIs.
In the circle Georgia has one of the nation's top rotations. As a team the Bulldogs own the 11th best earned run average in the country with a mark of 1.22. Opposing batters are hitting a mere .170 as a team and have recorded 227 strikeouts. Individually Mary Wilson Avant leads the team with a 1.07 ERA in 72.0 innings of work. Her teammates Alley Cutting, Lauren Mathis and Madison Kerpics follow closely behind, all with sub-1.30 ERAs.
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.
BEST ABILITY? DEPENDABILITY
Over the past few seasons, no two players have been as rock solid dependable as Jessica Puk and Paige Smith. The duo are the only Rebels to start all 54 games the past two seasons, with Puk serving as the ultimate Swiss Army Knife and Smith splitting time between second and third base.
In fact, Puk has taken it a step further, starting every game of the last three seasons, a total of 115 games, after making just eight starts as a true freshman in 2018. Again, the Iowa native has shown flexibility too, making starts at six different positions during her career (catcher, second base, third base, left field, right field, designated player).
RISING TO THE TOP
Throwing 10.2 innings in last weekend's series at Arkansas, Anna Borgen crossed the 150 innings threshold for her career, officially qualifying for the all-time career marks in the Ole Miss record book. The Heath, Texas, native immediately vaulted all the way to the top, ranking first in program-history with a 1.88 career ERA and a .207 batting average against. Borgen has also posted seven shutouts in her career, all in the last two seasons, to tie for seventh most all-time.
IT COMES IN BUNCHES
While being one of the top performers in the Southeastern Conference in terms of strikeouts, Savannah Diederich has tended to rack up her punch outs in bunches this season. The junior has recorded 27 multi-strikeout frames, striking out the side five times. Of Diederich's 83 strikeouts, 59 have come with multiple in the same inning.
STATEMENT SWEEP
For the first time in the 25-year history of the rivalry, Ole Miss swept a three game series over Mississippi State this past weekend, outscoring the Bulldogs 18-1 at the Ole Miss Softball Complex. It was the first sweep of an SEC of any kind for the Rebels since 2017, when Ole Miss took all three against No. 11 LSU in Oxford. The Rebel pitchers were nothing short of dominant against the formidable Bulldog lineup, holding MSU to a single run for a collective 0.37 ERA. The Ole Miss staff held Mississippi State to a meager .162 average over the weekend, compared to a .302 average at the plate for the Rebels. With the sweep, Ole Miss begins SEC play at 3-0 for the first time in program history. Ole Miss has won seven of the last eight and 13 of the last 17 matchups with Mississippi State.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Ole Miss Softball Complex has been an absolute fortress for the Rebels over the last few years. After going a perfect 8-0 at home in 2020 and kicking off the 2021 slate by setting a program record with 12-straight wins in Oxford, Ole Miss has rattled off 23-straight home wins and has won 45-of-50 games in Oxford dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
Outside of SEC play, the Rebels have been nothing short of dominant when playing in front of its home crowd. Ole Miss has won 36-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.
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 consummate 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 18 at-bats, tallying seven base knocks for a .412 average.
HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
Ole Miss has resorted to a "by any means necessary" policy when it comes to getting on base, leading the nation with 42 HBPs on the season, one ahead of second best Saint Francis (PA). The Rebels have been plunked at least once in all but six games in 2021, tallying multiple HBPs 15 times. Paige Smith and Mikayla Allee have been particularly adept, tying for fifth most in the nation with 10 HBPs apiece. Allee has been wearing pitches her entire Rebel career, ranking second in school history with 31 HBPs despite only playing in 109 total games.
ONE'S NOT ENOUGH
Throughout her freshman campaign, Blaise Biringer has proven to not only be one of the most consistent bats in the Ole Miss lineup, but across the entire SEC. The true freshman is tied for third most in the SEC with 13 multi-hit games in 2021, one behind Arkansas's Danielle Gibson and Kentucky's Kayla Kowalik and tied with South Carolina's Mackenzie Boesel. Biringer is not only the only freshman among the group, but the only of the four players who is not a junior or older.
RUN AT YOUR OWN RISK
Since joining Ole Miss ahead of the 2018 season, senior catcher Autumn Gillespie has struck fear in the eyes of opposing base stealers. Over the past three seasons Gillespie's 29 runners caught stealing is third most in the SEC behind Mississippi State's Mia Davidson and Missouri's Hatti Moore (30). However, Gillespie has been far more efficient with controlling the run game than the two aforementioned players, with the California native throwing out 38.2 percent of would be base stealers, compared to 30.6 percent for Moore and 28.6 percent for Davidson. In fact, since Gillespie entered the league in 2018, no catcher with at least 25 runners caught stealing has gunned down a higher percentage of runners. Even when runners don't take the risk of attempting to swipe a base, Gillespie has flashed her arm with a pair of pickoffs in 2021.
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.
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.
