The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Central Arkansas
Softball Welcomes Central Arkansas for Tuesday Tilt
4/5/2021 | Softball
Rebels and Bears to Matchup for Sixth-Straight Season
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OLE MISS (22-13, 6-6 SEC) vs. CENTRAL ARKANSAS (22-10, 10-2 SOUTHLAND) Oxford, Miss. Ole Miss Softball Complex (1,000) |
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| Ole Miss Notes (PDF) • Central Arkansas Notes • SEC Notes (PDF) | ||||||||
| Tuesday, April 6 6 p.m.  |
| Watch • Live Stats |
PROMOTIONS
• $1 Hot Dogs
LEADING OFF
• Ole Miss is coming off of a three-game series at No. 15 LSU, falling in a pair of one-run games on Thursday and Friday before winning 9-4 in extra innings on Saturday.
• It was just the sixth win in 31 attempts for Ole Miss all-time in Baton Rouge.
• Ole Miss clobbered four home runs for the second time on the season in Saturday's win.
• Paige Smith homered twice, her second multi home run game of the season for the sophomore. Sydney Gutierrez scored the winning run on a leadoff home run in the eighth, the first big fly of her career.
• Ole Miss is tied for fifth in the SEC standings with a 6-6 league record.
• Ole Miss and Central Arkansas will square off for the sixth-straight season. The Rebels have never lost to the Bears at the Ole Miss Softball Complex in 10 meetings
• The Rebels have been dominant in recent matchups, outscoring UCA by a combined 35-6 margin in the last three meetings, including an 18-3 victory in Conway in 2019.
• 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.
• Ole Miss is 14-1 at home in 2021, outscoring opponents 69-17.
• The Rebel pitching staff has allowed just 14 earned runs in 101 innings in Oxford, good for a 0.97 team ERA at home.
• Ole Miss received four votes in the most recent USA Softball Poll.
• Ole Miss improved one spot in the NCAA RPI report, moving up from No. 34 to No. 33.
SCOUTING REPORT
In 12 seasons in Conway, David Kuhn has transformed the Central Arkansas softball program into one of the most consistent winners in the Southland Conference. Kuhn is the league's winningest active coach with 711 overall wins, 343 of which have come with the Bears. In the last six seasons alone, he has guided the Bears to national postseason play twice, including its first Southland tournament championship and NCAA Regionals berth.
The Bears are coming off their third straight sweep in the Southland Conference. Over the weekend, Central Arkansas went 3-0 against Northwestern State. It will bring a nine-game winning streak into the midweek matchup with the Rebels. Kuhn's squad has already faced its fair share of SEC opponents in Texas A&M, LSU and Arkansas but are winless in those contests this season.
Batting .306 as a team, the Bears are led by a pair of redshirt freshmen offensively. Jenna Wilderman paces the team with 26 runs and 38 hits while hitting .458. The speedy outfielder is also a threat on the base paths, ranking first on the team with 26 stolen bases on 27 attempts. Teammate Mary Kate Brown has also swung the bat well through Central Arkansas' first 32 games. She is batting .418 and ranks second on the team with 20 runs batted in.
In the circle, the Bears have used a trio of pitchers to register an impressive 1.87 team earned run average while only surrendering 56 runs this season. Redshirt freshman Kayla Beaver has been the go-to arm, with a 9-3 record this season. Through 71.1 innings, she's recorded a 1.08 ERA and only walked seven batters. Jordan Johnson and Rio Sanchez follow Beaver with 2.36 and 2.37 ERAs, respectively.
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 interested in the Diamond Club may join here.
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.
BEAR KILLERS
A common non-conference opponent for Ole Miss, many Rebels have seen success against Central Arkansas in their career, especially the heart of the order in Autumn Gillespie, Jessica Puk and Abbey Latham. Gillespie is 3-for-6 in her career against UCA, posting a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored. Puk has been even more potent, going 4-for-7 with a homer, a double, six RBIs, two runs and a pair of walks. Latham, meanwhile, jas four hits in nine at-bats against UCA, posting a home run, a double, four RBIs and four runs scored.
SOPHOMORE SURGE
Playing in her first full collegiate season, Paige Smith has added some much welcome punch to the Rebel lineup. The former Softball America Travel Ball Player of the Year leads the Rebels with 10 home runs on the season, becoming just the ninth Rebel ever to record double digit big flies in a single season. Smith's 10 dingers are good for a tie for eighth most in the SEC, while her four homers in conference play are tied for the third most in the SEC.
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 60 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 121 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
Earlier this season, 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 1.92 career ERA and a .218 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.
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, Ole Miss won each of its first 13 home games in 2021 to set the program record for a streak within the same season, finishing off the streak with 24 straight home victories. Ole Miss has won 47-of-53 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.
DOWN GO THE DAWGS
Moving to 5-1 at home in SEC play, Ole Miss picked up a key SEC series victor this past weekend, taking 2-of-3 from No. 17 Georgia. The Rebels powered their way to a game one victory behind a three-run blast from Paige Smith and Autumn Gillespie's walk-off two run shot in the seventh. After falling in a tight one in game two, a rubber match was set for Sunday. Riding a career day with 11 strikeouts from Anna Borgen, Ole Miss jumped ahead early and held on to defeat the Bulldogs 3-2. With the win, the Rebels improve to 5-4 in SEC play, tied for the best start after nine games in program history.
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.
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 20 at-bats, tallying seven base knocks for a .350 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 53 HBPs on the season, six ahead of second best South Carolina. The Rebels have been plunked at least once in all but six games in 2021, tallying multiple HBPs 19 times. Mikayla Allee and Paige Smith have been particularly adept, with Allee ranking tied for fourth nationally with 13 and Smith not far behind in a tie for 7th with 12. Allee has been wearing pitches her entire Rebel career, ranking second in school history with 34 HBPs despite only playing in 115 total games.
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 tied with Arkansas's Kayla Green for third most in the SEC behind Missouri's Hatti Moore (32) and Mississippi State's Mia Davidson (31). However, Gillespie has been far more efficient with controlling the run game than the three aforementioned players, with the California native throwing out 37.2 percent of would be base stealers, compared to 34.9 percent for Green, 31.4 percent for Moore and 28.7 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.
