The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Dixie State
Softball Opens Season At Easton Invitational
2/9/2022 | Softball
Rebels Play Six Games in California
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EASTON CLASSIC Feb. 10-12 Fullerton, Calif. Anderson Family Field |
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| Ole Miss Notes (PDF) • Oregon Notes (PDF) Tournament Info |
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| Thursday, Feb. 10 Dixie State | No. 18 Oregon 5 p.m. | 7:30 p.m. |
Friday, Feb. 11 Colorado State | Cal State Fullerton 3:30 p.m. | 7 p.m. |
Saturday, Feb. 12 San Diego | Cal 11 a.m. | 1:30 p.m. |
| Game One: Live Stats Game Two: Live Stats |
Game One: Live Stats Game Two: Live Stats | Watch |
Game One: Live Stats Game Two: Live Stats |
LEADING OFF
• Ole Miss opens its season in California for the first time since 2017 when it also played in the Easton Classic. The Rebels are set to play five games in the tournament, taking on Dixie State, Colorado State, Cal State Fullerton, San Diego and California.
• Thursday's one-off matchup with No. 18 Oregon marks the Rebels' first matchup with a top-25 team. Ole Miss was 7-13 against ranked opponents last season.
• Heading into 2022, Ole Miss received votes in two preseason polls. The Rebels grabbed eight votes in the NFCA Coaches Poll and five in the USA Softball Poll.
• Ole Miss will begin the first 11 games of the season on the road before hosting in-state foe Southern Miss in the home-opener on Feb. 22 at 1 p.m.
• The Rebels are coming off their fifth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2021. Ole Miss finished head coach Jamie Trachsel's first season in Oxford with a 36-22 record.
• Sydney Gutierrez finished the 2021 SEC slate with a .366 batting average in conference play, ranking 11th in the league. The average is the fourth-highest in a conference season for a Rebel in the last decade.
• Anna Borgen returns for her fifth season in a Rebel uniform. The lefty has established herself as one of the top pitchers in Ole Miss history, ranking sixth all-time with a 2.37 career ERA.
• One of the Rebels' top offensive weapons in Abbey Latham returns for an extra season in Oxford. The fifth year senior currently ranks inside the top five in program history in doubles (33), home runs (29), RBIs (121) and slugging percentage (.538).
SCOUTING REPORT
Dixie State
Randy Simkins is entering his 14th season as head coach at Dixie State. He boasts a 502-168 record during his tenure, including a trip to the Division II National Championship game in 2015. Last season, the Trailblazers posted a 19-30 record, but with 15 letterwinners returning, there are high expectations for Simkin's squad.
No. 18 Oregon
Melyssa Lombardi enters her fourth season as the Oregon softball head coach in 2022. Last season, Lombardi led Oregon to a third-place finish in the Pac-12 and an NCAA Regional appearance, going 40-17. This year, the Ducks enter the season ranked No. 18 in the NFCA Coaches' Poll and No. 17 in the ESPN/USA Softball Poll. Stacked with experience, the Oregon roster features 12 upperclassmen and three members of the Softball America Preseason Top 100.
Colorado State
Jen Fisher has been at the helm of the Colorado State softball program since 2010, where she has guided her alma mater back to prominence in the Mountain West. Fisher and Colorado State posted a 16-20 mark last season. The Rams are led by fifth-year senior Ashley Michelena, who hit .304, and pitcher Julia Cabral, who posted a 2.60 ERA in 62.0 innings pitched in 2021.
Cal State Fullerton
The host, Cal State Fullerton opens up its brand new softball facility with the Easton Classic. The Titans are coming off another solid season in 2021, where they went 38-15 overall and 21-3 in the Big West Conference. Fullerton is led by NCFA All-West Region First teamer Hannah Becerra, who led the Big West in home runs with 14, ltallied 47 RBIs and scored 48 runs a year ago. In the circle, the Titans lost over 257 innings pitched from last season and return just 76.1 innings, with Staci Chambers, Ellie Zellien and Alexis Silvas as the three returning pitchers.
San Diego
The Toreros are coming off a 13-29 season a year ago. Head coach MJ Knighten is in her second season as head coach, making her the youngest active softball head coach in NCAA Division I. San Diego hit .226 as a team last season, scoring 84 runs. In the circle, the Toreros recorded a 2.95 ERA, their best since 2014.
California
The Cal Bears finished off the 2021 season with a 17-20 record. Second year head coach Chelsea Spencer, who won an NCAA Title at Cal as a shortstop in 2002, looks to bring the program back to its winning ways. Catcher Makena Smith returns after ranking second on the team with a .327 batting average a year ago.
GAME NOTES
ONE LAST RIDE
In 2022, four Rebels will be exercising their fifth season of eligibility as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Three returners in Abbey Latham, Anna Borgen and Sydney Gutierrez along with Georgia Tech transfer Bre Roper are set to cap off their collegiate careers in Ole Miss uniforms.
SHUT DOWN STUFF
The Ole Miss pitching staff gave opposing hitters fits all season long a year ago. The Rebels tallied 16 shutouts in 2021, second-most in the SEC, 11th most in the nation and just one shy of the program record set in 2017. Of the 16 shutouts, 10 came in complete game efforts from the starting pitcher, with Anna Borgen pacing the team with five and Savannah Diederich close behind with three. Borgen, who is entering her fifth season in a Rebel uniform, has established herself as one of the most accomplished pitchers in Ole Miss history, ranking sixth all-time with a career ERA of 2.37. Both Borgen and Diederich return for the Rebels this season and look to continue their dominance in the circle.
LATHAM'S LEGACY
One of the Rebels' top offensive weapons in Abbey Latham returns for an extra season in Oxford. The fifth-year senior is coming off one of her most productive seasons and is ready to continue it into the 2022 season. Latham currently ranks inside the top five in program history in doubles (33), home runs (29), RBIs (121) and slugging percentage (.538). Climbing her way through the record books, the Livingston, Alabama, native looks to cement her legacy as one of the Rebel greats.
SOPHOMORE SURGE
In her first full collegiate season, Paige Smith added a much welcome punch to the Rebel lineup. In 2021, Smith earned SEC All-Newcomer honors after starting all 58 games for the Rebels. She was an offensive force for Ole Miss, scoring 31 runs and driving in 39 with her bat. The sophomore slugged a team-high .524 and became the ninth Rebel in program history to hit double-digit home runs in a season, finishing with 11.
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 overall. Finishing the season 24-3 at the Ole Miss Softball Complex, the Rebels have won 57-of-65 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 42-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.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Following the conclusion of the 2021 season, Ole Miss announced the addition of two transfers who look to contribute right out of the gate. Utility player Bre Roper joins the Rebels from Georgia Tech as a fifth-year senior. With the Yellowjackets, Roper was a four-year starter, racking up 53 extra base hits, including 34 doubles and 16 home runs in her career. Last season, she started 44-of-46 games, ranking fourth in the GT lineup with a .298 batting average and pacing the team with 42 runs scored. Also making her way to Oxford is junior right-hand pitcher Brooke Vestal. The former No. 1 recruit in the nation by FloSoftball and high-school All-American joins the Rebels after spending the last three seasons at Oklahoma. In 2021, she saw action in seven games, including one start, surrendering just three hits on the year in 7.1 innings of work and recording five strikeouts.
ROOKIES IN THE RANKINGS
Head coach Jamie Trachsel's first recruiting class at Ole Miss welcomed nine freshmen to Oxford. The talented group ranked No. 10 in the nation by Extra Innings Softball bolsters a healthy mix of talent across the field. The class includes eight total signees, including four members of Extra Innings' Elite 100 Player Rankings.
Infielder Brooke Barnard was tabbed as the No. 11 ranked recruit in Extra Innings Softball's 2021 Recruiting Rankings. A three-time letterwinner at Palm Beach Gardens High School in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, Barnard helped lead PBGHS to district championships in 2018 and 2019, while receiving all-district, all-county and all-state honors in both seasons.
A three-time South Dakota First Team All-State and four-time Class A All-Tournament Fastpitch honoree, Lexie Brady checks in tied for 52nd in Extra Innings Softball's Recruiting Rankings. As a senior at O'Gorman High School in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Brady hit .544 with nine doubles, a triple and eight home runs, scoring 35 runs and driving in 28 more.
Makenna Segal comes to Oxford ranked tied for 65th in Extra Innings Softball's Recruiting Rankings. A four-time letterwinner at South Forsyth High School in Cumming, Georgia, she set school records in career batting average (.489), career on-base percentage (.620), home runs (34) and career walks (118).
KK Esparza rounds out the Rebel freshman class in the Extra Innings Softball's Recruiting Rankings at No. 69. Esparza was a three-time letterwinner at Friendswood High School in Friendswood, Texas, where she played under Olympic gold medalist Christa Williams-Yates.
OLE MISS PICKED 9TH IN PRESEASON SEC POLL
Ole Miss has been picked 9th in the 2022 Preseason SEC Softball Poll. Last season, Ole Miss finished eighth in the conference after being picked last in the coaches' poll. The Rebels garnered a 12-12 record in league play in 2021, with the 12 wins ranking as the second-most ever in a season in program history. In five of the past six completed seasons, Ole Miss has outperformed its projection in the conference preseason rankings.
SOFTBALL SIGNS NATION'S NO. 3 SIGNING CLASS FOR 2022
Trachsel's second signing class at Ole Miss, the Rebel class is ranked No. 3 in the nation by Extra Innings Softball, features seven plays ranked inside the top-200 in Extra Inning's rankings, with six incoming Rebs garnering Extra Elite 100 status.
CHAMPIONS. NOW.
The $350 Million CHAMPIONS. NOW. capital campaign has been established to vastly improve the Ole Miss Athletics facilities and raise the standard for our level of competitiveness and success within the Southeastern Conference and nationally. When completed, CHAMPIONS. NOW. will be the difference maker that vaults Ole Miss to the top tier of athletics departments nationally, giving the Rebels the resources to win championships. The time is now to go from good to great and join the elite.
The Ole Miss Softball Complex is one of the first phases of the plans with a $20 million stadium renovation, featuring a larger press box, as well as numerous fan amenities. Fan services will be upgraded in the grandstand, including restrooms and concessions, and they will be added to the outfield. Additional shade will also be added for patrons. The team will benefit from enlarged bullpens, as well as improved team offices and storage, helping raise the standard.
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.
