The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
North Carolina
Softball Opens 2023 Season At Puerto Vallarta College Challenge
2/9/2023 | Softball
Rebels Head South of the Border to Kick Off 2023
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PUERTO VALLARTA COLLEGE CHALLENGE Session One | Feb. 10-13 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Nancy Almaraz Field |
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| Ole Miss Notes (PDF) • Oklahoma State Notes (PDF) • Oregon Notes (PDF) • Wisconsin Notes (PDF) | |||||||||||
| Friday, Feb. 10 vs. North Carolina 8:30 p.m. |
Saturday, Feb. 11 vs. No. 24 Oregon & Wisconsin 3 p.m. & 6 p.m. |
Sunday, Feb. 12 vs. No. 3 Oklahoma State 4 p.m. |
Monday, Feb. 13 vs. North Dakota State (DH) 12 p.m. & 2:30 p.m. |
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LEADING OFF
• Ole Miss kicks off the 2023 season at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, hosted at Nancy Almaraz Field in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
• All of the Rebels' games at the classic will be available for streaming via FloSoftball.
• Playing in both sessions of the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, Ole Miss will face off against five teams 2022 NCAA Tournament teams, including No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 24 Oregon.
• It will be the third time Ole Miss competes south of the border at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. The Rebels also competed in the tournament in 2018, winning the tournament championship.
• The Rebels are 5-4 all-time in Puerto Vallarta.
• Coming off its fourth 40-plus win year in the last six complete seasons, Ole Miss tallied 41 victories, tied for the second-most in school history.
• The Rebels enter the season with some national recognition, coming in at No. 25 in the D1Softball Preseason Poll. They are also receiving votes in both the NFCA Preseason Coaches and USA Softball Preseason Polls
• Ole Miss returns 15 players from last season's roster, including fifth-year seniors Mikayla Allee and Tate Whitley. The 2023 roster also includes four impact transfers in Makenna Kliethermes, Jenna Lord, Mya Stevenson and Savana Sikes.
• Ole Miss' 2022 signing class that arrived on campus this past August was ranked No. 3 in the nation by ExtraInningSoftball.
• Outfielder Tate Whitley led the SEC during the regular season last year with 74 hits. She finished her 2022 campaign with 77, the third most in a single season in program history.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
NORTH CAROLINA
Returning for her 39th season, Donna J. Papa, an NFCA Hall of Fame inductee, leads the Tar Heels. North Carolina completed the 2022 season with a 23-28 record, including a 7-3 mark in neutral contests. With 18 players returning, the Tar Heels have experience under their belts as they head into the 2023 season. The last time Ole Miss and North Carolina faced off, the Rebels defeated the Tar Heels 7-2 in 2017 to win the Oxford Regional and advance to the program's first NCAA Super Regional.
NORTH DAKOTA STATE
Darren Mueller enters his 22nd season as the head coach for North Dakota State. Last season, he led the Bisons to a 30-23 and a third-place finish in the Summit League Tournament during their postseason run. NDSU brings back 10 letterwinners, including six with starting experience. Mueller and the Bison welcomed six newcomers to the squad for 2023. Ole Miss and North Dakota State have only faced off three times in the history of both programs, with the Rebels leading the all-time series 2-1.
OKLAHOMA STATE
Kenny Gajewski is entering his eighth season as Oklahoma State's softball head coach. The Cowgirls are coming off their third consecutive trip to OKC for the Women's College World Series after posting a 48-14 record last season. Heading into 2023, expectations are high once again as OSU was tabbed as a unanimous top-three team, receiving a No. 2 ranking from Softball America and a trio of No. 3 nods from D1Softball's Preseason Top 25, ESPN.com/USA Softball's Preseason Collegiate Top 25 and the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Cowgirls return 11 members from a year ago, highlighted by Kelly Maxwell, who ranks No. 2 and No. 3 in D1Softball's preseason top 100 and Extra Innings 2023 Extra Elite 100, respectively. Oklahoma State leads the all-time series with Ole Miss 7-4; however, the Rebels have won each of the last three meetings.
OREGON
Melyssa Lombardi is entering her fifth season as Oregon's head coach in 2023. Lombardi and the Ducks are fresh off their second consecutive NCAA Regional final with an overall 33-19 record. The Ducks are ranked as high as No. 17 in the preseason polls (Extra Inning Softball). Oregon is also ranked No. 22 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, No. 23 by D1Softball and No. 24 in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25. The Ducks return five players who received Pac-12 honors last year, led by Allee Bunker, who was ranked 75th in D1Softball's national Top 100 players for 2023 and was listed as the sixth-best second baseman in the country. The Rebels and Ducks faced off last season in a neutral site matchup, with Oregon coming out on top in a 3-0 pitcher's duel.
WISCONSIN
With the highest winning percentage of any Wisconsin coach in the program's history (.604), Yvette Healy enters her 12th season as the Badgers softball head coach. Healy and the Badgers finished last season with a 30-21 record as well as an NCAA Regional Championship appearance in Gainesville. Heading into 2023, the Badgers return 16 players from last season. Saturday's meeting between Ole Miss and Wisconsin will be the second-ever meeting between the two teams. The Rebels won the first and only contest 6-4 in 1999.
ONE LAST RIDE
In 2023, four Rebels will be exercising their fifth season of eligibility as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Two returners in Mikayla Allee and Tate Whitley, along with Marshall transfer Mya Stevenson and Georgia transfer Savana Sikes, are set to cap off their collegiate careers in Ole Miss uniforms.
PRESEASON PRAISE
For the first time since the 2020 season, Ole Miss will begin the season ranked as the Rebels checked in at the No. 25 spot in D1Softball's 2023 Preseason Poll. They also received votes in both the USA Softball/ESPN and NFCA Coaches/USA Today Preseason Polls.
MARK THOSE CALENDARS
The Rebels' 2023 schedule features a packed non-conference slate and a standard 24-game conference schedule consisting of eight-weekend series. It is headlined by matchups with 16 teams from last season's NCAA Tournament, including Florida and Oklahoma State from the 2022 Women's College World Series. Additionally, the Rebels will host a pair of home tournaments in March for the first time since 2017.
VIVA LA REBS
For the third time in program history, the Rebs will participate in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. Ole Miss boasts a 5-4 record all-time in Puerto Vallarta, including winning the tournament championship in 2018 and a 4-1 win over the Mexican National Team in 2020. En route to the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge Championship in 2018, Ole Miss won three of four games, including a victory over Texas and No. 3 Oregon. In their most recent trip south of the border, the Rebels dropped close contests with Utah, California Baptist and No. 6 Texas and picked up a pair of wins against Colorado State and the Mexican National Team.
This season, Ole Miss will compete in both sessions of the tournament, staying 11 days in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Over the course of both weekends, the Rebels will face off against five 2022 NCAA Tournament teams, including No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 24 Oregon. All 10 contests will be available to stream on FloSoftball.
WINNING CULTURE
After racking up the second most wins in program history last season, Ole Miss has established a winning culture in Oxford. The Rebels posted a 41-19 record in 2022 and earned their sixth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance. In the last six complete seasons, Ole Miss has won 40-plus games four times, and the Rebels are looking to do it once again in 2023.
RUN IT BACK
Heading into the 2023 season, the Rebels bring back a high percentage of their offense. They return 68.7 percent of runs and 65.1 percent of last season's hits to go along with nearly 60 percent of their RBI production. In the bullpen, 55.8 percent of the Rebels' innings pitched return from last season, and 55 percent of strikeouts are back for another season in Oxford.
TRANSFER TO THE 'SIP
Head Coach Jamie Trachsel dipped into the transfer portal this offseason to add top-tier talent to her 2023 roster, welcoming in four transfers who look to immediately contribute this season.
Makenna Kliethermes graduated in May from Oregon and joins the Rebels pitching staff with two years of eligibility remaining. This past season, she handled the bulk of the work on the Oregon staff, making 32 appearances, including 16 starts. The Wardsville, Missouri, native tallied an 11-7 record and 3.65 ERA in 117.0 innings of work. Kliethermes finished the season with five complete-game efforts, including a one-hit shutout of the Rebels last February.
Staying in the SEC, Jenna Lord joins the Rebels after playing one season at Alabama. She appeared in 45 games for the Crimson Tide, making 30 starts. Lord split time between second base, right field and the DP position in Tuscaloosa. As a freshman, she recorded 26 hits, including six doubles and two home runs, while hitting .289.
Making her way to Oxford as a graduate transfer, Mya Stevenson wrapped up her career at Marshall as one of the program's top sluggers. This past season, she earned NFCA Third Team All-America status after batting .361 with 56 hits, 41 runs scored and 55 RBIs. Stevenson also became Marshall's all-time home run leader with 59 career bombs after mashing 19 in 2022. The Lone Star product ranks second all-time in slugging percentage (.771) and fourth in runs batted in with 169 while tallying 171 hits in her four years with the Herd. Heading into the 2023 season, Stevenson has garnered preseason praise, being named as the No. 52 player in D1Softball's preseason top 100 and the No. 14 outfielder in the position power rankings.
Sikes joins the Rebels after electing to play her fifth and final season in Oxford. The former Georgia Bulldog brings a plethora of experience with 195 starts across both the infield and outfield in her four-year career. She is coming off the best season of her career, recording a .285 average with 45 hits and 33 runs scored.
HOTTY TODDY TATE
Senior Tate Whitley was an offensive sparkplug for Ole Miss last season. Hitting in the leadoff spot, Whitley reached base safely in all but 12 games for the Rebels and collected multiple hits in 25 contests, including nine three-hit games and one four-hit outing. Further, she crossed the plate 51 times for the Rebels in 2022, the second-most in a single season in program history. The Angleton, Texas, native led the SEC with 74 hits during the regular season and ended the year with 77 total, the third most ever by a Rebel. Whitley wrapped up the season 12th in the NCAA in hits and posted a .387 batting average, helping her earn NFCA South First Team All-Region Honors.
THE BULL
Nicknamed "The Bull" for her relentless energy and competitive mentality, Catelyn Riley played a big role in the Rebels'charge through the second half of last season. Although she was a freshman, she became a mainstay in the Ole Miss lineup, starting the final 18 games of the regular season and boasting a .361 average. But Riley's impact went well beyond the plate. She was also a difference-maker for the Rebels in the circle, ranking second on the team in innings pitched with 81.0 and a 3.46 ERA. Her success was remarkable, as her team-high 12 wins were the second-most by an Ole Miss freshman pitcher trailing only Amanda Fine (17 in 1997).
SPINNY REBELS
Over the last two seasons, the Ole Miss pitching staff has been one of the SEC's best. The Spinny Rebels boast a 2.94 ERA over the past two seasons and rank third in the conference with 29 shutouts. They look to continue that trend in 2023 with four pitchers returning, highlighted by Brooke Vestal, who posted an 8-1 record with a 2.60 ERA, and Catelyn Riley, who won 12 games in her freshman campaign. With the departure of seniors Anna Borgen and Savannah Diederich, pitching coach Ryker Chason added depth to the rotation, signing Oregon standout Makenna Kliethermes through the transfer portal and the No. 11 pitcher in the class of 2022 Grace Sparks.
ROOKIES IN THE RANKINGS
Head coach Jamie Trachsel's second signing class at Ole Miss brought some of the nation's top talent to Oxford. The Rebel class was ranked No. 3 in the nation by Extra Innings Softball, featuring seven players ranked inside the top-200 in Extra Inning's rankings, with six incoming Rebs garnering Extra Elite 100 status.
A six-time letterwinner at Neshoba High School in Philadelphia, Mississippi, Tenly Grisham was ranked 42nd overall and 28th among middle infielders by Extra Inning Softball. She helped lead NHS to four state championships, earning all-state honors each season. Grisham capped off her career with a .531 batting average as a senior and was named the 2022 Mississippi Softball Gatorade Player of the Year.
Jalia Lassiter, a six-time letterwinner at Flomaton High School in Flomaton, Alabama, was ranked 19th overall and 12th among middle infielders by Extra Inning Softball. She was named to the AHSAA All-Star Team and earned 3A AHSAA First Team All-State honors after registering a .573 average with 12 triples, five doubles, nine homers, 46 runs and 55 RBIs as a junior.
Outfielder Natalie Ray ranked 24th overall and 9th among outfielders by Extra Inning Softball. A four-time letterwinner at Eastside High School in Covington, Georgia, she was named First Team All-State all four years. Ray batted .512 with 10 doubles, three triples and nine home runs with 44 runs and 23 RBIs as a senior, earning her a spot on the PGF All-American team.
Right-hand pitcher Grace Sparks out of Crosby, Texas, ranked 30th overall and 11th among pitchers by Extra Inning Softball. She was a four-year letterwinner, three-time captain and two-time team MVP at Crosby High School and was named Texas 5A Pitcher of the Year in 2021 after posting a 1.27 ERA with 199 strikeouts in 143 innings.
A three-time letterwinner at West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas, Grace Thompson was ranked 28th overall and 19th among middle infielders by Extra Inning Softball. She collected three all-district nods in her career and batted .576 with 39 RBIs and 10 home runs as a junior.
Mackenzie White ranked 52nd overall and 18th among catchers by Extra Inning Softball. The four-time letterwinner at Heard County High School in Franklin, Georgia, racked up 28 home runs and over 140 RBIs during her high school career. A four-time all-region and two-time all-state honoree, White helped lead HCHS to back-to-back state championships in 2020 and 2021.
OLE MISS PICKED 10TH IN PRESEASON SEC POLL
Ole Miss has been picked 10th in the 2023 Preseason SEC Softball Poll as voted on by the conference's 13 head coaches. Last season, Ole Miss finished eighth in the conference with a 12-12 record that included series wins over South Carolina, #12 Tennessee, #16 Georgia and #19 Missouri. In six of the past seven completed seasons, Ole Miss has outperformed its projection in the conference preseason rankings.
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.
