The University of Mississippi Athletics
Softball Position Preview: Infielders
1/31/2024 | Softball
OXFORD, Miss. – As the Rebels inch closer to the start of the 2024 season, OleMissSports.com takes a look at the Rebels' infield in the second of a three-part series ahead of the season-opener.
Four returning infielders provide a solid foundation for an Ole Miss defense that has been in the top half of the SEC over the last three seasons. Senior Paige Smith anchors the infield at first base and is joined by junior Angelina DeLeon and underclassmen Tenly Grisham and Grace Thompson.
Back for her super senior season, Smith looks to leave her mark as one of the program's top sluggers. A true threat in the middle of the Rebel lineup, she is one of seven players in Ole Miss history with 100 hits and 100 RBI and ranks fourth in the record books with 32 home runs and 134 RBI. With over 200 career games under her belt, Smith brings a veteran presence to the team and looks to carry Ole Miss back to the postseason.
A rising junior, DeLeon has appeared in 57 contests for the Rebels, most of which came as a freshman when she started 38 games at second base. A Valley Springs, California, product, she owns a career .273 mark at the plate and has scored 20 runs. In the field, DeLeon posted a .926 fielding percentage as a freshman with 48 putouts and 39 assists.
Grisham returns to the Rebel lineup after a freshman campaign where she saw the field 29 times, primarily as a pinch runner. The Philadelphia, Mississippi native looks to build off of her first season in Oxford that saw her score 13 runs, nine of which came during SEC play and the postseason, along with swiping four bases.
Redshirt freshman Thompson rounds out the field of returners for the Rebels as she looks to see her first collegiate action after missing all of the 2023 season in Oxford due to injury. A standout player at West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas, she earned a trio of all-district nods and was ranked 19th among all middle-infielders and 28th overall by Extra Inning Softball in the 2022 recruiting class.
Joining the list of returners is a trio of transfers and a freshman who are expected to make an immediate impact.
Jaden Pone comes to Oxford after spending two seasons at Longwood. The infielder boasts a .412 career batting average with 153 hits, 82 runs scored and 62 stolen bases. Last season, she was named Big South Player of the Year and earned a First Team NFCA All-Region nod. As a freshman, Pone tallied 79 hits, including a 19-game hitting streak to set the Longwood program record for single-season hits.
After spending four seasons with the Illini, Delaney Rummell signed to play her final year of eligibility in Oxford. The former All-Big Ten Defensive Team and All-Big Ten Second Teamer boasts a .271 career mark at the plate and a .968 fielding percentage. A consistent presence in the lineup, she has 40 hits and 30 RBI in each of her previous three seasons to go along with only 10 total errors.
Ryan Starr rounds out the field of infield transfers after playing her freshman year at Syracuse. Starr made 42 starts at shortstop for the Orange in 2023, recording 46 putouts with only eight errors on 122 chances. She showed her all-around game, tallying 23 hits on a .237 mark at the plate, including four games with multiple hits and five games with multiple runs. On the basepaths, she flashed her speed, swiping 19 bases and scoring 14 runs.
Ma'Nia Womack, one of the top players in the state of Mississippi, was ranked No. 18 overall in the class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball and checked in at No. 51 on the Softball America Top 100. A five-time first team all-district and all-state honoree at Hartfield Academy in Brandon, Mississippi, she led the Hawks to a pair of state championships in 2018 and 2021 and was recognized as MAIS Player of the Year in 2021.
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 @olemisssoftball. Also, follow head coach Jamie Trachsel on Twitter at @Jamie_Trachsel.
Four returning infielders provide a solid foundation for an Ole Miss defense that has been in the top half of the SEC over the last three seasons. Senior Paige Smith anchors the infield at first base and is joined by junior Angelina DeLeon and underclassmen Tenly Grisham and Grace Thompson.
Back for her super senior season, Smith looks to leave her mark as one of the program's top sluggers. A true threat in the middle of the Rebel lineup, she is one of seven players in Ole Miss history with 100 hits and 100 RBI and ranks fourth in the record books with 32 home runs and 134 RBI. With over 200 career games under her belt, Smith brings a veteran presence to the team and looks to carry Ole Miss back to the postseason.
A rising junior, DeLeon has appeared in 57 contests for the Rebels, most of which came as a freshman when she started 38 games at second base. A Valley Springs, California, product, she owns a career .273 mark at the plate and has scored 20 runs. In the field, DeLeon posted a .926 fielding percentage as a freshman with 48 putouts and 39 assists.
Grisham returns to the Rebel lineup after a freshman campaign where she saw the field 29 times, primarily as a pinch runner. The Philadelphia, Mississippi native looks to build off of her first season in Oxford that saw her score 13 runs, nine of which came during SEC play and the postseason, along with swiping four bases.
Redshirt freshman Thompson rounds out the field of returners for the Rebels as she looks to see her first collegiate action after missing all of the 2023 season in Oxford due to injury. A standout player at West Brook High School in Beaumont, Texas, she earned a trio of all-district nods and was ranked 19th among all middle-infielders and 28th overall by Extra Inning Softball in the 2022 recruiting class.
Joining the list of returners is a trio of transfers and a freshman who are expected to make an immediate impact.
Jaden Pone comes to Oxford after spending two seasons at Longwood. The infielder boasts a .412 career batting average with 153 hits, 82 runs scored and 62 stolen bases. Last season, she was named Big South Player of the Year and earned a First Team NFCA All-Region nod. As a freshman, Pone tallied 79 hits, including a 19-game hitting streak to set the Longwood program record for single-season hits.
After spending four seasons with the Illini, Delaney Rummell signed to play her final year of eligibility in Oxford. The former All-Big Ten Defensive Team and All-Big Ten Second Teamer boasts a .271 career mark at the plate and a .968 fielding percentage. A consistent presence in the lineup, she has 40 hits and 30 RBI in each of her previous three seasons to go along with only 10 total errors.
Ryan Starr rounds out the field of infield transfers after playing her freshman year at Syracuse. Starr made 42 starts at shortstop for the Orange in 2023, recording 46 putouts with only eight errors on 122 chances. She showed her all-around game, tallying 23 hits on a .237 mark at the plate, including four games with multiple hits and five games with multiple runs. On the basepaths, she flashed her speed, swiping 19 bases and scoring 14 runs.
Ma'Nia Womack, one of the top players in the state of Mississippi, was ranked No. 18 overall in the class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball and checked in at No. 51 on the Softball America Top 100. A five-time first team all-district and all-state honoree at Hartfield Academy in Brandon, Mississippi, she led the Hawks to a pair of state championships in 2018 and 2021 and was recognized as MAIS Player of the Year in 2021.
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 @olemisssoftball. Also, follow head coach Jamie Trachsel on Twitter at @Jamie_Trachsel.
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UT
/ SoftballTrinidad Chambliss Touchdown at Georgia
Saturday, October 18
The Old Youngin's - Mackenzie Pickens and Persy Llamas (SB)
Friday, October 10
Why Not Us? - Lexie Brady and Aliyah Binford (Softball)
Wednesday, June 04
PRESSER | Ole Miss Softball - vs. Oregon Postgame (05-30-25)
Saturday, May 31