The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, May 17
Lafayette, La.
2:30 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Baylor
Softball Set for NCAA Lafayette Regional
5/16/2024 | Softball
LAFAYETTE, La. – For the eighth consecutive season, Ole Miss received a bid to the NCAA Softball Championship. The Rebels will compete in the Lafayette Regional, opening play against the Baylor Bears for the second straight season.
LEADING OFF
• The Rebels are 17-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, claiming a pair of regional titles in 2017 and 2019.
• Ole Miss is coming off back-to-back series victories to end the season. The Rebels took two games from Auburn in Oxford and upset No. 8 Arkansas twice in Fayetteville.
• In her last three appearances, Grace Sparks is 3-0 in the circle and boasts a 1.31 ERA in 16.0 innings of work.
• DP/Utility Aynslie Furbush was named All-SEC Second Team by the conference last week. The senior is having the best offensive season of her career batting cleanup.
• Angelina DeLeon has been one of the hottest-hitting Rebels over the last nine games, posting a .357 mark at the plate with 10 hits, half of which have gone for extra bases.
• Senior Paige Smith has started 259 games in a Rebel uniform, the most by any player in Ole Miss history.
• This season, Ole Miss is 7-2 against teams from the state of Louisiana, including a 4-1 road trip featuring a doubleheader win over Nicholls State and a series victory against No. 2 LSU.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
Making its 16th NCAA Tournament bid in program history, Baylor returns to the postseason for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons. The Bears have advanced to six Super Regionals and are 33-14 all-time in the first round of the tournament, all coming under head coach Glenn Moore. The Bears earned the No. 2 seed in the Lafayette Regional after a 32-20 season, including a 14-13 record in Big 12 play and six wins over ranked opponents. Shaylon Govan paces the team with a blistering .444 mark at the plate and eight home runs in 124 at-bats. As a team, the offense is hitting .288 and reaching base 36.8 percent of the time. In the circle, RyLee Crandall (14-8) and Aliyah Binford (12-10) have split the workload. The Bears own a 3.53 staff ERA in 336.2 innings pitched. The first-round matchup between Baylor and Ole Miss marks the second straight season the two teams will face off in a Regional. Baylor leads the all-time series 4-3, but the Rebels have taken each of the last three meetings.
The Ragin' Cajuns are set to appear in the NCAA Tournament for the 25th consecutive season, a streak that dates back to the 1999 season. Louisiana will host an NCAA Regional at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park after being awarded the No. 13 national seed. A year ago, UL advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round and is seeking back-to-back trips for the first time since 2015-16. Louisiana posted a 42-17 record during the regular season en route to its fifth Sun Belt title. Led by conference player of the year Mihyia Davis, who ranks third nationally in hits with 84, the Ragin' Cajun offense boasts a .317 mark offensively as a team. In the circle, Sam Landry has been the staff ace with a 2.08 ERA to go along with a 24-8 record in 184.2 innings of work. The Rebels and Ragin' Cajuns have met 18 times, with Louisiana holding a 14-4 edge in the all-time series. Both teams have postseason history, most recently in the 2019 Oxford Regional, where Ole Miss beat Louisiana to advance to the Super Regionals.
After winning the Ivy League Tournament, Princeton softball secured its 12th NCAA tournament appearance and second in the last three years. The automatic berth gave the Tigers the No. 4 seed in the Lafayette Regional. Princeton (29-16) claimed its 22nd Ivy League title in 2024, defeating Harvard 1-0 in the championship game. The Tigers are led by five All-Ivy honorees, including rookie third baseman Sonia Zhang, junior center fielder Lauren Sablone and sophomore catcher Julia Dumai, who are all hitting over the .300 mark. As a team, Princeton has a 3.96 ERA in the circle, topped by Brielle Wright with a 2.73 mark in 32 appearances. Ole Miss and Princeton have never faced off on the diamond.
EIGHT STRAIGHT
For the eighth consecutive season, Ole Miss received a bid to the NCAA Softball Championship. The Rebels will compete in the Lafayette Regional, set for May 17-19. As the No. 3 seed in the regional, the Rebels will take on No. 2 seed Baylor for the second straight season in the opening game and are joined by Princeton and the host Louisiana. Receiving its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid in 2016, Ole Miss has earned a spot in the "Big Dance" every season since. The Rebels are 17-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, claiming a pair of regional titles in 2017 and 2019.
A FAMILIAR FOE
Ole Miss has postseason history with a pair of teams in the Lafayette Regional. In 2019, the Rebels went 2-1 against the Ragin' Cajuns in the Oxford Regional, including a 5-4 walk-off victory to advance to the program's second-ever Super Regional. Last season, Ole Miss and Baylor matched up in Salt Lake City, where the Rebels bested the Bears 3-0 and 9-2 to move on to the Regional final.
DON'T LET THE REBS GET HOT
Ole Miss softball has fully adopted the mantra "Don't let the Rebs get hot" that fueled Ole Miss baseball to the 2022 National Championship. Playing some of their best softball over the last three weeks, the Rebels are heating up at just the right time as the regular season winds down and postseason begins. Ole Miss enters the Postseason 5-2 in its last seven games, including back-to-back series wins over Auburn and No. 8 Arkansas and a win over No. 25 Kentucky in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.
SAVING HER BEST FOR LAST
Playing her fourth and final season in an Ole Miss uniform, Aynslie Furbush is having the best year of her career, and it's not going unnoticed. The senior captured her second set of conference honors this season and the third of her career, being named to the All-SEC Second Team and the SEC Community Service Team last week and earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team in 2021. This season, Furbush has 48 hits, the most she's tallied in a single season of her career, while ranking second on the team with a .331 average at the plate and 12 home runs to go along with a team-leading 44 RBI (10th in the SEC).
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.
LEADING OFF
• The Rebels are 17-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, claiming a pair of regional titles in 2017 and 2019.
• Ole Miss is coming off back-to-back series victories to end the season. The Rebels took two games from Auburn in Oxford and upset No. 8 Arkansas twice in Fayetteville.
• In her last three appearances, Grace Sparks is 3-0 in the circle and boasts a 1.31 ERA in 16.0 innings of work.
• DP/Utility Aynslie Furbush was named All-SEC Second Team by the conference last week. The senior is having the best offensive season of her career batting cleanup.
• Angelina DeLeon has been one of the hottest-hitting Rebels over the last nine games, posting a .357 mark at the plate with 10 hits, half of which have gone for extra bases.
• Senior Paige Smith has started 259 games in a Rebel uniform, the most by any player in Ole Miss history.
• This season, Ole Miss is 7-2 against teams from the state of Louisiana, including a 4-1 road trip featuring a doubleheader win over Nicholls State and a series victory against No. 2 LSU.
SCOUTING THE FIELD
Making its 16th NCAA Tournament bid in program history, Baylor returns to the postseason for the 11th time in the last 13 seasons. The Bears have advanced to six Super Regionals and are 33-14 all-time in the first round of the tournament, all coming under head coach Glenn Moore. The Bears earned the No. 2 seed in the Lafayette Regional after a 32-20 season, including a 14-13 record in Big 12 play and six wins over ranked opponents. Shaylon Govan paces the team with a blistering .444 mark at the plate and eight home runs in 124 at-bats. As a team, the offense is hitting .288 and reaching base 36.8 percent of the time. In the circle, RyLee Crandall (14-8) and Aliyah Binford (12-10) have split the workload. The Bears own a 3.53 staff ERA in 336.2 innings pitched. The first-round matchup between Baylor and Ole Miss marks the second straight season the two teams will face off in a Regional. Baylor leads the all-time series 4-3, but the Rebels have taken each of the last three meetings.
The Ragin' Cajuns are set to appear in the NCAA Tournament for the 25th consecutive season, a streak that dates back to the 1999 season. Louisiana will host an NCAA Regional at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park after being awarded the No. 13 national seed. A year ago, UL advanced to the NCAA Super Regional round and is seeking back-to-back trips for the first time since 2015-16. Louisiana posted a 42-17 record during the regular season en route to its fifth Sun Belt title. Led by conference player of the year Mihyia Davis, who ranks third nationally in hits with 84, the Ragin' Cajun offense boasts a .317 mark offensively as a team. In the circle, Sam Landry has been the staff ace with a 2.08 ERA to go along with a 24-8 record in 184.2 innings of work. The Rebels and Ragin' Cajuns have met 18 times, with Louisiana holding a 14-4 edge in the all-time series. Both teams have postseason history, most recently in the 2019 Oxford Regional, where Ole Miss beat Louisiana to advance to the Super Regionals.
After winning the Ivy League Tournament, Princeton softball secured its 12th NCAA tournament appearance and second in the last three years. The automatic berth gave the Tigers the No. 4 seed in the Lafayette Regional. Princeton (29-16) claimed its 22nd Ivy League title in 2024, defeating Harvard 1-0 in the championship game. The Tigers are led by five All-Ivy honorees, including rookie third baseman Sonia Zhang, junior center fielder Lauren Sablone and sophomore catcher Julia Dumai, who are all hitting over the .300 mark. As a team, Princeton has a 3.96 ERA in the circle, topped by Brielle Wright with a 2.73 mark in 32 appearances. Ole Miss and Princeton have never faced off on the diamond.
EIGHT STRAIGHT
For the eighth consecutive season, Ole Miss received a bid to the NCAA Softball Championship. The Rebels will compete in the Lafayette Regional, set for May 17-19. As the No. 3 seed in the regional, the Rebels will take on No. 2 seed Baylor for the second straight season in the opening game and are joined by Princeton and the host Louisiana. Receiving its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid in 2016, Ole Miss has earned a spot in the "Big Dance" every season since. The Rebels are 17-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, claiming a pair of regional titles in 2017 and 2019.
A FAMILIAR FOE
Ole Miss has postseason history with a pair of teams in the Lafayette Regional. In 2019, the Rebels went 2-1 against the Ragin' Cajuns in the Oxford Regional, including a 5-4 walk-off victory to advance to the program's second-ever Super Regional. Last season, Ole Miss and Baylor matched up in Salt Lake City, where the Rebels bested the Bears 3-0 and 9-2 to move on to the Regional final.
DON'T LET THE REBS GET HOT
Ole Miss softball has fully adopted the mantra "Don't let the Rebs get hot" that fueled Ole Miss baseball to the 2022 National Championship. Playing some of their best softball over the last three weeks, the Rebels are heating up at just the right time as the regular season winds down and postseason begins. Ole Miss enters the Postseason 5-2 in its last seven games, including back-to-back series wins over Auburn and No. 8 Arkansas and a win over No. 25 Kentucky in the opening round of the SEC Tournament.
SAVING HER BEST FOR LAST
Playing her fourth and final season in an Ole Miss uniform, Aynslie Furbush is having the best year of her career, and it's not going unnoticed. The senior captured her second set of conference honors this season and the third of her career, being named to the All-SEC Second Team and the SEC Community Service Team last week and earning a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team in 2021. This season, Furbush has 48 hits, the most she's tallied in a single season of her career, while ranking second on the team with a .331 average at the plate and 12 home runs to go along with a team-leading 44 RBI (10th in the SEC).
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
RHP/UT
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
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