The University of Mississippi Athletics
Tuesday, May 7
Auburn, Ala.
6 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Kentucky
Softball Opens SEC Tournament Against Kentucky
5/6/2024 | Softball
AUBURN, Ala. – Ole Miss Softball begins postseason play on Tuesday, May 7 in the opening round of the SEC Tournament against No. 12 seed Kentucky at 6 p.m. CT.
LEADING OFF
• The Rebels are 8-10 all-time at the SEC Tournament and have reached the quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons.
• 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.
• Grace Sparks was key in the Rebels series victory over the Razorbacks, going 2-0 in the circle with a 1.24 ERA in 11.1 innings of work. She became the first pitcher to shutout Arkansas at home since Montana Fouts (3/18/23).
• Jaden Pone went on a tear in April, racking up 20 hits and batting .351. She reached base safely in all 16 games played in the month span and had a hit in all but one contest.
• Senior Aynslie Furbush is having the best offensive season of her career. The Longwood, Florida, native is hitting .329 with 46 hits, including 11 home runs and 43 RBI, all of which are career highs.
• On Saturday, Paige Smith started her 257th career game in an Ole Miss uniform, passing former teammate Mikayla Allee for the most starts and games played as a Rebel.
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 two weekends, the Rebels are heating up at just the right time as the regular season winds down and postseason begins. Ole Miss enters the SEC Tournament on Tuesday 4-1 in its last five games, including back-to-back series wins over Auburn and No. 8 Arkansas.
SPARKS FLY (GRACE'S VERSION)
Grace Sparks was electric in the circle against No. 8 Arkansas as Ole Miss took its second series win over a top-10 team this season. The sophomore earned two victories over the Razorbacks on the weekend, recording a 1.24 ERA in 11.1 innings of work to improve to 8-2 on the season. Sparks dominated a potent Arkansas offense in the opener, tossing a complete game three-hit shutout to become the first pitcher to blank the Razorbacks at home since Montana Fouts last season (3/18/23). The Crosby, Texas, product got the starting nod again in the rubber match and set Ole Miss up for the series victory with 4.1 strong innings of work.
HOG ROAST
Closing out the regular season on the road, Ole Miss softball shocked the Hogs, taking the series from No. 8 Arkansas at Bogle Park. It marked the Rebels' first series win in Fayetteville since 2015 and the second series victory over a top-10 team this season. Grace Sparks threw a complete game three-hit shutout as Ole Miss blanked the Razorbacks 6-0 in game one, but Arkansas responded in the second game of the doubleheader to even the series. With the series on the line, both teams waited out a five-hour weather delay before taking the field just after 8 p.m. local time. After trading a pair of runs in the first, Ole Miss broke the tie with an RBI double from Delaney Rummell and a sacrifice fly to take a 4-2 lead. Brianna Lopez took over in the circle and fended off a late comeback to secure the series for the Rebels.
LEGACY AND LOYALTY
Playing in her fifth and final season of eligibility, Paige Smith elected to return to Ole Miss for legacy and loyalty. 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 second in the record books with 160 RBI. On Saturday, the Corona, California, made her 257th career start in an Ole Miss uniform, passing former teammate Mikayla Allee for the most starts and games played as a Rebel. Smith, who has played in every game since stepping on campus in 2020, will leave her mark as one of the program's top sluggers.
HOT HITTING
One of the hottest-hitting Rebels over the last 10 games is second baseman Angelina DeLeon. The junior is seeing the ball incredibly well, with nine hits and a .300 mark at the plate since April 19. Four of DeLeon's nine hits in that span have left the ballpark. Head coach Jamie Trachsel has taken notice, sliding DeLeon all the way up to fifth in the batting order, where she's contributed to the offense with seven runs scored and nine RBI.
A MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
With a 4-3 win over No. 8 Arkansas to end the regular season, Ole Miss picked up its 30th victory of the season. It marked the ninth consecutive 30 win season for the Rebels, dating back to the 2015 season (excluding the shortened 2020 season). Further, head coach Jamie Trachsel has tallied at least 30 wins in all but one season of her 14 year career.
TAMING THE TIGERS
After dropping the series opener against Auburn in an 11-inning pitcher's duel on Friday night, Ole Miss responded to win the series, taking the final two games of the weekend. The Rebels took advantage of three Tiger errors and a brilliant outing from Brianna Lopez itn relief to even the series. In a decisive game three, Ole Miss left no doubt, belting three home runs in a 7-2 rout of Auburn to take the series on Senior Weekend.
SPINNING IT
Down the stretch in conference play, Ole Miss has leaned heavily on Brianna Lopez in the circle. The lefty went 4-0 in 12 appearances in the month of April, registering a 1.97 ERA through a team-high 39.0 innings of work. Lopez's ability to change speed and disrupt opposing hitters' timing is a big reason for her success. To close out the month of April against Auburn, she earned both of the Rebels' victories while racking up 18 strikeouts to go along with a 1.05 ERA. This past weekend in Fayetteville, the junior secured the save, tossing the final 2.2 innings to help Ole Miss take the series from No. 8 Arkansas.
LEADING OFF
• The Rebels are 8-10 all-time at the SEC Tournament and have reached the quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons.
• 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.
• Grace Sparks was key in the Rebels series victory over the Razorbacks, going 2-0 in the circle with a 1.24 ERA in 11.1 innings of work. She became the first pitcher to shutout Arkansas at home since Montana Fouts (3/18/23).
• Jaden Pone went on a tear in April, racking up 20 hits and batting .351. She reached base safely in all 16 games played in the month span and had a hit in all but one contest.
• Senior Aynslie Furbush is having the best offensive season of her career. The Longwood, Florida, native is hitting .329 with 46 hits, including 11 home runs and 43 RBI, all of which are career highs.
• On Saturday, Paige Smith started her 257th career game in an Ole Miss uniform, passing former teammate Mikayla Allee for the most starts and games played as a Rebel.
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 two weekends, the Rebels are heating up at just the right time as the regular season winds down and postseason begins. Ole Miss enters the SEC Tournament on Tuesday 4-1 in its last five games, including back-to-back series wins over Auburn and No. 8 Arkansas.
SPARKS FLY (GRACE'S VERSION)
Grace Sparks was electric in the circle against No. 8 Arkansas as Ole Miss took its second series win over a top-10 team this season. The sophomore earned two victories over the Razorbacks on the weekend, recording a 1.24 ERA in 11.1 innings of work to improve to 8-2 on the season. Sparks dominated a potent Arkansas offense in the opener, tossing a complete game three-hit shutout to become the first pitcher to blank the Razorbacks at home since Montana Fouts last season (3/18/23). The Crosby, Texas, product got the starting nod again in the rubber match and set Ole Miss up for the series victory with 4.1 strong innings of work.
HOG ROAST
Closing out the regular season on the road, Ole Miss softball shocked the Hogs, taking the series from No. 8 Arkansas at Bogle Park. It marked the Rebels' first series win in Fayetteville since 2015 and the second series victory over a top-10 team this season. Grace Sparks threw a complete game three-hit shutout as Ole Miss blanked the Razorbacks 6-0 in game one, but Arkansas responded in the second game of the doubleheader to even the series. With the series on the line, both teams waited out a five-hour weather delay before taking the field just after 8 p.m. local time. After trading a pair of runs in the first, Ole Miss broke the tie with an RBI double from Delaney Rummell and a sacrifice fly to take a 4-2 lead. Brianna Lopez took over in the circle and fended off a late comeback to secure the series for the Rebels.
LEGACY AND LOYALTY
Playing in her fifth and final season of eligibility, Paige Smith elected to return to Ole Miss for legacy and loyalty. 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 second in the record books with 160 RBI. On Saturday, the Corona, California, made her 257th career start in an Ole Miss uniform, passing former teammate Mikayla Allee for the most starts and games played as a Rebel. Smith, who has played in every game since stepping on campus in 2020, will leave her mark as one of the program's top sluggers.
HOT HITTING
One of the hottest-hitting Rebels over the last 10 games is second baseman Angelina DeLeon. The junior is seeing the ball incredibly well, with nine hits and a .300 mark at the plate since April 19. Four of DeLeon's nine hits in that span have left the ballpark. Head coach Jamie Trachsel has taken notice, sliding DeLeon all the way up to fifth in the batting order, where she's contributed to the offense with seven runs scored and nine RBI.
A MODEL OF CONSISTENCY
With a 4-3 win over No. 8 Arkansas to end the regular season, Ole Miss picked up its 30th victory of the season. It marked the ninth consecutive 30 win season for the Rebels, dating back to the 2015 season (excluding the shortened 2020 season). Further, head coach Jamie Trachsel has tallied at least 30 wins in all but one season of her 14 year career.
TAMING THE TIGERS
After dropping the series opener against Auburn in an 11-inning pitcher's duel on Friday night, Ole Miss responded to win the series, taking the final two games of the weekend. The Rebels took advantage of three Tiger errors and a brilliant outing from Brianna Lopez itn relief to even the series. In a decisive game three, Ole Miss left no doubt, belting three home runs in a 7-2 rout of Auburn to take the series on Senior Weekend.
SPINNING IT
Down the stretch in conference play, Ole Miss has leaned heavily on Brianna Lopez in the circle. The lefty went 4-0 in 12 appearances in the month of April, registering a 1.97 ERA through a team-high 39.0 innings of work. Lopez's ability to change speed and disrupt opposing hitters' timing is a big reason for her success. To close out the month of April against Auburn, she earned both of the Rebels' victories while racking up 18 strikeouts to go along with a 1.05 ERA. This past weekend in Fayetteville, the junior secured the save, tossing the final 2.2 innings to help Ole Miss take the series from No. 8 Arkansas.
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP/UT
/ Softball
LHP
/ Softball
UT
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
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