The University of Mississippi Athletics
Around the Horn: Big Weekend Ahead
4/8/2025 | Baseball, Softball, Athletics
OXFORD, Miss. – Welcome to around the horn, your weekly digest of Ole Miss baseball and softball content.
It took 31 innings, but Ole Miss baseball left Lexington with a second consecutive road series victory, taking two out of three from Kentucky. Meanwhile, softball stole one on the road from No. 6 South Carolina.
We break it all down below and look ahead at what's to come.
Huge Week on Deck
We have two huge matchups on the diamonds in Oxford this weekend as No. 6 Ole Miss baseball is set to host No. 5 Tennessee, while No. 19 Ole Miss softball welcomes No. 9 Florida.
Saturday's baseball game vs. Tennessee is sold out, but tickets remain for Friday and Sunday. Tickets are available for all three games of softball's series with Florida.
Bluegrass Marathon
Ole Miss and Kentucky played 19 innings on Friday—a 5-4 defeat in 10 innings in Game 1, and a 3-1 win for the Rebels in nine in Game 2. The long weekend in Lexington continued with a 5-4 victory for Ole Miss in 12 innings on Saturday to secure a third consecutive SEC series win.
Top 10 Win in Columbia
Softball had an intense road series of its own at No. 6 South Carolina, highlighted by phenomenal pitching performances, evidenced by a 6-4 cumulative score for the weekend. The Gamecocks took Game 1, 1-0, in eight innings. Ole Miss came back with a 2-1 triumph in Game 2 for a key Top 10 road win, though USC took the series in a 4-2 final on Sunday. The win came on the arm of Aliyah Binford, who went the full seven with just one run allowed.
Pone Hits 250
Jaden Pone can swing it. The Rebel senior racked up 153 hits while batting .412 at Longwood before transferring to Ole Miss last season, where she added 62 more knocks for a .346 average. The beat goes on for Pone, who is hitting .383 this season with 36 hits, enough to break the 250 mark for her career over the weekend in Columbia
Smithwick's Winner
Ole Miss and Kentucky had been in a 1-1 deadlock in Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader, then Campbell Smithwick stepped in. Freshman Hayden Federico started the inning with a single to left, then after a pitching change and some pinch-hitter gamesmanship, Smithwick's number was called, and he delivered, launching the game-winning homer into the Rebel bullpen in right field.
Midweek Snapshot
Both baseball and softball will be busy in the midweek. Baseball visits Memphis on Tuesday and hosts Alcorn State on Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT. Softball welcomes UT Martin to its new stadium for a 5 p.m. CT start on Tuesday.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with the latest Ole Miss baseball and softball news. Subscribe to The Sip, the official content newsletter of the Rebels, to have the latest news from the diamond delivered to your inbox!
It took 31 innings, but Ole Miss baseball left Lexington with a second consecutive road series victory, taking two out of three from Kentucky. Meanwhile, softball stole one on the road from No. 6 South Carolina.
We break it all down below and look ahead at what's to come.
Huge Week on Deck
We have two huge matchups on the diamonds in Oxford this weekend as No. 6 Ole Miss baseball is set to host No. 5 Tennessee, while No. 19 Ole Miss softball welcomes No. 9 Florida.
Saturday's baseball game vs. Tennessee is sold out, but tickets remain for Friday and Sunday. Tickets are available for all three games of softball's series with Florida.
Bluegrass Marathon
Ole Miss and Kentucky played 19 innings on Friday—a 5-4 defeat in 10 innings in Game 1, and a 3-1 win for the Rebels in nine in Game 2. The long weekend in Lexington continued with a 5-4 victory for Ole Miss in 12 innings on Saturday to secure a third consecutive SEC series win.
Top 10 Win in Columbia
Softball had an intense road series of its own at No. 6 South Carolina, highlighted by phenomenal pitching performances, evidenced by a 6-4 cumulative score for the weekend. The Gamecocks took Game 1, 1-0, in eight innings. Ole Miss came back with a 2-1 triumph in Game 2 for a key Top 10 road win, though USC took the series in a 4-2 final on Sunday. The win came on the arm of Aliyah Binford, who went the full seven with just one run allowed.
Pone Hits 250
Jaden Pone can swing it. The Rebel senior racked up 153 hits while batting .412 at Longwood before transferring to Ole Miss last season, where she added 62 more knocks for a .346 average. The beat goes on for Pone, who is hitting .383 this season with 36 hits, enough to break the 250 mark for her career over the weekend in Columbia
Smithwick's Winner
Ole Miss and Kentucky had been in a 1-1 deadlock in Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader, then Campbell Smithwick stepped in. Freshman Hayden Federico started the inning with a single to left, then after a pitching change and some pinch-hitter gamesmanship, Smithwick's number was called, and he delivered, launching the game-winning homer into the Rebel bullpen in right field.
Midweek Snapshot
Both baseball and softball will be busy in the midweek. Baseball visits Memphis on Tuesday and hosts Alcorn State on Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT. Softball welcomes UT Martin to its new stadium for a 5 p.m. CT start on Tuesday.
Stay Connected
Stay up to date with the latest Ole Miss baseball and softball news. Subscribe to The Sip, the official content newsletter of the Rebels, to have the latest news from the diamond delivered to your inbox!
Players Mentioned
RHP/INF
/ Softball
IF
/ Baseball
UT
/ Softball
C
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