The University of Mississippi Athletics
Tuesday, March 31
Memphis, Tenn.
5 PM
Ole Miss
at
Memphis
Softball Set for Midweeks at Memphis, Central Arkansas
3/30/2026 | Softball
OXFORD, Miss. – Following a key SEC series win, the Ole Miss softball program returns to the non-conference portion of its schedule, traveling for midweeks at Memphis and Central Arkansas.
The Rebels (23-15, 2-10 SEC) begin the week with a Tuesday night clash against the Tigers (11-24, 2-10 AAC) in Memphis at 5 p.m. CT. The next day, the Rebels face the Bears (23-14, 5-4 ASUN) in a 5 p.m. CT rematch in Conway after Ole Miss earned a 10-2 win in Oxford in February. Both games will be streamed via ESPN Plus.
LEADING OFF
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET
The Rebels head into a stretch of three, key non-conference midweeks before returning to its grueling SEC schedule next week with three games against nationally ranked Texas A&M. The Rebels own the second-most difficult schedule in nation, behind only Nebraska.
Ole Miss has five non-conference midweeks remaining as SEC play gets into full gear, with each game generating added importance in the face of at least three more series against top-25 teams in SEC play.
The Rebels have already filled the schedule with road opportunities, going 11-5 outside of Oxford in non-conference play. The Rebels have nine games remaining against the current RPI top-25, with Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi State highlighting the group.
NO HARD KNOX
The Rebels made history over the weekend securing its first ever series win in Knoxville in taking two of three games from No. 4 Tennessee from Mar. 27 to Mar. 29.
The series was marked by tremendous pitching and defense from the Rebels. Emilee Boyer led the way with a complete game victory in game one, while Kyra Aycock outdueled Lady Vols All-American pitching Karlyn Pickens for another complete game victory in game two. On defense, the Rebels backed up their pitchers, generating four double plays alongside tremendous catches from Laylonna Applin and Emilee Boyer.
On offense, the Rebels were powered by home runs from Kennedy Bunker and Madi George, as well as .333 hitting from Persy Llamas and .286 hitting from Applin.
NATIONAL NODS
The Rebels have earned national recognition has the program gets into March, with three Rebels being tabbed to Softball America's March Position Power Rankings. Leading the charge is freshman Madi George, who was named as the No. 11 utility player in the nation according to Softball America. Persy Llamas was tabbed as the No. 12 first baseman, while Mackenzie Pickens was selected as the No. 14 second baseman in the country.
FINDING THE FORMULA
The Rebels have found their success when the two middle of the order hitters, Persy Llamas and Madi George, are able to drive in runs. The Rebels are 12-3 when Llamas tallies an RBI and 11-12 when she does not, while the Rebels are 14-5 when George tallies an RBI and 8-11 when she does not.
Additionally, if only one of the two drive in a run, the Rebels are 19-6 in those games and 4-9 overall when neither tallies an RBI.
ACT TWO
Persy Llamas took the SEC by storm as a freshman and returns to anchor an offense with plenty of potent bats in 2026. Llamas not only hit .354 with 10 home runs, 10 doubles and 55 RBI last season, while striking out only 11 times, but also matched teammate Aliyah Binford in setting a new single-season RBI record at Ole Miss.
Her efforts across the postseason were heroic. Llamas went from hitting a three-run blast against No. 4 Florida in the SEC Tournament win, to tallying three home runs in three games against No. 12 Arizona to secure the NCAA Regional, to driving in the first two runs ever scored by the Rebels in a Women's College World Series against No. 16 Oregon. Llamas took home All-SEC Second Team and NFCA All-South Region Second Team honors following the season.
As a result of her achievements, the nation has paid attention in 2026. Llamas was recently tabbed to the All-SEC Preseason Team, as well as earning a top-100 player and top-10 player at first base nod from Softball America this offseason.
This season, Llamas has kept pace, hitting .380 with five home runs and 28 RBI through 38 games, headlined by a walk-off double in a win over Miami.
Llamas already has eyes on the all-time record books at Ole Miss, standing just three home runs away from entering the top-10 in program history. Additionally, her .991 fielding percentage at first base has already put her among the Rebels all-time best.
A STAR IS BORN
After multiple NFCA All-Region honorees from last season's freshman class, the Rebels have unearthed another freshman star in Madi George.
George has quickly taken over as the cleanup hitter in the early portion of her college career, hitting .385 with 10 home runs, 16 total extra-base hits, 31 RBI and 19 walks. George leads the Rebels in home runs, walks, RBI, slugging percentage and OBP. George is now just one home run away from entering the single season top-10 at Ole Miss.
A natural first baseman who has seen most of her time split between right field and designated player thus far, George is following in a similar path as the Rebels current first baseman, sophomore Persy Llamas, who went on to a very successful freshman season. Llamas hit .361 with five home runs and 35 RBI through her first 38 collegiate games last season.
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
The Memphis Tigers enter Tuesday on a high note, taking the finale of its AAC series against Tulsa to improve to 11-24 and 2-10 in AAC play. Head coach Trena Prater is looking to lead the turnaround of the Tigers program in her second season at the helm.
The Tigers are rounding into better form, as winners of three of the last five games. A lot of the improvement has been centered around sophomore Ariel Davis, who leads the team with a .384 batting average, six home runs and 20 RBI, with five of those RBI coming in the last five games. Fellow sophomore Faith Brown is another key piece of the offense, hitting .358 with five home runs and 20 RBI.
The issues for the Tigers have been the pitching staff, which has struggled to gain momentum and holds a team ERA of 6.72. Six different pitchers have recorded 15 or more innings so far this season, but the bulk of the action goes through freshman Avery Stutts, who is 4-6 with a 6.16 ERA (69.1 IP). Sophomore Jericho Tate is another key part of the Tigers pitching staff at 3-7 with a 5.81 ERA (47.0 IP).
The young Tigers roster has gained valuable experience over the non-conference season by facing several standout opponents, including Oklahoma, Mississippi State, LSU, Arizona State, Northwestern and Kentucky.
SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Ahead of the second meeting between the two teams this season, head coach Kayla Lucas has the Bears at 23-14 and 5-4 in ASUN play and coming off a series victory over Austin Peay over the weekend.
Houston transfer and graduate student Emma Robertson, continues to lead the offense, hitting .330 with seven home runs and 40 RBI. Trinity Brandon, who hit a home run in game one in Oxford, has also continued to shine, hitting .383 with six home runs, 14 doubles and 31 RBI.
Central Arkansas' pitching staff is powered by graduate student Bailie Runner, who is 10-4 with a 3.63 ERA (83.0 IP). However, the Bears use five different arms, including freshmen Emory Bowlin and Jaleigh White, the latter of whom earned the start in game one in Oxford. As a unit, the Bears have 4.38 ERA, but make up for it on the offensive end, as they have averaged 7.1 runs per game in ASUN play so far.
The Bears have continued to find success in Conway, going 11-4 at home, compared to 12-10 anywhere else.
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
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.
The Rebels (23-15, 2-10 SEC) begin the week with a Tuesday night clash against the Tigers (11-24, 2-10 AAC) in Memphis at 5 p.m. CT. The next day, the Rebels face the Bears (23-14, 5-4 ASUN) in a 5 p.m. CT rematch in Conway after Ole Miss earned a 10-2 win in Oxford in February. Both games will be streamed via ESPN Plus.
LEADING OFF
- Ole Miss opens a stretch of three, key non-conference matchups, beginning with a short trip north to face Memphis.
- Junior Cassie Reasner is red hot, hitting .385 with a home run against No. 4 Oklahoma and two RBI over her last 10 games, while leading the Rebels with 10 hits over that span. Reasner's defense has also been exceptional, as she leads the SEC in infield assists.
- Freshman Madi George has been the breakout star of the season thus far, hitting a sizzling .385 with a team-high 10 home runs and 19 walks, while adding 31 RBI through the first 38 games of her career.
- Sophomore Persy Llamas remains hot as well, hitting .380 through the first 38 games with five home runs and 28 RBI. Llamas leads the team with 46 hits and seven doubles.
- The Rebels have hit 44 home runs in 2026, averaging 1.16 home runs per game. The Rebels set a program record last season with 67 home runs in 63 games (1.06 per game).
- Defense has become paramount for the Rebels, who are 15-3 when they don't make an error, versus 8-12 when making one or more errors.
RUNNING THE GAUNTLET
The Rebels head into a stretch of three, key non-conference midweeks before returning to its grueling SEC schedule next week with three games against nationally ranked Texas A&M. The Rebels own the second-most difficult schedule in nation, behind only Nebraska.
Ole Miss has five non-conference midweeks remaining as SEC play gets into full gear, with each game generating added importance in the face of at least three more series against top-25 teams in SEC play.
The Rebels have already filled the schedule with road opportunities, going 11-5 outside of Oxford in non-conference play. The Rebels have nine games remaining against the current RPI top-25, with Texas A&M, LSU and Mississippi State highlighting the group.
NO HARD KNOX
The Rebels made history over the weekend securing its first ever series win in Knoxville in taking two of three games from No. 4 Tennessee from Mar. 27 to Mar. 29.
The series was marked by tremendous pitching and defense from the Rebels. Emilee Boyer led the way with a complete game victory in game one, while Kyra Aycock outdueled Lady Vols All-American pitching Karlyn Pickens for another complete game victory in game two. On defense, the Rebels backed up their pitchers, generating four double plays alongside tremendous catches from Laylonna Applin and Emilee Boyer.
On offense, the Rebels were powered by home runs from Kennedy Bunker and Madi George, as well as .333 hitting from Persy Llamas and .286 hitting from Applin.
NATIONAL NODS
The Rebels have earned national recognition has the program gets into March, with three Rebels being tabbed to Softball America's March Position Power Rankings. Leading the charge is freshman Madi George, who was named as the No. 11 utility player in the nation according to Softball America. Persy Llamas was tabbed as the No. 12 first baseman, while Mackenzie Pickens was selected as the No. 14 second baseman in the country.
FINDING THE FORMULA
The Rebels have found their success when the two middle of the order hitters, Persy Llamas and Madi George, are able to drive in runs. The Rebels are 12-3 when Llamas tallies an RBI and 11-12 when she does not, while the Rebels are 14-5 when George tallies an RBI and 8-11 when she does not.
Additionally, if only one of the two drive in a run, the Rebels are 19-6 in those games and 4-9 overall when neither tallies an RBI.
ACT TWO
Persy Llamas took the SEC by storm as a freshman and returns to anchor an offense with plenty of potent bats in 2026. Llamas not only hit .354 with 10 home runs, 10 doubles and 55 RBI last season, while striking out only 11 times, but also matched teammate Aliyah Binford in setting a new single-season RBI record at Ole Miss.
Her efforts across the postseason were heroic. Llamas went from hitting a three-run blast against No. 4 Florida in the SEC Tournament win, to tallying three home runs in three games against No. 12 Arizona to secure the NCAA Regional, to driving in the first two runs ever scored by the Rebels in a Women's College World Series against No. 16 Oregon. Llamas took home All-SEC Second Team and NFCA All-South Region Second Team honors following the season.
As a result of her achievements, the nation has paid attention in 2026. Llamas was recently tabbed to the All-SEC Preseason Team, as well as earning a top-100 player and top-10 player at first base nod from Softball America this offseason.
This season, Llamas has kept pace, hitting .380 with five home runs and 28 RBI through 38 games, headlined by a walk-off double in a win over Miami.
Llamas already has eyes on the all-time record books at Ole Miss, standing just three home runs away from entering the top-10 in program history. Additionally, her .991 fielding percentage at first base has already put her among the Rebels all-time best.
A STAR IS BORN
After multiple NFCA All-Region honorees from last season's freshman class, the Rebels have unearthed another freshman star in Madi George.
George has quickly taken over as the cleanup hitter in the early portion of her college career, hitting .385 with 10 home runs, 16 total extra-base hits, 31 RBI and 19 walks. George leads the Rebels in home runs, walks, RBI, slugging percentage and OBP. George is now just one home run away from entering the single season top-10 at Ole Miss.
A natural first baseman who has seen most of her time split between right field and designated player thus far, George is following in a similar path as the Rebels current first baseman, sophomore Persy Llamas, who went on to a very successful freshman season. Llamas hit .361 with five home runs and 35 RBI through her first 38 collegiate games last season.
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
The Memphis Tigers enter Tuesday on a high note, taking the finale of its AAC series against Tulsa to improve to 11-24 and 2-10 in AAC play. Head coach Trena Prater is looking to lead the turnaround of the Tigers program in her second season at the helm.
The Tigers are rounding into better form, as winners of three of the last five games. A lot of the improvement has been centered around sophomore Ariel Davis, who leads the team with a .384 batting average, six home runs and 20 RBI, with five of those RBI coming in the last five games. Fellow sophomore Faith Brown is another key piece of the offense, hitting .358 with five home runs and 20 RBI.
The issues for the Tigers have been the pitching staff, which has struggled to gain momentum and holds a team ERA of 6.72. Six different pitchers have recorded 15 or more innings so far this season, but the bulk of the action goes through freshman Avery Stutts, who is 4-6 with a 6.16 ERA (69.1 IP). Sophomore Jericho Tate is another key part of the Tigers pitching staff at 3-7 with a 5.81 ERA (47.0 IP).
The young Tigers roster has gained valuable experience over the non-conference season by facing several standout opponents, including Oklahoma, Mississippi State, LSU, Arizona State, Northwestern and Kentucky.
SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Ahead of the second meeting between the two teams this season, head coach Kayla Lucas has the Bears at 23-14 and 5-4 in ASUN play and coming off a series victory over Austin Peay over the weekend.
Houston transfer and graduate student Emma Robertson, continues to lead the offense, hitting .330 with seven home runs and 40 RBI. Trinity Brandon, who hit a home run in game one in Oxford, has also continued to shine, hitting .383 with six home runs, 14 doubles and 31 RBI.
Central Arkansas' pitching staff is powered by graduate student Bailie Runner, who is 10-4 with a 3.63 ERA (83.0 IP). However, the Bears use five different arms, including freshmen Emory Bowlin and Jaleigh White, the latter of whom earned the start in game one in Oxford. As a unit, the Bears have 4.38 ERA, but make up for it on the offensive end, as they have averaged 7.1 runs per game in ASUN play so far.
The Bears have continued to find success in Conway, going 11-4 at home, compared to 12-10 anywhere else.
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
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
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RHP/INF
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RHP/UT
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LHP/UT
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INF
/ SoftballHIGHLIGHTS: SB vs. No. 4 Tennessee
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