Ole Miss softball will face off against the Central Arkansas Bears in Conway, Arkansas, tonight at 5 p.m.
The game will be the last in the Rebels’ 15-game stretch away from home.
Last weekend, the Rebels traveled to Austin, Texas, for the Texas Invitational, where they won two of five games, putting them at 8-6 on the season. The Rebels defeated Sam Houston State twice but fell twice to No. 11 Texas and once to Tulsa.
The Rebels performance last weekend was highlighted by sophomore Jessica Puk who went 8-for-15 (.533) with three doubles, two runs and four RBIs. She also hit two home runs during the Rebels’ first game against Sam Houston State, which was the first multi-home run game of her career.
Senior Brittany Finney and sophomore Abbey Latham are currently tied for the team lead in
home runs with four each. Puk is close behind with three.
Over the weekend, junior Kylan Becker extended her base streak to 13-consecutive games,
while Puk extended hers to 11. Puk is also on a five-game hitting streak.
This year’s matchup between the Rebels and the Bears will be the fourth meeting between the two teams in the last five years. The Rebels have been victorious all three times they’ve played.
The Bears are currently 9-6 for the season and have won five of their last seven games. The
Bears are led offensively by senior Cylla Hill, who is batting .444 with seven doubles, two triples, a home run, 12 runs scored and nine RBIs.
Junior Kaylyn Shepherd is another player to watch, hitting .400 with three home runs and 10
runs scored. Libby Morris, who has knocked four out of the park so far this season, leads the Bears in home runs.
In terms of pitching, the Bears have had several players make pitching appearances so far this season. Freshman Jordan Johnson has seen the most work at 28.1 innings, registering a 2.71 ERA with a .189 opponent batting average.
The Rebels, however, have several standout pitchers of their own. They currently rank
second in the SEC with 14 total walks and 1.11 walks per game. Sophomore Ava Tillmann and junior Molly Jacobsen are currently ranked in the top-10 in the SEC in fewest walks this season with two and four walks, respectively.
Before allowing three runs in the sixth inning against No. 11 Texas on Feb. 23, Jacobsen had
gone 23-consecutive scoreless innings on the mound, which is the second-longest streak in Ole Miss history.
This is the last away game the Rebels will play before hosting the Ole Miss Classic against the Pittsburgh Panthers and Nicholls State University Colonels in Oxford over the weekend.
