Softball season is fast approaching in Oxford, and the Rebels have a lot to be excited about. Outfielder Kylan Becker has been named to the Preseason All-SEC Team for the second consecutive year.
The senior from Miami is one of 14 players to receive the honor, which is voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Becker led the team with a .329 batting average, 29 runs, 12 RBIs and 19 walks last year. The strong showing last year put her at fourth all-time in batting average at .339 and top-10 in career hits. She’s also been a force roaming centerfield with a 1.000 fielding percentage in her time at Ole Miss.
Becker is the first player in Ole Miss history to be selected to the United States National Team, competing for Team USA at the Japan All-Star Series in Tokyo.
Becker and the Rebels will need to have another big year to reach the postseason in 2019. Head coach Mike Smith’s team will face 16 teams that received a bid for the 2018 NCAA Tournament and three that advanced to the Women’s College World Series.
The season kicks off with a trip to Orlando, Fla., for the Friends of Jaclyn Invitational on Feb. 7. Ole Miss will play five games that weekend against UCF, Ohio State, Minnesota and George Mason.
The following two weeks of the season will be spent on the road with trips to California for the Stacy Winsbery Memorial Invitational from Feb. 15-17 and Austin, Texas, from Feb. 22-24. The Rebels will then play Central Arkansas on the road before returning home to host Pittsburgh and Nicholls State in the Ole Miss Classic starting March 1.
Spring practice began earlier this month for the Rebels, who have nine newcomers.
“The transition has been seamless,” Smith said following the team’s first spring practice. “Kudos to our veteran players. They’ve done an outstanding job of bringing these kids into the fold, teaching them how Ole Miss plays and helping them buy into the process. They’ve all blended together. They care about each other, and they want to compete for each other. That’s what it takes to win.”
Smith signed five players on National Signing Day in addition to outfielder Nyomi Jones from California and Oregon transfer Alyssa Pinto, who was the No. 72 player in the class of 2018.
“We’re much further along now than we ever have been,” Smith said. “In 22 years of coaching, this is the best any of my teams has ever come back after a Christmas break.”
