Ole Miss Softball (25-15, 2-10 SEC) is set to resume SEC play this weekend against No. 15 Texas A&M at home after a bye weekend. After dropping their first nine SEC games, the Rebels earned their first conference win and conference series win against No. 4 Tennessee ahead of the break, building momentum heading into the second half of conference play.
Though they are only 2-10 in conference play, the SEC is such a solid conference that the Rebels are still in the running for an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Last year, Ole Miss went 11-13 in conference play and made the postseason. In 2024, they had an even worse record — 7-17 in SEC play — but, once again, they still qualified for a regional despite losing their first two postseason games.
Making noise in the SEC Tournament could be a good way to cement their position in the postseason. In 2024, the Rebels defeated No. 25 Kentucky in the SEC Tournament; last season, they beat Missouri to open the tournament, then upset No. 4 Florida, 6-3, before narrowly losing to No. 3 Texas, 7-6.
Unless the Rebels can pair an outstanding close to the regular season with an SEC Tournament run, hosting a regional may be out of reach at this point, but making the big dance is still a real possibility.
Ole Miss has scored the fewest runs, 23, in the SEC in conference play, while they have allowed the second-most earned runs, 79. The staff is capable of keeping things close. They have done so several times, but they have also given up runs in bunches this season.
The Rebels began conference play at home against then-No. 4 Alabama in early March. They dropped the opener, 5-3. The pitching staff worked through several jams to keep the game close, such as when the Crimson Tide loaded the bases in the first and sixth innings.
Pitchers Emilee Boyer and Lilly Whitten combined for eight hits allowed and seven walks in the loss. Of their 145 pitches, only 78 — just over half — were strikes. On the other side, Alabama threw 113 pitches, 81 of which were strikes.
The Crimson Tide run-ruled Ole Miss in game two later that day, 13-2. In the third game of the series, Ole Miss attempted to mount a comeback in the seventh inning, but they fell short, losing 2-1.
Strikeouts were the overarching issue against the Crimson Tide; the Rebels struck out 27 total times in the series against Alabama. Despite some mishaps on the mound, the pitching was solid.
Game one against then-No. 2 Texas was much of the same. The Longhorns only scored three runs, all of them in the first two innings. After that, pitcher Kyra Aycock settled in and contained the Longhorns for the rest of the game.
Ole Miss had plenty of time to crawl back in the game, but were once again waylaid by a lack of production at the plate. The Rebels’ lone run came off Mackenzie Pickens’ solo shot in the sixth.
Things fell apart after that. The Rebels were run-ruled in games two and three of the series.
Then-No. 4 Oklahoma came to town from Saturday, March 21 to Monday, March 23, and the first two games both ended in run-rule victories for the Sooners. In game three, the Rebels had led in the sixth inning, but Oklahoma hit a grand slam to complete the sweep.
The Rebels turned things around against then-No. 4 Tennessee. They won on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 with a final score of 2-1 in both contests.
On Friday, catcher Kennedy Bunker got things started with a lead-off solo home run. Boyer walked a batter with the bases loaded to tie the game, but the Lady Volunteers did not score again.
Izzy Rettiger scored on a wild pitch to put Ole Miss ahead, and the Rebels clinched their first SEC win of the season. They also managed to keep the Volunteers hitless with runners in scoring position (RISP).
However, there were still opportunities for improvement. The Rebels, too, did not register a hit with RISP. Also, in the circle, Boyer walked seven batters, which is not a formula for success.
In game two, the Rebels never trailed. They scored two runs in the third inning, the first off a fielding error and the second due to a fielder’s choice. Ole Miss continued to capitalize on Lady Volunteer mistakes and secured the series win.
In game three, a 3-run sixth inning put the Rebels in contention to sweep the Lady Volunteers on the road, but they came up just short.
The Rebels will pick up conference play with a home series against Texas A&M beginning on Friday, April 10. Afterward, they will hit the road to face No. 20 LSU and Auburn, then come home for a series against No. 16 in-state rival Mississippi State to end the regular season.
