The Ole Miss Softball team competed in the 2025 Ragin’ Cajuns Invitational in Lafayette, La., Feb. 14-16. The Lady Rebels ended the weekend 4-1, with wins over Sam Houston, Central Arkansas, Louisiana and Northern Illinois and a heartbreaker loss against Louisiana.

The team’s overall record improved to 8-3 on the season.

Friday

On day one, the Lady Rebels beat Sam Houston 10-0 in five innings. Freshman infielder Mackenzie Pickens made an instant impression after her grand slam to put Ole Miss up 4-0 in the second inning.

With back-to-back home runs by catcher Jamie Mackay and utility player Lexie Brady in the third inning, the offense increased the scoreboard to 6-0. The Lady Rebels joint efforts from the strong offense and consistent defense helped shutout the Bearcats in game one. 

Later that night, Ole Miss played a thrilling match against host team Louisiana. The Ragin’ Cajuns and the Lady Rebels stayed firm on defense for two scoreless innings leading to a tie game in the seventh inning. The game went into extra innings, and Louisiana’s impressive walk-off single in the ninth gave Ole Miss a 6-5 loss.

Saturday

Unfazed by their defeat the night before, the Lady Rebels returned to the pitch Saturday morning to play Central Arkansas. In the fourth inning, Ole Miss’ lineup exploded, scoring eight runs and winning 11-0 in five short innings. The team’s ability to regroup and play well on both offense and defense was highlighted by this outstanding performance.

Sunday

The Rebels finished the tournament with a full day of play against Northern Illinois and a second game against Louisiana. The Huskies were shut out by the Rebels’ outstanding pitching staff that secured a successful weekend finale. 

In their final game of the tournament against Louisiana, each team started out slow, with a scoreless first four innings. Ole Miss struck back in the fifth and put up three runs, while the Ragin Cajuns still had zero. The first three to secure runs were Star Ferguson, Persy Llamas and Ashton Landsdell. 

Louisiana struggled to find points on the board, and inning runs from Jamie Mackay and Ashley Duke helped the Lady Rebels seal the game.

Who is next?

Ole Miss will compete in the Rocket City Softball Showcase in Huntsville, Ala., Feb. 20-23. The first game is set for Thursday, Feb. 20, against East Tennessee State at 1 p.m. and can be streamed on FLO College.