Southern Miss
Ole Miss
Softball Hosts Ole Miss for Midweek Matchup
3/14/2023 6:33:00 PM | Softball
First appearance in Hattiesburg since 2018
HATTIESBURG, Miss.-- Southern Miss Softball (15-5, 0-0 Sun Belt) closes out spring break with a midweek matchup against in-state opponent Ole Miss (13-11, 0-3 SEC) on March 15 at 5 p.m. at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.Â
Last time outÂ
After a two-hour rain delay at the Southern Miss Softball Complex on March 8, Southern Miss was defeated by Southeastern Louisiana 7-1. Only four hits were recorded by the Golden Eagles, who now have five losses for the year.
The Golden Eagles took the lead in the bottom of the first inning on the strength of designated pitcher Jana Lee's single out to left field and Maria Smith's 25th walk of the season. The Lions would score three times in the third inning and add a few more insurance runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, but the Black & Gold could not take advantage of any of their scoring opportunities.
According to the NCAA Division I rankings, Maria Smith leads the nation in walks per game with 1.30 and totals 26 for the 2023 season.
Scouting the opponentÂ
After being swept by No. 4 Tennessee in the weekend series, Ole Miss heads into the midweek matchup with a 13-11 overall record and a 0-3 in conference play. Third-year head coach Jaime Trachsel leads the Rebels. Trachsel has guided the Rebels to back-to-back NCAA Regional Finals appearances in her two seasons in Oxford. The Rebels are second in the SEC in fielding percentage (.981) and lead the conference with 0.62 double plays per game. The pitching staff for the Rebels is ranked 53rd nationally, with an earned run average of 2.27. Mikayla Allee, the senior shortstop, leads the Rebels at the plate with 23 hits and a.354 average. Ole Miss has been picked 10th in the 2023 Preseason SEC Softball Poll.
Series HistoryÂ
The two teams were supposed to play last season, but the contests were rained out both times. The Rebels lead the all-time series record over Southern Miss 23-12, with matches dating back to 2000. These two teams last met in Hattiesburg on April 4, 2018, where Southern Miss suffered a 5-1 loss.
This will be the last matchup before conference play.Â
First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m. at the Southern Miss Softball Complex. Live Stats and streaming will be available. Single-game and season tickets are available at SouthernMissTickets.com.
For the latest information on Golden Eagle Softball, follow the program on Facebook (facebook.com/SouthernMissSB), Twitter (@SouthernMissSB), and Instagram (@southernmisssb).
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