Ole Miss Softball Opens 2026 SEC Tournament as No. 13 Seed in Lexington
The Ole Miss softball team is set to begin the 2026 SEC Tournament on Tuesday at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky. The Rebels, with a 32-23 record and 6-18 in SEC play, enter as the No. 13 seed and will face No. 12 South Carolina (30-25, 7-17 SEC).
The tournament’s opening game was moved up two hours to approximately 4 p.m. Central Time due to potential weather concerns. The game will follow 35 minutes after the second contest of the day, which features Missouri against Auburn. The first three rounds will be televised on the SEC Network, with semifinals and finals shifting to ESPN.
Should Ole Miss advance, they would face No. 5 seed Tennessee on Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT. The Rebels come into postseason with momentum, winning their last two SEC series against Auburn and No. 16 Mississippi State. They also recorded back-to-back walk-off wins in their final regular-season games, highlighted by home runs from Kennedy Bunker and Rachel Connors.
Freshman Madi George has made history this season, setting single-season school records with 11 home runs in her last 15 games, as well as total bases (134) and RBIs (56). Ole Miss has hit 78 home runs in 2026, surpassing their previous record of 67, and ranks 22nd nationally in that category.
Defensively, the Rebels excel when unblemished, with a 20-7 record when not making errors. They have generated 27 double plays this season, ranking 16th nationally. The team is also 19-5 when issuing two or fewer walks, compared to 13-18 otherwise.
Ole Miss has faced one of the most challenging schedules in the nation, playing 21 games against RPI Top-25 opponents and 30 against Top-50 teams. Their first-round opponent, South Carolina, is ranked No. 25 in RPI.
On May 1, Ole Miss officially dedicated its softball stadium as Alisa and Mark Bourne Stadium, thanks to a generous donation. Since then, the Rebels have won two games with walk-off home runs from Bunker and Connors.
The team has been rallying late in the season, with offensive highlights including 15 home runs across SEC series and notable performances from players like Llamas and George. Llamas, a returning All-SEC Second Team selection, is close to entering Ole Miss’s top-10 in career home runs and has been a key contributor both offensively and defensively this season.
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