Ole Miss Softball Opens Home Series Against Central Arkansas
The Ole Miss softball team kicks off a nine-game home stand Wednesday at the Ole Miss Softball Stadium, hosting Central Arkansas at 5 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on SEC Network Plus, and it marks the first meeting between the teams since 2021, according to university athletics sources.
The Rebels, holding an 11-5 record, are preparing for the start of Southeastern Conference play, which begins after this series. Freshman Madi George has emerged as a standout, batting .435 with four home runs and 17 RBIs through her first 16 games. Sophomore Persy Llamas also continues her strong season, hitting .414 with three home runs and 18 RBIs, leading the team in RBIs overall.
Ole Miss head coach Jamie Trachsel became the program’s all-time winningest coach on Feb. 13, securing her 188th victory. Senior Kyra Aycock has been a key pitcher, leading the SEC with four complete games and ranking eighth nationally with six wins. The team recorded its largest victory margin since 2024 with a 15-run win over Mercer this past Sunday.
The Rebels are entering a critical stretch before SEC play, which includes matchups against top-ranked opponents like Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee. The team aims to build momentum in these non-conference games before facing some of the toughest competition in the league.
Ole Miss has shown promise this season, with returning stars like Llamas and rising freshman George. Llamas’s postseason heroics last year earned her All-SEC Second Team honors, and she has carried that success into 2026. George, a natural first baseman, has quickly made an impact, batting .435 with four home runs and 17 RBIs.
Pitcher Lilly Whitten made history on Feb. 13 by throwing the program’s sixth solo no-hitter, helping the Rebels to an 8-0 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Whitten’s record now stands at 3-0 with a 2.10 ERA this season.
Meanwhile, Mackenzie Pickens continues to impress, opening the season with a .400 batting average and matching her program record with six RBIs in a game against Mercer. Her performance has been instrumental in clutch moments, including a game-winning home run in the SEC Tournament last year.
Central Arkansas, with a 9-6 record, is led by graduate student Emma Robertson, who has three home runs and 13 RBIs. The Bears also feature freshman pitcher Jaleigh White, who is 3-0 with a 1.64 ERA. The series marks the first meeting since 2021, as the Bears look to challenge the Rebels in Oxford.
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