OXFORD – The eighth ranked Ole Miss Rebel softball team is now 36-13 and requires one lone victory in Athens this weekend to secure a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
“I don’t know if I’d believe it,” Ole Miss outfielder Kylan Becker said Tuesday afternoon when asked if she could have foreseen her team’s current success. “It’s amazing. We have a really young team and I don’t think anybody was really expecting it. We’re just coming out here and playing fearlessly and having a lot of fun. I think we look really good and it’s the best team we’ve had so far.”
Becker, one of the Southeastern Conference’s breakout stars this year, is hitting .424, good for second best in the SEC. She has also managed to get on base at a .489 clip and has reached base in six straight contests.
“I think teams are starting to look at us as a really big threat,” Becker said. “I don’t think we’re under the radar anymore. We’re definitely up there and everybody is coming out and bringing their best stuff against us. We just have to do the same for them.”
Ole Miss’ best has been pitcher Molly Jacobsen. While she doesn’t lead the SEC in any category, Jacobsen has secured her place among the most consistent in the league, notching a 1.74 ERA in 137.2 innings.
“I think it just goes to show how much work we’ve put in during the offseason and how much work we continue to put in,” Jacobsen said.
Jacobsen leads a staff which holds an overall ERA of 1.96, good for second best in the SEC behind the Florida Gators’ 1.80.
“Our pitching coach, Coach Ashley (Chastain), is amazing,” Jacobsen said. “She instills confidence in each and every one of us. I think we’re just really close as a staff as it takes each and every one of us to get it done every weekend.”
Jacobsen, along with standout pitchers Brittany Finney and Ava Tillman, will be facing some of the best bats in the country this coming weekend. Georgia has knocked 70 home runs on its way to an overall team batting average of .306.
“I’m just going to try and trust my stuff, the defense and the bats,” Jacobsen said. “We’ve come a long way this year and we’ve been pretty successful so far just taking it game by game.”
Where do the Rebels Stand?
Ole Miss has a shot to bring the first-ever SEC regular season title to Oxford. In order to do so, the Rebels must sweep their series with Georgia and LSU must also take two of three from the Alabama Crimson Tide. Ole Miss just needs one win versus Georgia to secure a top-four seed and a first-round bye in the conference tournament.
Here are the SEC Standings for Reference:
Ranking (Softball America) |Team | SEC | Overall
#4 | Alabama | 15-6 | 47-6
#9 | LSU | 14-7 | 40-12
#8 | Ole Miss | 13-7 | 36-13
#15 | Kentucky | 14-10 | 32-19
#10 | Tennessee | 12-9 | 37-12
#13 | Florida | 11-10 | 39-13
#23 | Auburn | 10-11 | 35-15
NR | Missouri | 10-11 | 29-21
#18 | Georgia | 9-12 | 36-16
NR | Arkansas | 9-12 | 35-17
#19 | S. Carolina | 8-12 | 35-14
NR | Miss. State | 7-14 | 30-19
NR | Texas A&M | 5-16 | 27-22
*Standings Include Games Through Tuesday April 30th
Depending on how the Rebels perform this weekend, they could finish anywhere from first to sixth in the SEC standings.
What About the Postseason?
On Monday, Softball America released its updated projections for the field of 64 that will make up this year’s NCAA tournament. The publication has Ole Miss as the number nine overall seed in the field which would mean the Rebels host their regional in Oxford.
“I want to be able to play here (Oxford) again,” Becker said. “I don’t want (last weekend) to be my last home series, so, as long as we’re top 16 _ I’d love to be top eight _ I just really want to be able to host and play here again. That’s what matters to me.”
Ole Miss and Georgia begin their three-game series Friday at 5 p.m. The game can be seen on SEC Network Plus.
