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Alabama Sweeps Friday Doubleheader as Ole Miss Opens SEC Play

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Ole Miss sophomore Persy Llamas swings at a pitch during game two Friday against Alabama. | Ole Miss Athletics

If you watched Ole Miss open SEC play against undefeated No. 4 Alabama on Friday, you probably felt two things at once: frustration and perspective.

Frustration because the Rebels had chances in game one and never really found their footing in game two.

Perspective because, well, this is the SEC. It’s supposed to be hard. One rough day doesn’t rewrite who this team is or what it can be.

The Rebels dropped both games of the doubleheader, 5-3 in the opener and 13-2 in six innings in the nightcap, and while the scores weren’t pretty, the bigger takeaway is that the league schedule is going to demand a different level of sharpness.

That’s not panic‑button stuff. That’s just life in a conference where even the margin for a good inning is thin.

Game one actually showed a lot of what Ole Miss can hang its hat on. After Alabama jumped ahead with a two‑run homer, the Rebels answered immediately. Cassie Reasner singled, and Taylor Roman continued her ridiculous start to the season by hammering a two‑run shot off the scoreboard.

When the Tide nudged back ahead, Ole Miss responded again. Reasner walked, Kennedy Bunker doubled, and Grace Thompson tied it with a sac fly.

That’s the kind of back‑and‑forth you expect in SEC play. The difference came in the fifth, when Alabama loaded the bases with two outs and coaxed back‑to‑back walks to take a 5-3 lead. Ole Miss had traffic late, Reasner reached for the third time in the sixth, but couldn’t push anything across.

Game two was a different story. Alabama came out swinging, putting up nine runs in the first three innings and taking all the air out of the place. To their credit, the Rebels didn’t fold. Taylor Malvin, Mackenzie Pickens and Persy Llamas strung together three straight singles to get Ole Miss on the board, and Reasner added an RBI after Madi George was hit by a pitch.

Graycen Jordan gave the Rebels two clean innings to settle things down, but Alabama eventually broke through again in the sixth. Roman tried to spark something with a late hit, but the Tide closed it out with a pair of strikeouts.

So yes, it was a long day. And yes, Alabama looked every bit like a top‑five team.

 But none of that means Ole Miss is suddenly in trouble. It means the SEC portion of the schedule is going to be a grind, and Friday was a reminder of what that grind looks like up close.

The Rebels get another shot at the Tide on Sunday afternoon.

One series won’t define anything, but it can set the tone for how they respond. And after Friday, that response might be the most important part of the weekend.

Softball

Ole Miss Softball Lands Two Players on All-SEC Second Team

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Ole Miss freshman Madi George had plenty to smile about after setting a new single-season freshman home run record against North Alabama. | Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss picked up a pair of All-SEC selections on Friday, with freshman Madi George and sophomore Persy Llamas earning spots on the second team.

George continues to stack postseason honors in what has already become one of the best freshman seasons in program history.

She joins Llamas, Amanda Fine and Stephanie Vaglica (1997) as the only Ole Miss freshmen to earn All-SEC recognition, and she becomes the 13th Rebel all time to make an All-SEC team.

Llamas landed on the second team for the second straight year, putting her in rare company. Only four other Rebels have earned multiple All-SEC selections in their careers: Kylan Becker, RT Cantillo, Lauren Grill and Fine.

George has been the headliner all spring. The Leander, Texas native is hitting .385 with 21 home runs, 58 RBI, nine doubles and 27 walks.

She set single-season program records for home runs, RBI and total bases, and she’s one of only two freshmen in the SEC with 20 or more home runs. Her production hasn’t slowed in the postseason either, including two key RBI in the Rebels’ second-round win over No. 5 Tennessee.

Llamas has followed up her breakout freshman year with another strong season at the plate, posting a career-high 70 hits and a .374 average. She’s added nine home runs, seven doubles and 39 RBI, and her 70 hits rank sixth in single-season program history.

She’s also been one of the SEC’s steadiest defenders, holding a .996 fielding percentage with 434 putouts, the fourth-highest single-season total in school history. She already sits inside the top 10 all time at Ole Miss in both fielding percentage and putouts.

Ole Miss now turns its attention to Selection Sunday. The NCAA Tournament field will be revealed at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

2026 SEC Softball Awards

  • Player of the Year: Katie Stewart, Texas
  • Pitcher of the Year: Jocelyn Briski, Alabama
  • Newcomer of the Year: Alyssa Faircloth, Mississippi State
  • Freshman of the Year: Kendall Wells, Oklahoma
  • Coach of the Year: Patrick Murphy, Alabama

SEC All-Defensive Team

  • Pitcher: Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
  • Catcher: Reese Atwood, Texas
  • First Base: Abby Hay, Missouri
  • Second Base: Gabi Comia, Florida
  • Shortstop: Gabbie Garcia, Oklahoma
  • Third Base: Ella McDowell, Arkansas
  • Left Field: Dakota Kennedy, Arkansas
  • Center Field: Reagan Johnson, Arkansas
  • Right Field: Ella Parker, Oklahoma

All-SEC First Team

  • Jocelyn Briski, Alabama
  • Brooke Wells, Alabama
  • Robyn Herron, Arkansas
  • Dakota Kennedy, Arkansas
  • Jocelyn Erickson, Florida
  • Keagan Rothrock, Florida
  • Taylor Shumaker, Florida
  • Townsen Thomas, Florida
  • Jaydyn Goodwin, Georgia
  • Sarah Gordon, Georgia
  • Kylee Edwards, LSU
  • Gabbie Garcia, Oklahoma
  • Kai Minor, Oklahoma
  • Ella Parker, Oklahoma
  • Kendall Wells, Oklahoma
  • Jori Heard, South Carolina
  • Alannah Leach, Tennessee
  • Sage Mardjetko, Tennessee
  • Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
  • Kayden Henry, Texas
  • Teagan Kavan, Texas
  • Viviana Martinez, Texas
  • Katie Stewart, Texas
  • Mya Perez, Texas A&M
  • Kennedy Powell, Texas A&M

All-SEC Second Team

  • Marlie Giles, Alabama
  • Alexis Pupillo, Alabama
  • Payton Burnham, Arkansas
  • Ella McDowell, Arkansas
  • Alyssa Hastings, Auburn
  • Kenleigh Cahalan, Florida
  • Cassidy McLellan, Florida
  • Bailey Lindemuth, Georgia
  • Randi Roelling, Georgia
  • Keirstin Roose, Georgia
  • Carly Sleeman, Kentucky
  • Tori Edwards, LSU
  • Alix Franklin, LSU
  • Jalia Lassiter, LSU
  • Madi George, Ole Miss
  • Persy Llamas, Ole Miss
  • Nadia Barbary, Mississippi State
  • Alyssa Faircloth, Mississippi State
  • Abby Dayton, Oklahoma
  • Isabela Emerling, Oklahoma
  • Audrey Lowry, Oklahoma
  • Reese Atwood, Texas
  • Leighann Goode, Texas
  • Hannah Wells, Texas
  • Sidne Peters, Texas A&M
  • Micaela Wark, Texas A&M
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Softball

Ole Miss Softball Bows Out of SEC Tournament With Loss to Texas

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Ole Miss pitcher Emilee Boyer winds up for a pitch against No. 6 Texas at the 2026 SEC Softball Tournament. | Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss finally ran out of magic on Thursday night, and that’s alright. It was still a fun week in Lexington.

The Rebels bowed out of the SEC Tournament with a 6-0 loss to No. 6 Texas, a team that can make even good pitching staffs look uncomfortable.

Ole Miss fell behind early, never quite found the big swing it needed, and spent most of the night trying to claw back against a lineup that rarely gives anything away.

Texas broke the scoreless start with a solo shot from Leighann Goode, then added three more in the third and two in the fifth. That was enough separation for a Longhorns team that’s been one of the most complete groups in the league all season.

Ole Miss had a couple of chances to make things interesting. Tenly Grisham and Taylor Malvin strung together singles in the third, but Texas escaped. In the seventh, a dropped fly ball put Madi George on second and Izzy Rettiger on third after a passed ball. Even then, the Rebels couldn’t push a run across.

So yes, the night ended quietly. But the week didn’t.

Ole Miss came to the SEC Tournament needing something to spark its postseason case, and it got exactly that on Wednesday by upsetting Tennessee.

That win alone changed the tone of the trip. It showed the Rebels still had some fight left after a long regular season, and it gave the selection committee something to think about.

Now the waiting begins. Ole Miss sits at 34-24 and will spend the next couple of days hoping Wednesday’s upset carries weight.

The NCAA selection show is Sunday at 6 p.m. on ESPN2.

Whatever happens, the Rebels didn’t leave Lexington empty handed.

They left with a win that mattered and a reminder that they can still punch above their weight when the moment calls for it.

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Softball

Rebels Shock Lady Vols, Advance to Face Texas in SEC Tournament

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Ole Miss softball players celebrate an upset win against Tennessee in the 2026 SEC Softball Tournament. | Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss showed up in Lexington on Wednesday expecting a fight. What the Rebels delivered was something closer to a jolt.

They knocked off a Tennessee team that spent part of the season ranked No. 1 in the country, and they did it with a calm, steady game that never looked too big for them.

A 4-1 win over the No. 5 Lady Vols isn’t supposed to look routine, but Ole Miss made it feel that way.

The formula wasn’t complicated. Kyra Aycock and Emilee Boyer split the work in the circle and held one of the SEC’s most dangerous lineups to four hits.

Tennessee scratched across a run in the second, but that was it. Aycock pitched out of trouble twice, then handed the ball to Boyer, who slammed the door just like she did in the opener.

Once the Rebels settled in, the offense found its rhythm. Mackenzie Pickens and Persy Llamas set the table in the fourth, and Madi George tied it with a ball Tennessee couldn’t handle.

Tenly Grisham followed with a sharp single up the middle to give Ole Miss the lead, and suddenly the team that wasn’t supposed to be here was up 2-1 on a national contender.

The fifth inning is where the upset really took shape.

Ryan Starr walked, Pickens wore a pitch, Llamas walked, and George stepped in again with the bases loaded. The freshman didn’t try to do too much. She just shot a single up the middle and drove in two more. That 4-1 cushion felt bigger than it looked.

From there, Boyer handled the rest. She gave up a single in the sixth, shrugged it off, and finished the game with a strikeout that sent the Rebels spilling out of the dugout.

Tennessee never mounted a real push after Ole Miss took the lead. That alone tells you how locked in the Rebels were.

For a team that entered the tournament as an underdog, this is the kind of win that changes the temperature of a week. Ole Miss didn’t just survive.

It beat a national power straight up and earned another shot on Thursday against No. 6 Texas.

If Wednesday was any indication, the Rebels aren’t done surprising people.

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