Softball
Rebels Show Resilience in Opening-Day Split, Cap Night with 11–9 Comeback
Ole Miss softball didn’t ease its way into the new season. It had to claw through two deficits, absorb two momentum swings, and lean on a lineup full of newcomers to escape Opening Day with a split.
But if Thursday night at the Easton Classic revealed anything, it’s that this team already knows how to fight back.
The Rebels dropped the opener 5-4, but the story of the night became the way they kept answering punches in both games, finally breaking through with an 11-9 comeback win in the nightcap.
Game One
Ole Miss opened its season with all the signs of a clean start. Bases loaded in the first inning. A two‑run single from freshman Cassie Reasner in her debut. A 2-0 lead that looked like the beginning of a comfortable night.
But the opener turned into a test of resilience instead. Cal State Fullerton chipped away in the third, surged ahead in the fourth, and answered every Rebel push with one of their own.
Give the Rebs another RUN 👏
Ole Miss: 4 | Cal State Fullerton: 5 #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/EfE7ARiAsB
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) February 6, 2026
Even when Ole Miss tied the game 3-3 in the fifth on a Kennedy Bunker sacrifice fly, the Titans immediately countered with a two‑run homer.
The Rebels kept swinging. Taylor Malvin’s RBI single cut the deficit to one. Emilee Boyer struck out the side in the seventh to give the offense one last chance. Singles from Bunker and freshman Madi George put the tying run in scoring position.
But the final swing never came. Ole Miss stranded the runners, falling 5-4.
Game Two
If the opener showed the Rebels could rally, the second game proved they could finish the rally.
Ole Miss jumped ahead 2-0 in the first, only to watch Fullerton rip off five unanswered runs. Down 5-2, staring at another early‑season stumble, the Rebels’ newcomers took over.
A Mackenzie Pickens walk. A Persy Llamas double. A two‑run rope from George. A sacrifice fly from Reasner. Suddenly it was 5-5, and the Rebels had life again.
A 3⃣-RUN 3RD INNING FOR THE REBS!
Ole Miss: 5 | Cal State Fullerton: 5@CassieReasner x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/xL9uQYAZx0
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) February 6, 2026
Fullerton briefly reclaimed the lead with a solo homer, but Ole Miss kept coming. A throwing error tied it 6-6. Kyra Aycock delivered a clean fourth inning. And then Reasner, who was already having a debut to remember, launched her first Ole Miss home run to put the Rebels ahead 7-6.
The knockout blow came an inning later. Pickens and Bunker went back‑to‑back with home runs, turning a tight game into a 9-7 lead. Llamas and George followed with singles, and Reasner added yet another RBI on a sac fly. Grace Thompson capped the six‑run frame with an RBI single.
Back-to-Back Jacks 🔨@Kbunks17 x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/OR8QVy25Zp
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) February 6, 2026
Fullerton tried to rally late, but Aycock slammed the door in the seventh, securing the 11-9 win and the Rebels’ first victory of 2026
The Rebels will be right back in action on Friday, facing off against CSUN at 1 p.m. and Boise State at 5 p.m. on day two of the Easton Classic.
Softball
Ole Miss Softball Lands Two Players on All-SEC Second Team
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
Softball
Ole Miss Softball Bows Out of SEC Tournament With Loss to Texas
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.
Softball
Rebels Shock Lady Vols, Advance to Face Texas in SEC Tournament
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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