After defeating Belmont on Tuesday, the Rebels, currently 25-9 on the season, will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, to face the No. 22 Wildcats.
The No. 10 Rebels are currently on a three-game win streak and have not lost an SEC series this season. They split a two-game series against No. 16 South Carolina and captured huge wins against No. 6 Florida, No. 14 Arkansas and No. 18 Oklahoma State.
Ole Miss first baseman Gabby Alvarez tosses the ball to a teammate in between innings at the game against Florida on Saturday. Photo by Katherine Butler.
Over the last three years, the Rebels and Wildcats have split six matchups.
This weekend’s series is set to be a battle of the bats with both teams ranked in the SEC top-10 in nearly all offensive categories. The Rebel offense has had a breakout season at the plate thanks to key offensive players like sophomores Jessica Puk and Abbey Latham and seniors Kylan Becker and Brittany Finney.
Becker is currently ranked third in the SEC with a .481 batting average, and leads the SEC
with 6 triples and 52 hits. Earlier this season, Becker broke the single-season record for triples and is the Ole Miss all-time leader with 13 triples in her career.
Puk and Finney are currently tied for the team-lead with 7 home runs on the season, and Latham isn’t far behind with 6 bombs of her own.
The Wildcats, currently 23-13 on the season, have also had a stellar season at the plate. They are ranked sixth in the SEC with a .313 batting average. On the season, the Wildcat offense has scored 252 runs on 292 hits with 228 RBIs and 45 home runs.
Additionally, the Wildcats are ranked third with 59 doubles. Senior Jenny Schaper, hitting .315 on the season, leads the Wildcats with 11 doubles followed by sophomore Lauren Johnson who has nine. Freshman Kayla Kowalik and seniors Abbey Cheek and Katie Reed have 8 doubles apiece.
The Rebels will try to keep the Wildcat offense at bay in the circle led by pitchers Molly Jacobsen and Brittany Finney who have a 1.78 combined ERA. Jacobsen was on a streak of scoreless innings going into the series against Florida last weekend.
Despite giving up the winning runs, the Des Moines Area Community College transfer tied her career high by striking out 11 batters in 10 innings. Jacobsen is currently ranked third in the SEC with a 1.35 ERA and has struck out 98 batters.
The first matchup between the Rebels and the Wildcats is scheduled for tonight at 5 p.m. The two remaining games of the series will be played at 1 p.m. on Saturday and noon on Sunday.
