Mississippi pitcher Carly Hummel (13) releases a pitch during an NCAA college softball game against Louisiana Tech in Oxford, Miss., Wednesday, March 19, 2014. (Photo/Thomas Graning)
The Ole Miss softball team continues work toward the 2015 season with a pair of fall games against Wallace State this afternoon, playing the first game of the doubleheader at 4 p.m. with the second game slated for a 6 p.m. start at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
It will mark the sixth team for the Rebels to face in the fall practice period as Ole Miss has already played fall games against Northwest Mississippi Community College, Jones Community College, Tennessee Tech and Memphis.
With six games already under their belt, head coach Mike Smith has been pleased with the progress he’s seen from his team as the Rebels embrace his mantra of getting one percent better each day out on the field.
“The girls are getting better every day and working hard,” Smith said. “We’ve seen some really good improvement as a team and as individuals. It’s exciting to see things trending in that direction and know that if we stay on track, we’re looking good to be where we need to be when we take the field in February.”
Ole Miss opens its 2015 season on the road at the Kajikawa Classic hosted by Arizona State Feb. 5, 2015. At the tournament, the Rebels will face Oregon State, San Jose State, Arizona State, Fresno State, UC-Santa Barbara and Western Michigan.
Through the last few weeks of fall practice, Smith said the Rebels have continued to improve as the squad focuses on learning the new system and implementing the style the new coaching staff would like to see become a trademark of Ole Miss softball.
“We played well last week,” Smith said of the fall competitions against outside opponents. “We stayed consistent in our approach and in our process. We got behind a couple of times, didn’t let the adversity get to us and we came back and played well at the end. We got good pitching, some timely hitting and good base running. I’m pleased with the progress we’re making.”
“Madi Osias and Emily Gaitan have done a really good job for us in the circle,” Smith continued. “Paige McKinney had a great performance at Memphis and took some great swings. We’re getting good, consistent play out of our infielders. Not one person really jumps out, but we’re getting consistent play and that’s a sign of a good team.”
Today’s doubleheader against Wallace State will be the final time this fall the Rebels will take the field to face outside competition, but the fall practice season will continue with intra-squad scrimmages and team instruction. Fans are invited out to the doubleheader against Wallace State and admission is free to the public.
