Elantra Cox hits during the game against Youngstown State on March 9.
I was going to save this until Friday when the No. 1 Florida Gators softball team rolled into Oxford, but I decided it’s beyond pertinent to get this out there.
Ole Miss Softball is really good, and I mean really good.
They’re beyond fun to watch. They’re athletic. They’re tough, and they’re the best team that’s ever donned the red and blue uniform at Ole Miss.
They’re led at the top of the lineup by sophomore Elantra Cox, who is hitting .423 on the year, good for eighth best in the SEC. Cox personifies Ole Miss’ aggressive mindset as she’s 17-19 on the year in stolen bases, only behind Miranda Strother, who is in the top 25 nationally in stolen bases as she’s 25-29 on the season.
The Rebels are also paced by Hailey Lunderman, a freshman from Philadelphia. Lunderman is hitting .422 on the season, good for ninth in the SEC.
The Rebels’ power comes from senior Natalie Martinez and junior Courtney Syrett as both have tallied four home runs on the season.
This team is led on the mound by senior Madi Osias, who has a 2.72 ERA in 22 appearances this season. Ole Miss has also received valuable contributions from freshman Elisha Jahnke, who has posted a 2.97 ERA over 21 appearances.
Ole Miss took two of three from in-state rival Mississippi State this previous weekend for the second straight season. The Rebels were able to brush off a hard fought 1-0 loss on Sunday night in time to rebound to win Monday night’s rubber game.
Ole Miss is currently in ninth place in the SEC at 4-5, the toughest softball conference in America, and has garnered wins over top-25 teams such as Missouri and Kentucky.
Ole Miss is currently No. 33 in the current RPI standings according to NCAA.com, but that hasn’t been updated since the Rebels’ victory on Monday night.
Ole Miss has set themselves up to do something that no other team in Ole Miss history has done, and that’s to make the NCAA tournament. Ole Miss tied the school record for wins in Mike Smith’s first year in 2015, compiling 30 wins, and with 19 games remaining, the Rebels will surely break that mark.
The Rebels will take on the No. 2 Florida this weekend. The Gators have played in the women’s College World Series the previous three seasons and have won back-to-back national championships.
The Rebels will host the Gators in a three-game series, the first weekend action in Oxford since top 25 Missouri came to town for a three-game set in early March.
Ole Miss will have to play its best softball of the year to beat the Gators, but they’ve proven throughout the year that they can compete with top-level teams in the SEC.
The Rebels and Gators will battle on at 6 p.m., 6.p.m. and 1 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Softball games are like baseball games in that students or patrons are allowed to take a cooler to left field and watch the game. The softball games usually feature free crawfish on Saturdays as well.
