(Photo by: Cameron Brooks)
Hailey Lunderman fields and throws the ball during a game against Northern Iowa earlier this season.
Last Weekend
After three victories over the Razorbacks, the Ole Miss softball team has gotten themselves to .500 in the toughest conference in America at 9-9.
The Rebels struggled somewhat with the Razorbacks, but at the end of the day, they did what good teams do and simply won three contests over inferior competition. Ole Miss received a great performance on the mound Saturday night from senior Madi Osias as she went seven innings and only gave up two runs as Ole Miss went on to win 7-2. Ole Miss erased a four-run deficit in the seventh and final inning on Sunday and walked off to a 6-5 win.
Up Next
The Rebels have themselves in prime position to garner a good seed in the SEC tournament in two weeks, as they would be the No. 7 seed if the season ended today.
After a midweek contest on Wednesday against UAB, Ole Miss will next head to Athens to take on Georgia. Georgia and the Rebels are currently both tied in the SEC at 9-9, and this weekend’s series will go a long way in determining seeding in the SEC tournament in two weeks. The Bulldogs are currently 18-6 on the season at home.
Looking Ahead
The Rebels have put themselves in a prime position to make the program’s first NCAA tournament. Ole Miss is currently 34-15 on the season with an RPI of 30. The NCAA tournament usually rewards teams in the top 35 of RPI with a tournament berth.
The Rebels have a ton of opportunities to add quality wins to their schedule over the next two weeks as they take on UAB with an RPI of 51. Georgia currently boasts an RPI of 19, and the Rebels’ last series of the year is against Tennessee who has an RPI of 13. Ole Miss also has a top 100 RPI opportunity against Louisiana Tech next week as the Bulldogs are currently 91 in the RPI. Ole Miss would likely get another top 100 RPI opportunity in the SEC tournament in two weeks.
The SEC has a knack for getting a multitude of teams into the NCAA Tournament. The 2014 and 2015 NCAA tournament featured 10 SEC teams.
Analysis
Barring a complete meltdown, Ole Miss is very likely headed to its first NCAA tournament, which is a testament to Mike Smith and the team as Ole Miss hadn’t competed for a regional in a very long time.
