Sarah HendersonAfter winning an SEC series in Lexington, Kentucky, against the No. 22 Wildcats last weekend, the Rebels, currently 27-10 on the season, will host the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Wednesday night.
The Rebels, ranked No. 9 in the Softball America poll, have been successful at home this season, winning 14 of 16 games in Oxford. Their only two losses came from then-No. 14 Arkansas and No. 6 Florida.
Last time out, the Rebels grabbed their eighth and ninth top-25 victories when they swept the doubleheader on Saturday to win the series against Kentucky. The wins pushed Ole Miss’s conference record to 7-4 and kept its RPI standing at No. 12.
Over the last five years, the Ole Miss Rebels and UAB Blazers have only met for one matchup, which the Rebels won 5-0.
Tonight, the Rebels will look to keep their hot streak alive before facing the Missouri Tigers this weekend.
The Rebel squad has proved to be one of the most well-rounded teams in the SEC this season, with both offensive players and pitchers ranked in the SEC top-10.
Kylan Becker has been a standout at the plate for the Rebels this season and currently has a .471 batting average. The senior from Miami, Florida, still leads the SEC with 57 hits and 7 triples. She has also stolen 22 bases on the season.
The Blazers, currently 15-22 on the season, have dropped 10 of their 13 games on the road and will look to key offensive players in hopes of beating the Rebels.
Junior Natalie Erwin and freshman Faith Hegh lead the Blazers offensively with batting
averages of .340 and .336, respectively. Hegh has been a standout for UAB at the plate, hitting 10 doubles, more than any player on the Rebel squad.
In the circle, UAB pitchers have a combined 4.74 ERA compared to the Rebels’ 2.12 ERA.
Despite losing the first game against Kentucky, junior Molly Jacobsen still leads the Rebels with a 1.79 ERA and 107 strikeouts.
After the matchup against UAB, the Rebels will welcome the No. 19 Missouri Tigers to Oxford for a weekend series. The Tigers are tied for No. 7 in the SEC standings with a 21-16 overall record and a 6-6 mark in the SEC, but they have a series win against No. 5 Alabama and swept No. 23 Kentucky in March. Pitcher Madi Norman also threw a no-hitter in the team’s last outing against Oregon.
Tonight’s game between the Rebels and Blazers will begin at 6 p.m.
