Riley ComdenThe Ole Miss softball team will start its season on Friday in Troy, Ala., at the Trojan Classic. The Rebels will play five games this weekend, facing off against colleges such as Belmont, Chattanooga, Troy and University of Alabama-Birmingham (UAB).
The Rebels will face the UAB Blazers at 9 a.m. on Friday morning, and then, they will take on Troy at 2 p.m. that afternoon. On Saturday, Ole Miss will battle it out against Belmont at 9 a.m., and then Chattanooga at 11:30 a.m.. On Sunday morning, the Rebels will once again take on Chattanooga at 9 a.m..
Belmont had only five wins and 14 losses in the 2020 season, and Chattanooga only recorded seven wins and 14 losses before the season was canceled due to COVID-19. The Trojans went 17-6 on the season, while UAB went 15-11, losing to Ole Miss twice at the Blazer Classic on Feb. 21, 2020.
Ole Miss head coach Jamie Trachsel is in her second season at Ole Miss. In the 2020 season, the team went 12-13 overall with no wins and three losses in the conference. The Rebels are looking to start the 2021 season off strong, and the SEC Preseason Poll projects them to finish at No. 8 in the SEC.
Standout players for the Rebels who are returning from last season include junior Mikayla Allee and senior Autumn Gillespie. Allee led the Rebels with an impressive .356 batting average and a .513 on-base percentage last year as a sophomore, and she started in all 25 games at shortstop with only three errors on the season. Gillespie also started in all 25 games last season, either behind the plate or as a designated player for the Rebels. She was second on the team with a batting average of .349 and she led the team with five home runs, 21 runs scored, 17 walks and a .651 slugging percentage by the close of the 2020 season.
Jessica Puk is also back for her senior season after starting in all 25 games last year, either as a designated player or in the outfield. Puk batted .324 last season to put her in the No. 3 spot for highest batting average on the team. The Iowa native put together seven extra-base hits, including four doubles and three home runs.
The Rebels start out their season this Friday with a game against UAB at 9 a.m.
