Ole Miss Softball: Oxford Regional Begins Today, No.13 Rebels Ready
Coming off a huge historic SEC Tourney Championship run, Ole Miss softball is ready to finish what it started. Coach Mike Smith and the Rebels are welcoming three tough teams to the Ole Miss Softball Complex for the first ever regional hosted by Ole Miss softball.
There is no doubt about what this Ole Miss softball team is capable of doing. Just a day shy of a week ago the Rebels shocked the SEC and the nation by capturing its first ever SEC Softball Championship. There are a few of us who believed they could make a deep run in the SEC tourney because of the way they are put together. They are built for tourney play. I’ve been saying it all season.
However, this isn’t going to be the SEC Tourney. This is the NCAA Oxford Regional which pits Ole Miss (40-18) against Southern Illinois (33-22) in the second game of the evening. Arizona State (30-20) and North Carolina (38-19) kick off game 1 from Oxford. Of course, Ole Miss will have the advantage of home field.
Of course, I have faith in the Ole Miss softball team and their skipper Coach Mike Smith. He has made Ole Miss softball a history making program in 3 shorts seasons as head coach. In short, he has done a phenomenal job in a very short time against the greatest competition in the nation. I stand behind Ole Miss softball and believe they continue their winning streak tonight.
What To Expect
More from Ole Miss Softball
- Ole Miss Softball: Rebels fall to Cats, exit College Station early
- Ole Miss Softball: Rebels come back, beat Miss State in SEC Tourney
- Ole Miss Softball: Rebels rack up SEC regular season honors
- Ole Miss Softball: Poor officiating is killing SEC sports
- Ole Miss Softball: No.15 Rebels ready for SEC Tourney
I believe the whole nation and especially the Rebel fans therein, would be shocked if Kaitlin Lee doesn’t take the circle and continue to dominate.
Lee (20-10, 1.78) has proven to be a force in the circle which is devastating to other offense driven teams.
Ole Miss softball fans can certainly expect more excellent pitching from Lee while she is throwing with a hot arm.
She is on a record-setting pace and Mike Smith has all the faith in the world in her abilities. According to OleMissSports.com,
"Junior RHP Kaitlin Lee threw every pitch in the SEC Tournament earning MVP honors, and is only three wins off tying the single-season record. She’s thrown nine-straight CGs, and allowed no more than two earned runs each in her last nine starts (64.2 IP). ~OleMIssSports,com"
Of course, Lee has a huge support group behind her in the Rebel defense which has been outstanding as well.
Looking At Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois comes into the NCAA Oxford Regional with a 33-22 record as the 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Champion. According to OleMissSports.com, the SIU Salukis have won 9 of their last 10 games and have four batters hitting over the .300 mark.
Right now, Southern Illinois is a hot team on a streak. Tonight’s match-up could be one of the best games in this regional. Luckily, we don’t have to wait long to see what these two red-hot teams have in store for each other.
First pitch for the second game of the night is set for 8:30pm CT and will be televised on ESPN3. Of course, the first game will be between UNC and ASU at 6pm CT and will be televised on ESPN.