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Ole Miss makes noise in SEC Tournament, downs defending champion Florida in thriller

Ben Garrettby: Ben Garrett05/08/25SpiritBen
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Ole Miss infielder Angelina DeLeon (26) and Ole Miss starting pitcher/relief pitcher Brianna Lopez (16) shake hands during a game against Florida at Jack Turner Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mady Mertens-Imagn Images

Ole Miss softball is flexing its postseason muscle this week in the SEC Tournament. 

The Rebels last week were already projected to host a Regional, according to Jake Grant’s Universal Selection Index. However, they’ve only strengthened their case, if not improved their standing, this week in Athens, Georgia. 

No. 18 Ole Miss (37-16, 13-13 SEC) has claimed back-to-back wins, including a 6-3 win over defending national champion Florida on Wednesday. The Gators (43-14, 14-11) were ranked No. 4 in the country.

Ole Miss on April 25 took down then-No. 1 Tennessee, 3-2.

“Yesterday, I thought, was a great character win; we won 1-0,” Ole Miss head coach Jamie Trachsel said. “You hate to say this tops that, but we haven’t had a game like this, where we’ve had the lead, they tied it up, and I was just super proud of our resiliency. 

“We had a little adversity and we just didn’t quit. You’re just so proud. This is how they work, consistently, every single day. They just don’t change who they are. They respect everything (and) they’re humble kids. Proud of our team and their resiliency and their mentality.”

RELATED: Ole Miss infielder Luke Hill named Ferriss Trophy finalist

Persy Llamas, who already had the most RBI ever by an Ole Miss freshman, got the scoring started in the third inning. 

Llamas hit a three-run home run off Florida starter Keagan Rothrock. The Gators loaded the bases but scored just one run in the bottom half. They pulled even with the Rebels with back-to-back homers in the seventh. Mackenzie Pickens responded for the Rebels with a three-run shot of her own in the top of the eighth.

The Rebels split four games (2-2) against the Gators this season. Florida is Ole Miss’ most common opponent in the SEC Tournament. The teams are 2-2 against each other. The Gators were ranked No. 1 when the Rebels took them down during their 2017 title run.

Florida rode into tournament play fresh off a series win over then-No. 1 Oklahoma. The Gators ranked Top 10 nationally in hits, runs, walks and slugging percentage. Ole Miss starter Brianna Lopez pitched 4.1 innings and gave up just one run on three hits with six strikeouts and five walks. Ailyah Binford moved to 9-3 in surrendering just two runs on three hits with two strikeouts and two walks over 3.2 innings

Ole Miss next takes on Texas Thursday at 5 p.m. CT in the tournament semifinals. Here’s everything Trachsel and select players had to say after the win.

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