Rebel Roundabout: Ole Miss softball receives bid to NCAA Lafayette Regional
Ole Miss softball on Sunday secured its eighth consecutive bid to the NCAA Tournament.
The Rebels (31-25) are the No. 3 seed in the Lafayette Regional, which is set for May 17-19. They’ll take on No. 2 Baylor Friday at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN2. Host Louisiana drew four-seed Princeton.
Ole Miss and Baylor are facing off for the second straight postseason. The Rebels beat the Bears twice in the Salt Lake City Regional last postseason, though Baylor has a 3-4 advantage in the all-time series.
Ole Miss has been to the NCAA Tournament every year since its first-ever bid in 2016. The Rebels have a 17-15 postseason record and claimed regional titles in 2017 and 2019.
OLE MISS TRACK AND FIELD SPRINTERS SHINE AT SEC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The final day of the 2024 SEC Outdoor Championships proved historic for Ole Miss track and field.
The Rebel women took home wins in the 200-meter dash and 400-meter hurdles. They had an historically-fast runner-up finish in the 4×100-meter relay.
All-American McKenzie Long repeated as SEC champion in the 200-meter. Long posted an SEC-meet-record and world-leading 22.03 (+0.6). She’s the league’s first repeat winner in over a decade.
REBS ARE IN‼️ pic.twitter.com/gtWj2rMM6G
— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) May 13, 2024
Long finishes as the No. 5 collegian in history. She’s the No. 22-ranked American ever.
Ole Miss picked up its first win of the day when Gabrielle Matthews upset heavy favorite Rachel Glenn (Arkansas) in the 400-meter. It was the first all-time SEC title for a Rebel woman in the event. The only other came on the men’s side (Lee Ellis Moore, 2011).
Matthews used her record 55.12 time to catapult herself into contention for Jamaica’s national team in the Olympics this summer.
Finally, the Rebel quartet of Long, Matthews and seniors Akilah Leiws and Jahniya Bowers logged the best finish in history by an Ole Miss 4×100 team (42.47) for their runner-up honors. The only other Rebel team to finish as high was the 1984 men.
Ole Miss became the No. 7 4×1 squad all-time and fourth-best in SEC history.
TEE TIME SET FOR OLE MISS MEN’S GOLF AT STANFORD REGIONAL
The Ole Miss men’s golf team opens postseason play Monday in the Stanford (California) Regional.
The Rebels will go for their seventh all-time NCAA Championship appearance over 54 holes from May 13-15 at the Stanford Golf Course. Ole Miss is one of 14 total teams participating. The Rebels tee off at 9:30 a.m. CT. Five individuals are competing as well.
Only the Top 5 and top individual from a non-advancing team move on to the finals in Carlsbad.
“This is always a fun time of year,” head coach Chris Malloy said. “The end goal is clearly in sight. Our guys know there will be a lot thrown at them over the next couple of weeks. We’re excited for the challenge. I can’t wait to watch them compete.”
