Featured
Ole Miss Softball Gears up to Tangle with LSU in the SEC Tournament
By Adam Brown
Sports Editor
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
No. 11 seed Ole Miss softball travels up to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the 2023 SEC Tournament this week. The Rebels step on the diamond Wednesday against the No. 6 seed LSU Tigers at 10 a.m. on the SEC Network+.
Ole Miss rolls into the tournament with a 29-12 overall record and an 8-16 mark in conference action after taking the series finale against No. 14 Alabama Crimson Tide 5-4 on Sunday in a walk-off victory.
Against Alabama, freshman Julia Lassiter tallied three huge hits over the weekend, all coming against three-time All-American Montana Fouts, and scored the tying run in Sunday’s win.
Coach Jamie Trachsel club comes into the post season boasting a No. 5 strength of schedule and No. 34 RPI in the nation.
LSU finished the 2023 regular season 40-14, including a 13-11 mark in SEC games, and eclipsed 40 wins in a season for the first time since 2019. LSU boasts a 45-25 record in the SEC Tournament and has the most wins in the history of the league’s tournament.
The Tigers enter the tournament as the No. 6 seed after taking the series from 10th-ranked Georgia this past weekend. Junior infielder Danieca Coffey leads LSU with a .395 batting average that ranks sixth in the SEC. She paces the team with 68 hits, ranking third in the league and 15th in the nation. Senior Georgia Clark powers the offense with the long ball. She leads the team with 12 home runs and currently ranks second on the team with 41 RBIs.
LSU boasts a 1.97 ERA in the circle, led by senior Ali Kilponen and freshman Sydney Berzon. The duo pace the Tigers with 13 wins on the season. Back when the two teams met in March, Berzon picked up both wins for LSU, tossing complete games, and was named SEC Freshman of the Week.
Wednesday’s matchup will be the 72nd meeting between the two programs. LSU leads the all-time series 57-14. The Rebels took one game earlier this season when the two teams met in Oxford. The two teams are even at 1-1 in the SEC Tournament.
| Sat, Aug 31 |  | vs Furman | W, 76-0 |
| Sat, Sep 7 |  | vs Middle Tennessee | W, 52-3 |
| Sat, Sep 14 |  | @ Wake Forest | W, 40-6 |
| Sat, Sep 21 |  | vs Georgia Southern | W, 52-13 |
| Sat, Sep 28 |  | vs Kentucky | L, 20-17 |
| Sat, Oct 5 |  | @ South Carolina | W, 27-3 |
| Sat, Oct 12 |  | vs LSU | L, 29-26 (2 OT) |
| Sat, Oct 26 |  | vs Oklahoma | W, 26-14 |
| Sat, Nov 2 |  | @ Arkansas | W, 63-35 |
| Sat, Nov 16 |  | vs Georgia | 2:30 PM ABC |
| Sat, Nov 23 |  | @ Florida | 11:00 AM ABC or ESPN |
| Sat, Nov 30 |  | vs Mississippi State | 2:30 PM ESPN or ABC |