While Auburn had the day off to relax before a stressful weekend, the Ole Miss Rebels were in a battle for the ages. The Rebels were facing No. 5 seed LSU, who also ended the season ranked No. 14 in the nation. Ole Miss was the consensus underdog in all categories. LSU has been the better program, and was considered a dark horse to win the SEC Tournament this weekend by many.
But, it won't have another shot as the 11-seeded Rebels stunned the Bayou Bengals in extra innings. The Rebels won 5-3 in the 10th inning. Ole Miss will have little time to rest, as it will play No. 3 seed Auburn on Thursday at approximately 1 p.m. CST.
Ole Miss has been inconsistent this season. It has been in-and-out of the rankings. What at the start was supposed to be a lower tier SEC team, has made noise this season. The thing about the Rebels is, they have only been swept in one SEC series, against the top-seeded Tennessee Volunteers.
They have scored victories over ranked opponents all season with wins over teams like Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky, LSU and more. While the Rebels record says 30-25, their RPI brings light into how underrated this squad is. They are ranked No. 32 in the RPI according to D1Softball.com. Usually teams with a record like that are much lower, however their quality of wins help them.
Auburn and Ole Miss have an SEC series under its belts, dating back to the early days of April. Auburn won two out of the three games in the series. Ole Miss got better as the series went on, only losing the final game 1-0. Since then, Ole Miss has only won one of its SEC series, while Auburn has only lost one SEC series.
These two programs have gone separate ways since then. One rising up, the other on the brink of collapse. However, none of that matters now. Ole Miss is playing for its season, while Auburn is playing for the chance to host an NCAA Regional.
Ole Miss is led by its second baseman, Keila Kamoku. Kamoka is batting .301 on the season with seven home runs to her name. The Rebels best pitcher is Aynslie Furbush. Furbush has pitched a 2.14 ERA on the season. Ole Miss will look for its second upset in two days and lock themselves into a semifinals appearance.
Auburn's best hitters have been Nelia Peralta and Bri Ellis. They have been the thunder and lightning for the Tigers this season. Peralta has batted .333 on the season with nine home runs alongside 21 RBIs. Ellis provides the power with her 12 home runs this season while also batting .292 on the year.
Auburn's game plan should be simple to understand. The opponent just went through an absolute war the day before. Auburn should look to stay calm and let its experience and energy outlast Ole Miss.
Ole Miss will look for an early knockout. Auburn has had trouble with cold bats at times this season. Ole Miss won't want to go back into a war after doing so the day before. Ole Miss will look to go up early when it is at its freshest.
The game will be played in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at approximately 1 p.m. CST Thursday. The game will be live on the SEC Network.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
TP is a senior from Montgomery, Alabama, majoring in journalism. He started with The Plainsman in fall 2022.
Twitter: @tp_hammock
