Auburn softball heads to Oxford, MS for a three game road series against Ole Miss. Auburn looks for a series win to stay ahead of last place in the SEC standings.
Ole Miss sits in last place in the SEC with a conference record of 3-15 and an overall record of 26-22. They come into the game off the heels of getting swept three games by No. 7 Texas A&M.
The Rebels rank near the bottom in most SEC offensive statistics, ranking ninth in batting average, 11th in slugging percentage, and 10th in runs scored. While they are at the bottom in most statistics, they do rank sixth in both hits meaning Auburn will need to play sound defense.
Ole Miss is led by Juniors Jaden Pone and Lexie brady, Senior Aynslie Furbush, and Sophomore Jalia Lassiter. These four lead the Ole Miss offense in most major categories and be the batters Auburn needs to keep in check.
Pone leads Ole miss in batting average with .351 and hits with 52 while scoring 30 runs on the season. Brady leads the team with 13 home runs and 32 runs scored while batting .292 with 25 walks.
Furbush has driven in a team high 35 RBIs on the season with a .336 batting average and hitting seven home runs. Finally, Lassiter has a team-high 26 walks while stealing 17 bases on 21 attempts. She also has a batting average of .321 while scoring 29 runs.
The Ole Miss defense and pitching has been one of if not the worst in the SEC this season, ranking last in a couple key statistics. The Rebels rank last in opponent batting average with a .254 allowed, hits allowed with 316, walks allowed with 170 and pitcher losses with 22.
The Rebels also rank 12th in the SEC in runs allowed with 175, 12th in errors with 47 and 12th in stolen bases given up with 36. The poor defense of Ole Miss should allow Auburn to improve on its subpar offensive outings of late.
The top three pitchers for Ole Miss will be Senior Makenna Kliethermes and Juniors Brianna Lopez and Catelyn Riley. Kliethermes leads the team in strikeouts and wins with a 10-6 record and 85 Ks in 78 innings. She boasts a solid ERA of 3.05 having allowed 65 hits and 47 throughout 21 appearances this season.
Lopez has an ERA of 2.92 this season in 62 innings of work, striking out 67 batters while allowing 54 hits and 50 walks in route to a 4-3 record. Riley sees most of the remaining work boasting a 2.57 ERA, 49 strikeouts, and allowing 81 hits and walking 29.
The outcome of the series may hinge on Auburn's batting performance, which has shown inconsistency throughout the season. Facing Ole Miss could offer Auburn an opportunity to bolster their offense and gain momentum heading into the postseason.
The first game of the series is scheduled for Friday, April 26 at 5 p.m. CST at the Ole Miss Softball complex, airing on SEC Network.
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Luke McClure is a junior from Huntsville, Alabama, majoring in sports production. He joined The Plainsman in fall 2023.
Twitter: @lukemcclure0
