Rebels Travel to the Bluegrass State for Weekend Matchup

Kylan Becker sends the ball down the first base line. Photo courtesy of Cameron Brooks / Ole Miss Athletics.

The No. 18 Ole Miss softball team travels to the Bluegrass State to take the diamond against the No. 22 Kentucky Wildcats in Lexington this weekend. First pitch is set for 5 p.m. on the SEC Network+.

Ole Miss (25-9, 5-3 SEC) heads into the weekend after defeating Belmont on Tuesday 11-1 in five innings. The Rebels scored all 11 runs on 11 hits. Last weekend, coach Mike Smith’s club won the backend of the series from the No. 6 Florida Gators.

Senior Kylan Becker is currently on a 12-game hitting streak, tied for the fifth-longest in program history. Becker is carrying a .537 clip with 13 runs scored and 10 runs driven in during the stretch.

Over the past 25 days, Ole Miss has played 10 games against ranked opponents, coming out with top-25 wins over No. 14 Arkansas (twice), No. 18 Oklahoma State (twice), No. 16 South Carolina and No. 6 Florida (twice).

The No. 22 Wildcats sit at 23-13 on the season, including 7-5 in SEC action and 5-4 overall at home. Fourteen of Kentucky’s contests have been against ranked opponents. The team is led by senior Abbey Cheek, who ranks second in the SEC with a .494 average. Additionally, Cheek leads the Wildcats with 12 home runs and 36 runs scored, adding in eight doubles and 38 RBIs. 

On Friday, as the Rebels and the Wildcats step in between the chalk, it will be the 55th all-time meeting in the series. Ole Miss leads the series against Kentucky at 30-24. However, the Wildcats have been on the better end of the matchup recently, defeating Ole Miss in eight of the past 11 meetings. Kentucky is the only SEC opponent that the Rebels hold a series advantage against.

Hottytoddy.com staff report