Ole Miss sophomore Persy Llamas hits a home run against UT-Martin. | Ole Miss Athletics
Ole Miss sophomore Persy Llamas hits a home run against UT-Martin. | Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss Softball Puts Three Players in National Top 15 Ahead of SEC Play

BY Taylor Hodges

Ole Miss rolls into the opening weekend of SEC play looking like a team that used its first month wisely.

An 18-5 start doesn’t guarantee anything once the league grind begins, but it does tell you the Rebels are showing up with a real foundation and a handful of players who’ve already earned national attention.

Softball America’s March position rankings dropped this week, and three Rebels landed inside the top 15 at their spots: Persy Llamas at first base, Mackenzie Pickens at second, and Madi George in the utility category.

For a program trying to build staying power in the SEC, that’s the kind of early-season validation you want to see.

The lineup pieces driving the start

Llamas has been the steady heartbeat of the offense again, hitting .430 with five home runs, 25 RBI, and six doubles. She’s only a sophomore, but she already plays like someone who’s been through a few SEC seasons. The walk-off against Miami in the home opener wasn’t a surprise. Instead it felt like the kind of moment she’s built for.

Pickens has settled into the No. 2 spot in the order and hasn’t budged. She’s hitting .348 with six homers and 24 RBI, and she’s already tied the single-game program record with six RBI against Mercer. She also leads the SEC in hit-by-pitches, which says a lot about how often she’s on base and how comfortable she is living in the batter’s box.

And then there’s George, the freshman who’s playing like she skipped the adjustment period entirely. She leads the team in batting average (.455), slugging (.833), on-base percentage (.550), and has already launched seven home runs, which is third-most among SEC freshmen. She’s been the spark that turns innings into rallies.

What it means heading into SEC play

The rankings don’t win games, but they do paint a picture: Ole Miss isn’t leaning on one hot bat or one lucky weekend.

The Rebels have multiple players performing at a national level, and that’s usually what separates teams that survive the SEC from teams that get swallowed by it.

Now comes the real test.

No. 4 Alabama arrives in Oxford on Friday night to open the conference slate, a matchup that will immediately show where Ole Miss stacks up and how ready this group is for the next two months.

First pitch is set for 6 p.m. on SECN+ and after the way the first 23 games have gone, it feels like the Rebels are stepping into league play with a little more confidence than usual.

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