Ole Miss softball has had a fairly quiet offseason, so far. That changed this week.
Thursday brought a pair of transfer portal additions that should make an immediate difference. Head coach Jamie Trachsel has been working to overhaul the roster with a mix of experience and youth, and two more transfers are now officially on board.
The headliner is Austin Peay slugger Brie Howard, one of the most productive hitters in the country last season. She arrives in Oxford with one year of eligibility left and a résumé that jumps off the page.
Howard was a three‑time All‑ASUN selection and put together a monster junior season, setting single‑season program records at Austin Peay with 20 home runs, 65 RBI and 52 runs scored. She hit .362 in 2026, started all 54 games and ranked inside the top‑40 nationally in both home runs and RBI.
Across her career, Howard hit .346 with 36 home runs and 136 RBI. She finished tied for third on Austin Peay’s all‑time home run list and third in career RBI. That kind of production is rare in the portal, and Ole Miss landed it.
Joining her is Lexie Hames, who brings a different kind of impact. In her lone season at Clemson, Hames appeared in 16 games, made six starts and posted a 3.33 ERA over 27.1 innings. Opponents hit just .196 against her, and she struck out 36 while throwing two complete games.
She delivered several strong outings, including a four‑inning, two‑hit, one‑run start in Clemson’s NCAA Regional elimination win over College of Charleston. Her 10‑strikeout shutout of Lipscomb and seven‑strikeout performance against Wofford showed the swing‑and‑miss ability that made her such a coveted recruit.
Hames was one of the most decorated high school players in the country, earning two Gatorade Player of the Year awards in Pennsylvania and entering college as the No. 2 pitcher in her class according to Extra Innings Softball. She was widely viewed as the top recruit in her state and piled up player of the year honors across her region.
Together, Howard and Hames give Ole Miss two proven college players who can help immediately. They also join an 11‑player freshman class that brings plenty of upside.
The roster is getting younger, but it’s also getting more balanced. The freshmen add energy. The transfers add experience. And the combination gives Trachsel a lineup and pitching staff that look deeper than they did a month ago.
The offseason isn’t over, but the direction is obvious. Ole Miss needed more firepower, and Trachsel went out and found it.
