Ole Miss head coach Jamie Trachsel
Ole Miss will play the Villanova Wildcats on Friday at 5 p.m. CT in the opening round of the NCAA softball tournament. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU. The Rebels appear in the NCAA tournament for the fifth year in a row and are under their first year head coach Jamie Trachsel for the first time.
Host Arizona (36-16, 13-10 Pac12) and Maryland-Baltimore County (25-11, 11-5 AEC) meet in the other first round in Tucson. The tournament is a double elimination.
“Obviously it was an exciting night,” said Trachsel shortly after the NCAA selection show. “It took a long time. I’m just super proud of our team and the opportunity we deserved tonight.” I am proud of the journey we have been on and look forward to the week ahead and a great week of preparation with the intent and attitude of heading into the weekend to move up to Supers. “
The Rebels (34-20, 12-12 SEC) made it to the NCAA tournament despite being last selected in the SEC coaches poll for the preseason and Trachsel was hired in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring.
“We have been working all year including the past few weeks. Everything you go through brings you closer together, especially if you are struggling. We have been in work since we arrived. I’ve said that many times … I don’t think so that there is a team across the country that overwhelmed us or worked harder or invested as much time as we did … We certainly asked a lot. We consistently challenged them to be great … “said Trachsel.
“… We still have the feeling that another chapter has to be written in our history … There is something to be said when it comes to proving people right and people wrong. It feels good, but that is definitely not our motivation. The motivation right now is to prepare and continue this journey with this incredible group of players and young women. “
Villanova brings a record of 36-13, and the Wildcats hit a 15-2 mark in the Great East. Villanova has won its first Big East championship this season.
“Of course we’re going to the Arizona region, but we’ll play Villanova first. We have to respect our opponents and make sure we prepare for our opponent. But we’ll be ready to go. I think we’re excited.” We play the postseason every year. We are prepared for this opportunity and look forward to it, “said Trachsel.
“It’s postseason, and you always say, the postseason is only about a word and only one word. It’s vital. It’s the last man standing,” said Trachsel.
Ole Miss catcher Autumn Gillespie
Ole Miss has several players on his roster who have previously played in Tucson. The rebels lost to Arizona in Super Regional 2019 in Tucson.
“I heard Autumn (Gillespie) hit a home run like in the stands, so we heard that,” Trachsel smiled.
Gillespie recalled her experience in Arizona in 2019.
“We know the balls go off the racket there,” said Gillespie. “They have pretty tough shit, so this time we’ll be a little better prepared and know the field we’re going to play on. It’s a super fun atmosphere. They have a fantastic stadium with a real postseason feel. It’s super exciting again to be out there. “
Ole Miss will train at Oxford until Wednesday, Trachsel said. The team will then leave for Tucson and train there on Thursday.
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