First Women’s College World Series Awaits for No. 17 Ole Miss Softball as Rebels Open against Texas Tech

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – (Release) The No. 17 Ole Miss softball program is set to make program history, competing in the 2025 Women’s College World Series at Devon Park.

The Rebels (42-19, 11-13 SEC) open the Women’s College World Series on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT, as they face No. 12 Texas Tech (50-12, 20-4 Big 12) in the opening round. The game will be televised on ESPN2.

LEADING OFF

• Ole Miss enters the Women’s College World Series for the first time in program history as the only unseeded team in the field.
• Ole Miss is 22-19 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and are making their ninth consecutive appearance and seeking their first ever win in a Women’s College World Series game.
• The Rebels took home their first ever NCAA Super Regional on Sunday, holding off the No. 4 Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville, 7-4.
• Ole Miss has smashed the program record for home runs in a season with 67. That breaks 2023’s mark of 49.
• Persy Llamas looks to polish off a historic freshman campaign, as she leads her team in multi-hit games (20) and already has the most RBI ever by an Ole Miss freshman and the third most in a single season in program history.
• Aliyah Binford set the single season RBI record at Ole Miss on Friday, recording her 55th of the season. Binford broke a tie with Abbey Latham (2019) for first.
• At 172 strikeouts, Miali Guachino has the most strikeouts in a single season by a Rebel since Mary Jane Callahan (177) in 2004. Guachino currently stands in third on the single season strikeout list at Ole Miss.

A DATE WITH DESTINY

Ole Miss enters the Women’s College World Series for the first time in program history in their ninth consecutive NCAA appearance and fifth consecutive under head coach Jamie Trachsel, holding an all-time record of 22-19 overall. The Rebels are seeking their first ever Women’s College World Series victory.

Ole Miss is the only unseeded team remaining in the field and the first unseeded team to reach the Women’s College World Series since 2022.

PROVEN WINNER

Head coach Jamie Trachsel returns to the Women’s College World Series with her second team, after previously taking Minnesota to the event in 2019. A prolific winner at North Dakota State, Iowa State and Minnesota before coming to Ole Miss, Trachsel joins a select group of coaches to ever bring multiple programs to the Women’s College World Series, joining Gayle Blevins (Indiana, Iowa), Joyce Compton (Missouri, South Carolina), Jo Evans (Utah, Texas A&M), Yvette Girouard (Louisiana, LSU), Lu Harris-Champer (Southern Miss, Georgia), Clint Myers (Arizona State, Auburn), Mike White (Oregon, Texas) and Teresa Wilson (Oregon, Washington).

RECORDS BROKEN

The Ole Miss Rebels recorded a monumental achievement, when the NFCA announced their All-South Region honorees. Ole Miss finished with a program-high six, smashing the old record of three.

First Team – Lexie Brady (Catcher) & Jaden Pone (Outfield)
Second Team – Miali Guachino (Pitcher), Persy Llamas (First Base) & Aliyah Binford (Pitcher/Utility)
Third Team – Mackenzie Pickens (Second Base)

Brady and Pone gave the Rebels multiple First Team honorees in a season for the first time in program history. The duo become the sixth and seventh First Team honorees, joining Tate Whitely (2023), Kylan Becker (2019), Elantra Cox (2017 & 2016), RT Cantillo (2014) and Lauren Grill (2010 & 2008).

Additionally, three Rebel freshmen took home honors, also setting a program-high. Llamas joins Amanda Fine (1997) as the only freshmen to earn both All-SEC and All-Region honors in the same season.

AMONG THE SEC’S BEST

Ole Miss made history following the conclusion of the regular season as three players took home All-SEC selections.

Leading the charge was outfielder Jaden Pone, who thanks to winning the SEC batting title (conference play only) with a .427 batting average, took home All-SEC First Team and SEC All-Defensive Team honors in left field. Pone became just the second Rebel in program history to earn a first team honor, joining two-time winner Kylan Becker. Additionally, she became the first All-Defensive Team honoree since Tate Whitley in 2023 and the fourth in program history since its inception.

Joining Pone as first-time honorees were Lexie Brady and Persy Llamas, who each took home All-SEC Second Team honors. Llamas becomes the first Rebel freshman to earn All-SEC First or Second Team honors since Amanda Fine in the program’s first year of 1997.

As a unit, the Rebels had three players tabbed to the first or second team, which marks the most honorees in program history.

SETTING THE MARK

The Rebels have jumped back into the national spotlight this season behind a historic campaign, as the team has already broken a number offensive program records.

Ole Miss has already set several offensive single-season highs, with 67 home runs, smashing 2023’s old record of 49. Additionally, the Rebels have beaten the old program high in RBI with 325 on the season, passing 2022’s (286). The Rebels also have moved past the all-time total bases record of 677 in 2017 with 796 and counting this season. The Rebels have passed the single-season runs record with 356, breaking the old mark of 318 (2017). Finally, the Rebels have a new single season doubles record of 87, breaking 2022’s mark of 84. Further records are still in play including:

Single-Season Batting Average: .309 (2015) – Currently .306
Single-Season Hits: 495 (2017) – Currently 490

The Rebels are also set the program record for strikeouts in the circle, with 376. The old program record of 360 was set in 2019.

BRADY BOMBS

Perhaps the most critical bat for the Rebels is the veteran Lexie Brady, who brings a powerful bat to the middle of the lineup. Brady launched 13 home runs and 35 RBI in her breakout junior campaign and has surged to even new heights in 2025.

The power surge has been constant for Brady, who is hitting .340 with a career-high 17 home runs and 50 RBI. After starting the season 0-11 at Florida Atlantic, Brady has surged to a .366 batting average in the 50 games since and has 16 home runs in her last 48 games.

Brady continues to pound the ball at the plate and has at least one extra-base hit in 23 of her last 47 games played. Her 17 home runs are the most by any Rebel in program history, breaking a record that stood since 2003 (DeDe Justice). Brady also made added history with 6 RBI in game one against No. 23 Georgia, matching the Ole Miss single game record.

ALL EYES ON ALIYAH

Two-way star Aliyah Binford joins the Rebels for her final season of eligibility after a standout career in the circle and at the plate at Baylor and has generated talk since arriving in Oxford. Binford is hitting .328 with 14 doubles, three triples, 12 home runs, 55 RBI and slugging .615, while also holding an 11-3 record and 3.58 ERA through 27 appearances in the circle.

Her efforts in the circle have caught national attention and placed her in the Ole Miss record books after being named the SEC Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 3. Binford delivered back-to-back complete games that week, beginning with a one-hitter against Nicholls and ending the week with the program’s first solo no-hitter since 2014 in a win over Murray State. Her power surge against Arizona and brilliant pitching vs. Arkansas helped lead the Rebels to the Women’s College World Series. Binford added her name to the record books again by setting the single season program record for RBI with 55.

A STAR IS BORN

Freshman Miali Guachino has burst onto the scene as one of the top freshman pitchers in the nation and an early candidate for national freshman of the year. The Pala, Calif., native has wasted little time in becoming a star, as she broke the Rebels single-game strikeout record with 19 at Southern Miss, shattering the old record of 15. She followed that up with her first collegiate no-hitter against Samford and SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors on Mar. 18.

Guachino enters the NCAA Super Regional at 16-11 with a 3.44 ERA (146.2 IP) and has struck out 172 batters, which is fourth in the SEC and ranks 30th in the nation. Guachino has tallied 11 complete games, six solo shutouts and has four performances with 10 or more strikeouts.

FRESHMAN SENSATION

Persy Llamas has been a revelation in her first season in Oxford, from the moment she stepped on a field. From her very first collegiate at-bat, where she hit a pinch hit three-run home run to take the lead in a 3-2 win over No. 25 Clemson to a three-run blast to power the Rebels past No. 4 Florida in the SEC Tournament, Llamas ranks second on the Rebels in total RBI (53) and has proven to be a highly capable batter at first base.

In fact, her 53 RBI rank third on the Rebels all-time single season chart and are the most by a Rebel freshman in program history.

Clutch play from Llamas has continued in SEC play, as the freshman hit a go-ahead, solo home run to power the Rebels past Missouri in game two and clinch the series. As a result, Llamas was named the SEC’s Co-Freshman of the Week on Apr. 1.

Llamas opened her collegiate career with 81 at-bats without a strikeout, good for the most by a Rebel since Hailey Lunderman in 2016 and remains one of the most difficult to strikeout in the nation.

MACK ATTACK

Freshman infielder Mackenzie Pickens recorded a breakout performance en route to SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 24. Pickens hit .600 over four games at the Rocket City Softball Showcase, tallying a home run, a double, six RBI and two stolen bases.

The Flowery Branch, Ga., native has adjusted to the college game quickly, hitting .333 with eight home runs and 37 RBI, while becoming the first SEC Freshman of the Week from Ole Miss since Blaise Biringer in 2021.

Her biggest moment yet came during the second round of the SEC Tournament, when she blasted a three-run, go-ahead home run in the eighth inning to take down No. 4 Florida and advance to the quarterfinal. She added a two-run blast in the regional final game vs. No. 12 Arizona.

SCOUTING TEXAS TECH

Head coach Gerry Glasco has made his first season in Lubbock count, leading the Red Raiders to the Women’s College World Series for the first time in program history after a 50-12 season where they won the Big 12 tournament title.

When talking about the Red Raiders, the first name brought up is the two-way sensation, national player of the year finalist and 2025 NFCA Pitcher of the Year NiJaree Canady. One of the most dominant pitchers in the nation, Canady went 30-5 with a 0.89 ERA over 205.0 innings pitched, striking out a staggering 279.

Canady is no slouch at the plate, hitting .312 with 11 home runs and 34 RBI and leads the team in home runs.

Fellow first year transfer Lauren Allred is one of the key leaders of the offense, hitting .365 with nine home runs, 22 extra-base hits and 53 RBI. Another player to follow Coach Glasco from Louisiana was Mihyia Davis has also shined, hitting .386 with 21 extra-base hits and 26 RBI.

Behind Canady in the bullpen, the Raiders have seen strong form from yet another former Ragin’ Cajun in Chloe Riassetto, who is 8-3 with 2.17 ERA over 96.2 innings pitched. However, Canady sees more than half of her team’s innings and has seen most of the action in the postseason.

The Red Raiders have made history in 2025, winning the first regional title in program history and first super regional title in program history to get to this stage for the first time.

(Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics)