‘The Moment’s Not Too Big:’ Ole Miss Softball Looks to Bounce Back After Tight WCWS Opener
OKLAHOMA CITY — It has taken almost three decades for Ole Miss softball to reach the Women’s College World Series for the first time. Although the Rebels suffered a narrow loss to start the WCWS, that will not shake this team—not on this stage.
In a hard-fought opener Thursday night at Devon Park, the Rebels dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to Texas Tech, sending them into the elimination bracket where they’ll meet Oregon tonight.
It was a pitcher’s duel from the start, and in her WCWS debut, Ole Miss right-hander Aliyah Binford rose to the moment. She stood tall against the sport’s most dominant pitcher, Nijaree Canady, holding the Red Raiders scoreless in five of six innings. The only blemish came in the fourth, when Tech scratched out three of their four hits and pushed across the game’s lone run.
Head coach Jamie Trachsel had nothing but praise for her starter:
“I think that allows her to stay in her space. She did an incredible job. We thought it was a great match-up,” Trachsel said. “She came off a tremendous performance against Arkansas in that championship game. I mean, we ran into an elite pitcher, if not the best pitcher in our game.”
Offense Held Quiet—But Not Concerned
While the Rebels were held hitless for the first five frames, Coach Trachsel wasn’t hitting the panic button. Ole Miss brought serious firepower in the Super Regional against Arkansas, and she believes that momentum is still alive.
“We’ll watch film and make adjustments on some of the chase that we probably had,” Trachsel said after the loss to Tech. “But I think that had as much to do with NiJa as maybe just the environment too.”
Despite the pressure and magnitude of the moment, Trachsel praised her players for handling the environment with composure. “I’m proud of our kids for handling this,” she said postgame.
Resilience Is Nothing New for the Rebels
This team isn’t new to adversity. The Rebels took the road less traveled to get to Oklahoma City—winning in hostile territory at both Tucson and Fayetteville as an unseeded squad. They’ve faced down top competition and leaned into the underdog role.
Now, they’re rewriting that narrative.
“We’ve won the same amount of games as every team has here. We beat Arkansas four out of six times,” Binford said.
“The moment is not going to be too big for us. We have a short memory. We’re going to come back tomorrow and do the same thing. We’re going to play.”
Aliyah Binford
That confidence was evident even as Ole Miss took the field Thursday night, with Persy Llamas flashing her defensive instincts early by forcing out Texas Tech’s Hailey Toney at first base in the opening frame.
Ready for any opponent
They’re playing Oregon next, but the Rebels really didn’t care who they play next: they aren’t Rebels flinching. They’ve already shown they can handle unfamiliar postseason matchups—just ask Arizona.
“Watch film, look at some of the data that we have, if we have any of that. Watch them tonight. Probably same thing as Arizona,” said Trachsel after the loss to Texas Tech. “I think drawing on our experience. We had to go out West for post-season and go to players we haven’t played all year. So drawing on that too, just someone we haven’t seen.”
Eyes on the Prize
The Rebels return to the diamond Friday at 8:30 p.m. CT with their season on the line—but with the same mindset that’s gotten them here: grit, belief, and a refusal to back down.
The moment isn’t too big.
This team’s just getting started.
Ole Miss softball (42-20) fell to No. 12 Texas Tech (50-12) in game one of the Women’s College World Series and will face Oregon in an elimination game Friday, May 30.
Rebs After Dark in OKC 🌙
📊 – https://t.co/Li0DnhlTgh
📺 – https://t.co/343XtsPbiy pic.twitter.com/AlQt1O5u7W— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) May 30, 2025
A look at the Ducks
The Ducks (53-9) gave up two runs in the seventh inning to lose 4-2 over UCLA on May 29. Oregon won its Eugene Regional by beating Stanford twice on the final day of the tournament. The Ducks then hosted Liberty in Super Regions, sweeping the Flames 3-2 and 13-1.
Pitching: The Oregon ace is Lindsey Grein, who is 29-2 this season with an ERA of 2.10. The Ducks also look to
Lindsey Grein is the Oregon ace, as she has posted an amazing 29-2 mark this season with a 2.10 earned run average. The Ducks also look to Elise Sokolsky, who sits at 17-5 with an ERA of 2.08. Against UCLA Thursday, it was Grein who pitched for five innings, giving up five hits and two earned runs. Sokolsky came in for her and pitched the final two innings, giving up two runs on two hits in the loss.
Batting: Six Oregon players are hitting over .300, with senior outfielder Kedre Luschar posting a .443 average. Her sister, Kai Luschar, is hitting at a .414 clip. Infielder Rylee McCoy leads the Ducks with 19 home runs. She’s hitting .391 this season.
Next Up
Ole Miss plays No. 16-seed Oregon Friday, May 30 at 8:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
SCHEDULE FOR WCWS GAMES
All times Central Time; All games played at Devon Park in Oklahoma City
Scores from Thursday, May 29
- Game 1: Texas 3, Florida 0
- Game 2: Oklahoma 4, Tennessee 3
- Game 3: Texas Tech 1, Ole Miss 0
- Game 4: UCLA 4, Oregon 2
Friday, May 30
- Game 5: Florida vs. Tennessee, 5 p.m., ESPN
- Game 6: Ole Miss vs. Oregon, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Saturday, May 31
- Game 7: Texas vs. Oklahoma, 1 p.m., ABC
- Game 8: Texas Tech vs. UCLA, 5 p.m., ESPN
WCWS finals
- Game 1 (June 4): 6 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 2 (June 5): 6 p.m. on ESPN
- Game 3 (June 6) (if necessary): 6 p.m. on ESPN
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception. Email Evie at: Evie@TheRebelWalk.com
