Friday will mark the Ole Miss Rebels softball program’s 10th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. That’s really an amazing feat, if you can remember back to the early 20-teens.
The Rebels will do battle with Boston University today at 1 p.m. CT. The game can be watched live on ESPNU.
Boston, we expect, will throw ace hurler Kasey Ricard. Ricard owns a super-impressive record of 32-6, with a 2.81 earned run average over 234.1 innings of work. She has struck out 230 and walked 61 this season. She also has three saves to her credit.
The Rebels will likely counter with senior right-hander Emilee Boyer (12-13, 3.68 ERA), who has anchored the Ole Miss pitching staff, especially down the stretch. She has tallied 145 strikeouts to rank ninth in the single-season record books at Ole Miss.
The stat line may may this pitching matchup look rather lopsided, but Boyer’s numbers come from an SEC schedule, while Ricard’s do not.
Other pitching possibilities today for Ole Miss include Kyra Aycock (13-9, 3.97 ERA) and Lilly Whitten (8-1, 3,04 ERA). It could be either that draws the start, depending on the tournament strategy head coach Jamie Trachsel and pitching coach Nancy Evans decide to employ.
Ricard will also face an Ole Miss lineup that set a new school record with 79 home runs, powering an explosive offense that ranks in the top-25 nationally in the long ball under the direction of hitting coach Bobby Buchanan, one of the nation’s best.
Cassie Reasner
The Rebels put forward a 3-4-5 spot in their batting order featuring AFPCA all-district selections Persy Llamas, Madi George and Cassie Reasner. Llamas is hitting .374 with nine home runs, George is batting .385 with 21 homers, while Reasner brings a .348 average with 11 round-trippers.
Boston University is led at the plate by slugging, junior outfielder Kylie Doherty. She owns team highs in batting average (.396), hits (74), doubles (12), home runs (26) and runs-batted-in (88).
LUBBOCK REGIONAL
Friday’s Games
Boston University (46-13) vs. Ole Miss (34-24), 1 p.m. CT, ESPNU
Marist (37-19) vs. Texas Tech (52-6), 3:30 p.m. CT, ESPN+
SCOUTING BOSTON
The champions of the Patriot League for the fourth consecutive season, the Boston University Terriers enter the NCAA Tournament as a dangerous three seed. Head coach Ashley Waters has built a northeast powerhouse in her 11th season at the helm.
The Terriers are led by one of the top pitchers in the nation in senior Kasey Ricard. Ricard leads the nation in innings pitched, victories, starts and appearances and is a sterling 32-6 with a 2.81 ERA and 230 strikeouts.
Offensively, the fortunes of the Terriers have largely rested on the shoulders of junior Kylie Doherty. Doherty is hitting a blistering .396 with 26 home runs and 88 RBI, while adding 33 walks. Senior Megan Coyle has added 12 home runs, while fellow senior Brooke Deppiesse is hitting .375 with six home runs and 46 RBI.