The Ole Miss softball team will participate in the Ragin’ Cajuns Invitational this week, with games scheduled from Thursday through Saturday on the University of Louisiana campus in Lafayette. The Rebels, currently holding a 3-2 record, begin the tournament with a doubleheader against McNeese on Thursday. They will then face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Friday morning before playing two consecutive games against the host team, Louisiana, on Friday and Saturday.
Saturday’s matchup will be available for streaming via ESPN Plus. Tickets for Thursday’s doubleheader are priced at $5 and can be purchased using cash or Venmo.
Ole Miss enters the season with a roster featuring 16 newcomers, including 10 transfers and six freshmen. Among the new additions are Emilee Boyer, last year’s Division II National Player of the Year from West Texas A&M; Hope Jenkins, an All-Big East honoree from UConn; and Cassie Reasner, who previously played shortstop at Kentucky. Reasner has started strong this season, hitting .429 with two home runs and 10 RBIs at the Easton Classic.
Returning players include Persy Llamas and Mackenzie Pickens, both NFCA All-South Region honorees after standout freshman seasons in 2025. Llamas was named to the All-SEC Preseason Team before this season began. At the Easton Classic, Llamas hit .556 with a home run and seven RBIs while Pickens posted a .429 average with one home run and three RBIs. The team scored 40 runs over its first five games—a program record for that span.
Head coach Jamie Trachsel leads Ole Miss into a new campaign following last year’s historic run to their first Women’s College World Series appearance. “The season will honor the achievements of last season, while turning the page with a group of 16 newcomers to lead a remade roster,” according to Ole Miss officials. “Coach Trachsel and the Rebels have commanded the respect of their peers after last season, earning a consensus top-25 ranking across all four major preseason polls heading into the new campaign.”
Persy Llamas returns as an offensive leader after hitting .354 with 10 home runs and tying for an Ole Miss single-season RBI record last year. She also earned recognition on multiple preseason lists: “Llamas was recently tabbed to the All-SEC Preseason Team, as well as earning a top-100 player and top-10 player at first base nod from Softball America this offseason.” Through five games this year she is batting .556.
The Rebels continue their tradition of developing two-way players under Coach Trachsel. Emilee Boyer joins after excelling both as pitcher and hitter at West Texas A&M—posting a 69-10 pitching record alongside strong offensive numbers—and Hope Jenkins brings similar experience from UConn.
Mackenzie Pickens is expected to play an expanded role after earning NFCA All-South Region Third Team honors in her debut season last year.
This year’s transfer class includes several key contributors such as Boyer; Reasner; Laylonna Applin (Angelo State); Kyra Aycock (Oklahoma State); Makenna Bellaire (Florida); Kennedy Bunker (Fresno State); Hope Jenkins (UConn); Liesl Osteen (UCLA); Cassidy Patterson (Nova Southeastern); Sydney Shiller (Texas Tech); and Lilly Whitten (Missouri).
Three transfers arrive from Division II programs: Boyer; Applin—who was recognized as an NFCA First Team All-American at Angelo State; and Patterson—a prolific base stealer who won national awards during her junior college career before moving up to Nova Southeastern.
McNeese enters Thursday’s game under head coach James Landreneau following four straight seasons with at least 40 wins. Their lineup features sophomore Maddie Taylor (.538 average) and Arkansas transfer Rylee Cloud (.500 average). The pitching staff returns key arms from last year.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is led by new head coach Mark Montgomery following a challenging previous season. Seniors Mimi Thornton (.429) and Skylar Heger (.385) lead their offense so far this year.
Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns are in their second season under Alyson Habetz after finishing 29-25 last year. Their offense has started strong behind redshirt freshman Lily Cox (.500), Haley Hart (.545), and Alabama transfer Kennedy Marceaux (.400). Pitching has been less consistent early in the season but Julianne Tipton stands out with a 1.40 ERA through three appearances.
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