The SEC softball tournament opened with a major upset Wednesday night, as the Ole Miss Rebels knocked off the Tennessee Lady Vols 4-1 in Kentucky.
The 13-seed Rebels now advance to the SEC quarterfinals after eliminating fifth-seeded Tennessee in the Lady Vols' first 2026 tournament matchup.
“When you lose a softball game like we did today, pretty much everything that adds up to a loss was there,” Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly said after the loss.
“We missed opportunities when we had runners in scoring position. We didn’t make plays when we needed to keep them from scoring. And then we allowed too many free passes.”
Tennessee grabbed an early lead in the second inning, after Ella Morrison scored off an RBI singe from Bella Faw. The run briefly put the Lady Vols ahead 1-0.
“I was just looking to attack the zone,” Faw said. “Coach said that postseason is an opportunity to start over, start fresh and just play free.”
However, that would be Tennessee's only run of the night.
Ole Miss responded in the fourth inning after capitalizing on a Tennessee error. That error led to two unearned runs and a 2-1 lead. The Rebels added insurance in the fifth when Maddi George delivered a two-run single to stretch the advantage to three.
The Lady Vols created chances throughout the game but struggled to convert, stranding eight runners on base.
Tennessee ace Sage Mardjetko took the loss after allowing two unearned runs over 3.2 innings, while hurler Karlyn Pickens took over for the final 3.1 innings.
Kyra Aycock earned the win for Ole Miss, allowing one run across four innings before Emilee Boyer secured the save.
How to Watch the 2026 SEC Softball Tournament
Ole Miss next faces defending champion Texas on Thursday at 5 PM ET, live on SEC Network.
