Jamie Trachsel emphasizes need to control emotions during NCAA Tournament

Ole Miss has been sent to Lafayette for the NCAA Tournament, hoping to make it through to the program’s first Super Regional since 2019 and just third all-time. Head coach Jamie Tracshel is hoping experience can play a huge role for the Rebels after going through a tough SEC schedule.

Some of the players are going to be excited about playing on softball’s biggest stage and rightfully so. Going through this game can bring out emotion and have teams playing out of character. Trachsel believes if Ole Miss is going to have success, those emotions need to be controlled, with the Rebels just playing their normal game.

“The game never changes,” Trachsel said. “It’s always a game of execution. You just have to harness control and redirect the emotions that come with playing on stage in a regional tournament. So, if we’re looking at consistent execution, looking at we’ve done — it’s been good enough against some high-level competition.

“We’re not trying to be someone we’re not, we’ve prove that that’s good enough. I think it’s just really managing and harnessing emotions, the adrenaline, the excitement, the nerves that come with playing in a regional tournament.”

Playing in the SEC gives you plenty of opportunities to play in front of crazy crowds. Every single team in the conference wound up making the NCAA Tournament. There were no easy weekends for the Rebels — or anybody in the SEC — this season.

Trachsel will remind her players of those experiences, mainly on the road. Ole Miss had to overcome some tough atmospheres during conference play and now faces something similar in Lafayette.

“I think we’ll draw on our experiences of being at LSU and playing in front of a sold-out crowd,” Trachsel said. “Texas A&M, Alabama, Arkansas. We’ll draw on all those experiences. But the game doesn’t change and how we’ve been playing is going to put us in position to be in every single game.”

From a record standpoint, Ole Miss was a better team on the road than in Oxford. They finished one game above .500, including a series win against Arkansas to close out the regular season.

Having similar results will be how the Rebels continue to advance in the NCAA Tournament. Trachsel’s comments came before play began but they already have a loss to Baylor. Her sentiment about keeping emotions separate will mean more than ever in Saturday’s elimination game.