Jackson Free Press

JACKSON — This softball season has been one of the best, if not the best, for the University of Mississippi. The Rebels' latest historic moment happened last week when the team won its first SEC Softball Tournament Game in the school's history.

Already this season, these Rebels have set a school record for wins at 39, which topped the previous highs of 30 wins in 2005 and 2015. This team also tied a school record for most SEC wins with 11 and has its first 20-game winner in pitcher Madi Osias.

This UM team is the third youngest in the nation, with six freshmen and seven sophomores on the 24-player roster. It was part of that youth movement that has helped the Rebels reach historic feats. Freshman shortstop Hailey Lunderman, who has been a force on the field on defense and at the plate, has been outstanding for the Rebels.

The Philadelphia, Miss., native was a standout at Neshoba Central High School before taking her talents to Oxford. She helped her high-school teams to three straight 5A State Championships, and the Rockets had a 94-9 total record over those championship seasons.

Lunderman earned the titles of MaxPreps' 2015 Second-Team All-American and 2015 Mississippi Female Athlete of the Year. She was also all-state three times in 2013, 2014 and 2015, a Dandy Dozen player in 2014, the 5A Softball Player of the Year in 2013 and all-division four times in 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

After playing 130 games at Neshoba Central, Lunderman finished her high-school career with a .578 batting average, 245 hits, 31 doubles, 21 triples, 11 home runs, 109 RBI, .628 on-base percentage, 94 stolen bases and 213 runs scored.

During high school, she also played basketball and received an invite to the People to People World Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C. Top softball skills run in Lunderman's family, as her grandfather, Tuffy Lunderman, was inducted into the South Dakota Amateur Softball Association Fastpitch Hall of Fame.

In her first season for the Rebels, Lunderman batted .378, a team high, while being the only player on her squad to play in every game this season. She led the team with a school-record 73 hits, 24 multi-hit games and six doubles, and she was second in runs scored with 40.

Lunderman only struck out seven times during her team-high 188 at-bats. She is also 19-for-22 in stolen bases and has driven in 16 runs.

In the SEC Tournament, Lunderman went three-for-five at the plate in the Rebels 4-2 win over the University of Georgia Bulldogs. It was the first postseason win in school history.

When the SEC announced the conference's postseason awards and teams, Lunderman was the only Rebel to earn any honors, earning a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team.

Her skills on the field are getting national attention, as well. She is one of four players from the SEC to be a top-10 finalist for the Schutt Sports/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I National Freshman of the Year this year.

On Wednesday, May 25, the NFCA will pair the list down to just three finalists, and on Tuesday, May 31, the organization will announce the winner.

Thanks to Lunderman's playing this year, the Rebels earned their first bid into the NCAA Softball Tournament. The team earned a spot in the Norman Regional with the University of Oklahoma, Wichita State University and the University of Tulsa.

Lunderman and her teammates will face Tulsa in their first NCAA Tournament game, which will air Friday, May 20, at 5:30 p.m. on ESPN3. The winner of this game will take on the winner of the Oklahoma and Wichita State matchup, and the losers of both games will face off in an elimination game on Saturday.