Junior college transfer Kaitlin Lee is the Rebels’ top pitcher at 15-9 with a 2.02 ERA. (Ole Miss Athletics) By Parrish Alford Daily Journal OXFORD – Sometimes the most difficult part of the performance is the encore. Ole Miss, in its second softball season under coach Mike Smith, reached the NCAA tournament last year for the first time. The Rebels this season were faced with the challenge of continuing and building on that success, a 2016 season that including 41 wins and a second-place finish in a road regional at eventual national champion Oklahoma. The encore would have to come without last year’s top pitcher, senior Madi Osias, and the sudden decision of infielder Hailey Lunderman to give up softball.