Why former Seneca Valley softball star Lexie Hames transferred to Ole Miss: ‘Time for a change’
Lexie Hames won’t move to Oxford, Miss., for about another month.
That doesn’t mean the ex-Seneca Valley star softball pitcher hasn’t settled in with Ole Miss in other ways.
“I’m really excited to wear 44 again,” said Hames, referring to the jersey number she wore during her decorated Raiders career. “I finally get to put the numbers back on. ... I’m getting back in the blue and I’m getting back in the fours, so I feel a lot better in this environment already.”
Hames, a two-time Butler Eagle Female Athlete of the Year, announced last month she was transferring from Clemson, then chose the Rebels.
She donned No. 33 and made 16 appearances as a freshman for the Tigers last season, posting a 4.28 ERA and striking out 36 batters in 27.1 innings. She collected a pair of wins and a shutout, which came Feb. 20 against Lipscomb.
Hames started an NCAA Regional Tournament elimination game against the College of Charleston, completing four innings of two-hit work and allowing one run. She struck out six, as well, to help the Tigers win 3-1.
Along the way, she realized that she’d be happier elsewhere.
“It was just, personally, not for me,” Hames said. “It was a big difference just culturally, too, down there. ... It was just very different, and it’s not what I was expecting. You know how the recruiting process goes. You say a lot of great things.
“I just decided it was better for me and it was better for my mental health to get into a new environment.”
The adequate numbers she posted didn’t fully reflect the difficulties she faced. Pitching on that stage, Hames said she “blew up the moment 30 times more (than it needed to be).”
She added: “I grew up watching those girls on TV, from the start of freshman year. It’s just crazy because I watched these girls on TV, now you are the girl on TV. I think that was a pressure that I wasn’t ready to handle.”
Hames is looking forward to new coaching with the Rebels and pitching coach Nancy Evans, who holds the NCAA record with a .939 career winning percentage. Hames likes how Ole Miss focuses on mechanics and a pitcher’s foundation first before spin rates and their emphasis on video.
“I definitely think I was mentally tested last year, 100%,” Hames said. “I feel like I could honestly be prepared (going forward) for anything because I did not know some of the things that would come my way in college last year. It was definitely freshman year. It was just adjustment, and it was learning and it was seeing kind of where you fit in and how you work with the staff.
“That’s why the transfer portal’s there, because you get to learn all of that your freshman year, and if you don’t like that environment or you’re not successful in that environment ... then it’s time for a change.”
