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Led by a talented senior class and boosted by an impact transfer, the Ole Miss Rebel softball squad enters the 2010 season with a barrel of experience and some lofty goals for the upcoming year.

"This senior class knew that they were the future of Ole Miss," said Rebel head coach Missy Dickerson. "Coming into their final season, I know they want to leave a legacy at Ole Miss and in the SEC. They've already accomplished so many things, but I think that it's important for them to accomplish two more things while they are here. The first is to have a winning season, which they've been so close to the last three years, and the other is to reach the NCAA Tournament. Those are the two huge goals that they want for this program and their legacy, so I don’t think that they will settle for anything less."

In her fifth season at Ole Miss, Dickerson will coach a veteran-laden team that returns all three pitchers and all but one position starter from last year's squad. An experienced senior class is headlined by a pair of record setters in Lauren Grill and Becky Nye. Grill, a 2008 NFCA first team All-American, is the Ole Miss career leader in batting and ranks second in school history in both home runs and RBI, while Nye ranks in the top three in Ole Miss history in wins, strikeouts and innings pitched. The duo is joined by fellow seniors Alise Doubt, Ashley Dowdy, Courtnie Ghinaudo, Alyssa McGovern and Amber Tramp.

In addition to returning 11 players that started at least one game last season, the Rebels received a huge boost this past off-season when All-Big 12 pitcher Brittany Barnhill decided to transfer to Ole Miss from Texas. A two-way player, Barnhill led the Longhorns with 26 wins last season en route to first team All-Big 12 honors as a pitcher. At the plate, the Rhome, Texas, native blasted eight home runs and knocked in 26 runs a year ago and helped lead Texas to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in her two years in Austin.

"Anytime you can add a player of Brittany's caliber to your team, it can only make your program better," Dickerson said. "I think that her experience will be equal to our seniors, and that says a lot about her as an individual and a pitcher. I think that her abilities compliment our pitching staff tremendously. We are looking for her to be a presence out there on the mound."

Barnhill isn't the only new face around the program, as former All-American Megan Matthews Buning has joined the staff as pitching coach. After serving as an assistant at Florida State and associate head coach at Coastal Carolina, Matthews Buning is back in the SEC where she was a standout pitcher at South Carolina.

With such an experienced team, the Rebels know what it will take to reach their goals this season. The veteran players have the experience to compete against the top teams in the country. That experience is expected carry over to the younger players and lead the Rebels to new heights this season.