Hailey Lunderman, left, and Ashton Lampton bump in midair. Lunderman and Lampton may have played for rival schools in high school, but the two said they’ve bonded following their freshman year in Oxford.

Although several years have passed, Hailey Lunderman and Ashton Lampton still haven’t forgotten the two games that helped shape their rivalry on the softball diamond. 

The two effortlessly recalled the memories. 

During their sophomore high school seasons, Lampton’s Newton County High School team carried a 60-plus game win streak into its matchup against Lunderman’s Neshoba Central High School squad. 

Neshoba Central snapped the Lady Cougars’ win streak that year. 

“At that time, everybody wanted to beat Newton County,” Lunderman said. “They had won a lot of games. Our team felt like we could do it. We were really hyped up inside. We took one game from them.”

Two years later, Lampton and Newton County repaid the favor, this time, snapping a lengthy Neshoba Central win streak during their senior seasons. 

“We still joke about it,” Lampton said with a laugh.

Both players, now teammates, recently completed their freshman seasons as members of Ole Miss’ softball team, and both played integral roles in one of the Rebels’ most successful seasons to date.

According to Lampton, the transition from friendly rivals to teammates was easy.

“Coming in freshman year, with me knowing her, and with us being associated with each other, we both took to each other,” Lampton said. “We have a great friendship now, and I love Hailey Belle to death.”

Lunderman, a shortstop, scorched the Southeastern Conference circuit this season, accumulating a laundry list of honors and awards. She made 63 starts for Ole Miss and ended the year with a .371 batting average to go along with 43 runs, which tied for tops on the team. She was named to the SEC All-Freshman team and was a finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award. 

“I’m really excited about what I did, being able to come out as a freshman and start at shortstop and know that my coaches and teammates put a lot of faith in me,” Lunderman said. “Being able to come into that role in the SEC, one of the toughest conferences in Division 1 softball, and knowing that I’m able to compete at that level is just amazing.”

Like a good teammate and friend, Lampton has been there to give Lunderman a tough time through both the good and bad.  

During one of Ole Miss’ practice activities midway through the season where players fielded ground balls, Lunderman, who is known for being near automatic with her glove, missed a couple of attempts. Seizing the opportunity, Lampton jogged over to Lunderman to tease her about the mishap after Lunderman closely examined her glove upon missing the ball.

“(Hailey) looked at me and told me, ‘If this ever happens in a game, you come over here and you hit my glove and you tell it to do better,’” Lampton said. “The next game, something happened and the ball popped out or something, and (Hailey) looked at me and she stuck her hand out and said, ‘Come here, Ashton’. I actually went over there and hit her glove.”

Lampton played third base for Ole Miss and batted .306 in 62 games, starting 55.  Her 29 RBIs ranked second on the team. She also posted a .378 on-base percentage.  

“I love Ashton,” Lunderman said. “She’s just a really great person, and I like playing with her— I like being on the left side with her. I feel like we’re really strong on that side with her right there. I feel like she can play anywhere on the field, to be honest with you. She’s just an amazing player.”

While the two combined to propel Ole Miss to unprecedented heights this season, both hope their personal and team successes will help shift the spotlight to high school softball in east Mississippi. Ole Miss’ 41 wins this year was a school-best, and the Rebels appeared in their first-ever NCAA Tournament where they won their first-ever NCAA Tournament Regional contest. Ole Miss’ banner season ended with a 3-0 loss to Oklahoma in regionals this past Sunday.

“I hope that Ashton and I can sort of pave the way,” Lunderman said. “I hope people look and say, ‘Hey, these two are from the same general area and have been able to be successful in Division I. Maybe we should check out other kids from there and Mississippi.’”