Persy Llamas makes name for herself at Ole Miss

Whenever Freddy and Maria Llamas could not get to Oxford, Miss., to watch their daughter Persy Llamas play a weekend series this season, they did the second best thing. They held a carne asada and threw a watch party to cheer for the Ole Miss softball team in either Eastvale, Calif., or in nearby Jurupa Valley.

One day Freddy and Maria Llamas held the carne asada. The next day Persy’s godmother Claudia would host the family for a carne asada to watch Persy. This weekend the carne asada will be held without them. Freddy and Maria will watch Ole Miss in person at the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City.

Persy Llamas, Ole Miss’ slugging first baseman, is an only child. Her support group is big, though, considering her mom is the second youngest of seven siblings. In large Mexican families, even kids with no siblings are hardly ever “only children.” 

Historic run for Ole Miss

Persy Llamas was named Priscilla at the hospital. The name didn’t stick. While the family gathered for a carne asada one day when Persy was a baby, her Tia (aunt) Claudia declared, “I don’t like to call her Priscilla. She’s Persy.”

Claudia was given the honor of serving as Persy’s baptismal godmother. She clearly had the clout to rename the little girl who has made a name for herself this season as one of the best freshmen in the Southeastern Conference.

After growing up in a large, tight extended family, Persy’s move to Oxford has been an adjustment for the entire family. Persy Llamas had grown accustomed to having many relatives in the stands at her high school and travel ball games.

Her maternal grandfather Isidro Perez hardly ever missed her games. He doesn’t like to travel via plane, though, so he didn’t see her play in person until the Rebels upset Arizona in the NCAA Regional two weeks ago.

She hit three homers during that Regional in front of her grandpa. Llamas, 19, homered in the clinching game against Arizona in front of her grandpa. Hitting cleanup a weekend later, Llamas helped the No. 17 Rebels upset No 4 Arkansas in the winner-take-all Game 3 of the Super Regionals to earn Ole Miss’ first WCWS berth.

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Persy is hitting .355 with 10 home runs, 10 doubles and 53 RBIs. The 5-foot-6 freshman is second on the team in RBIs and third in home runs. The Rebels will face No. 12 Texas Tech on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Devon Park.

“I’m so excited,” Persy Llamas says. “It’s like a dream come true for me. Just getting here has been a big dream of mine. So just being here, I’m very grateful for it.”

Underdog run

The Rebels have been on the ultimate run of upsets. Seven of the teams in the field of eight in the double-elimination tournament earned one of the 16 national seeds that began the NCAA Tournament. Ole Miss is the one exception, but they’ve persevered while eliminating No. 12 Arizona in the NCAA Regional and then No. 4 Arkansas in the Super Regionals.

Llamas hit two home runs, including a monster three-run bomb to right-center field, to send Ole Miss to the Regional final out of the winner’s bracket. She added another home run a day later in the winner-take-all second championship game against Arizona.

PERSY LLAMAS DOES IT AGAIN 🤯@persyllamas | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/9ea7IVxmkh

— Ole Miss Softball (@OleMissSoftball) May 17, 2025

Adjusting to major Division I softball has been a lot easier for Llamas than being away from her close knit family.

“It has been tough not having her at home,” Maria Llamas says of her daughter. “Since she left we have been able to travel once or twice a month, so we are seeing her often, and that helps.

“It’s just the family gatherings, trips and just being around each other that is the most sad. I got to admit, FaceTime has been so effective and helpful as well. We talk four-five times a day and text all the time. With her dad it’s all about softball talks. And with mom it’s everything else.”

With roots in Sinaloa and San Luis Potosí, Mexico, Persy Llamas grew up in Southern California’s inland empire. Freddy Llamas grew up in South Central Los Angeles. Maria Llamas grew up in South Gate and attended Los Angeles Jordan High in Watts. 

Wanting to give their daughter a better life away from gangs, Freddy and Maria moved to Eastvale. Both sides of the family were diehard fans of their hometown Dodgers.

Maria played basketball in high school. Freddy played in adult basketball leagues while in high school. Persy loved sports from a very young age. With most other kids played with toys, Persy wanted to play only with baseballs, soccer balls, basketballs when she was 3 years old.

Persy began playing youth basketball at 5 years old. Ultimately, though, the call toward softball was too strong.

“Boy was she good (at basketball),” Maria says of Persy. ”But after a few months, she just told her dad she didn’t want to play basketball. She wanted to pitch and play baseball. It all began there, and here we are years later.”

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