The University of Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Hosts Austin Peay State in 1999 Home Opener
6/21/1999 | Baseball
February 15, 1999
OXFORD, Miss. - After beginning its 1999 season on the road this past weekend, the Ole Miss Rebels return home to Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field on Tuesday, Feb. 16 to host Austin Peay State. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m.
The Rebels (1-2) dropped two of three games to the No. 25 nationally-ranked Baylor Bears last weekend, but Ole Miss head coach Pat Harrison saw a lot of positives come out of the three-game series.
"I was pleased with a lot of things we did this weekend," said Harrison, who is in his third season at the helm of the program. "We hit the ball really well, and we played outstanding defense. Our young pitchers learned a lot, and, while our veterans showed some jitters in the early going, they had some solid performances on the mound for us as well.
"We wanted to win at least two out of three games, but we did a lot of positive things that we can build on for this season."
The sophomore duo of Robert Shelton and John Massey powered the Ole Miss offense over the weekend versus the Baylor Bears. Massey went 6-for-9 at the plate in the Rebels' first two games, including a three-home run performance in Ole Miss' season-opening victory on Friday. Shelton went 4-for-5 and hit a grand slam in final game of the series on Sunday. He also hit a home run in Saturday's contest. Jeff McAvoy (1-0) picked up the victory for the Rebels in the first game.
Senior lefthander Chad Mead will start for the Rebels in Tuesday's game versus Austin Peay State. McAvoy will also see some work on the mound for Ole Miss on Tuesday.
The game will be the 1999 season opener for the Austin Peay State Governors, who finished the 1998 campaign with a 23-32 overall record. The Governors were 9-15 in Ohio Valley Conference play last season. Junior Greg Troy returns to lead the Austin Peay State offense. Last year, Troy led the squad with a .358 average. Senior catcher Mike Frey also returns with his .301 batting average. Senior lefthander George Sherrill is the Governors' top returnee on the mound, as he posted a team-low 4.92 ERA last season. He had a 3-7 record along with a team-high eight saves.
Last year, Austin Peay State defeated the Rebels, 15-4 in Oxford. Following Tuesday's game, the Rebels will travel to New Orleans Feb. 19-21 to participate in the Winn-Dixie Showdown. Ole Miss will meet Tulane on Feb. 19, New Orleans on Feb. 20 and LSU on Feb. 21.
