Fastpitch Softball Notes

March 24, 1998

Rebels to host No. 15-ranked lsu this wekend: After playing 36 of its first 40 games away from Oxford this season, the Ole Miss fastpitch softball team will host its first homestand this weekend. The Rebels will play a pair of doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday against defending Southeastern Conference western division champion LSU. Both doubleheaders will begin at 1 p.m. (CST) at the new Rebel Softball Stadium, located next to the Women's Multi-Sport Complex on Hathorn Road.

Scouting the Tigers: Ranked No. 15 in the nation, LSU enters this weekend's series with a 30-4 record (3-0 SEC). The defending Southeastern Conference west division champion, the Tigers are off to a hot start in 1998 and are on a current six-game winning streak. As a team, LSU boasts a 1.14 earned-run average, led by Brandi Landry, who is 11-2 with a 0.96 ERA. Landry has given up only 20 runs this season in 15 appeances and 73.0 innings pitched. Sophia Mount is 7-0 with a 1.06 ERA while Sarah Knifechief is 9-2 with a 1.77 ERA. The Tigers, who are hitting .361 as a team, have four players batting over .400 led by sophomore Ashlee Ducote, who is hitting .439 with three home runs. LSU is also getting production from April Janzen (.434 BA, four home runs), Stephanie Hastings (.432 BA, 21 RBI, 12 SB), and Tara Asbill (.391 BA, 25 RBI, 24 SB).

Rebels to host Mississippi State Tuesday: After completing a four-game series with Louisiana State over the weekend, Ole Miss will wrap up a six-game homestand by hosting intrastate rival Mississippi State Tuesday at 5 p.m. The doubleheader will also be held at Rebel Softball Stadium. The Bulldogs head into the weekend with a 12-10 record (2-2 SEC) after splitting a series with Georgia over the weekend. MSU was scheduled to meet South Carolina, but the games were cancelled.

Head Coach Joyce Maudie: A three-time Coach of the Year recipient, Ole Miss head Joyce Maudie is in her second year at the helm of the Rebels fastpitch program. Maudie now owns a 214-236 won-loss slate in her 10th season as a head coach and a 39-64 slate as mentor of the Rebels. Maudie was named the 1991 WWIAC Coach of the Year at Wisconsin-Whitewater, 1992 North Atlantic Coach of the Year at Drexel, and 1995 Carolina's Conference Coach of the Year at Barton (N.C.) College.

Fastpitch program plays in 100th game: The Ole Miss fastpitch program, in only its second year of existence, played in its 100th game Saturday against Georgia. The Rebels defeated the Bulldogs 6-0 to boast a record of 39-61 in its first 100 contests.

Amanda Fine continues hot streak: Since returning from a separated shoulder, sophomore Amanda Fine (Brentwood, Tenn.) has been dominant both on the mound and at the plate for the Rebels. In Ole Miss' 6-0 win over Georgia, Fine pitched her third-straight shutout as a starting pitcher and she has not given up an earned run in her 28.2 innings. Fine went 2-1 last week did give up a run in 18.2 straight innings, with her complete-game shutouts over Delta State and Georgia and her five scoreless innings against South Carolina.

At the plate, Fine as been equally productive. After having a seven-game hit streak halted against Florida State, Fine has responded with a current five-game hit streak. In her last 14 games, Fine has hit successfully in 13 contest and now leads the team with a .338 batting average. Over that span, Fine is hitting .421 with 16 hits and five runs batted in.

Ceriani expected to return this weekend: After missing the last 16 games due to tendinitis in her bicep, junior pitcher Kari Ceriani (Vacaville, Calif.) is expected to return to the lineup for the Rebels. Ceriani, who is 2-5 with a 2.88 earned-run average, suffered the injury in Ole Miss' 3-2 victory in 11-innings over Robert Morris. Ceriani carried a perfect game into the fifth inning of that game and a no-hitter in the sixth, and eventually closed the door on the Colonials after a Rebel-record 10.2 innings outing for her second win of the season. Ceriani, a junior college All-America at Napa Valley C.C., earned her first win of the year by pitching a complete-game shutout in the Rebels 1-0 win over Georgia Tech back on Feb. 27.

Shklar on hit streak: Sophomore shortstop Mandy Shklar (Owasso, Okla.) has been on her tear over her last 10 games. Shklar is on a current seven-game hitting streak and has hit successfully in 10 of her last 12 games. After transferring from Tulsa, Shklar has started all but one game at shortstop for the Rebels and leads the team with 12 stolen bases (in 14 attempts). Last week, Shklar hit .357, had an on-base percentage of .438 and scored a Ole Miss career-high three runs against Delta State. Shklar was forced to sit out her first game of the season Sunday after suffering a laceration in her league in the first game of the doubleheader, but is expected to return this weekend. In her last nine starts, Shklar is .333 with nine hits, two doubles, six runs and five stolen bases.

Swain makes most of playing time: Senior infielder Christie Swain (Pevely, Mo.) sparingly saw any action in the Rebels first 13 games, but since then has worked her way into the lineup and has started 24 games, splitting time between third base, second base and shortstop. At the plate, Swain has come to life. After posting only one hit in her 15 games hitting, Swain has 11 hits in her last 11 games and is batting .333 over her last nine starts.

Working overtime: Just a little past the half-way point in the 1998 campaign, the Rebels have already played in five extra-inning games, eclipsing last year's total of three games. The Rebels set a record for the longest game in school history on March 7 when it took 11 innings before Ole Miss defeated Robert Morris 3-2. Ole Miss also went to nine-innings in a 12-5 loss to Middle Tennessee and eight innings with Tulsa before falling 5-4 on Feb. 13. The Rebels own extra-frame wins over Southwest Texas State (9-8, 10-innings) and Centenary (7-3, 8-innings).

The Rebels have a 5-3 all-time record in extra-innings contests, after playing in three extra-inning games last year.

Misc. Notes: The Rebels are 9-5 in one-run games this season and 3-4 in two-run games.... in games decided by five or more runs, the Rebels are 3-9... overall, Ole Miss has been outscored 153-108... the Rebels have only yielded seven runs in the seventh inning in 36 games and have scored 13 times in the final inning... Ole Miss had its longest win streak of the season with four-consecutive wins to start the FSU Invitational... Ole Miss is 15-15 in day games and 2-8 at night.

Record watch: Even though the Rebels are only at the half-way point in the season, they are quickly surpassing last year's totals and establishing new school records. In this, the second year of the program, Ole Miss has set or tied 17 records this season. Junior pitcher Kari Ceriani (Vacaville, Calif.) set a record with the longest outing by a Rebel pitcher with her 10.2 innings in the school's longest game a 3-2, 11-inning win over Robert Morris. Sophomore Allison Willrath (Yukon, Okla.) has drawn 16 base-on-balls this season, eclipsing Stephanie Vaglica's (Tampa, Fla.) total of 13 last year. Both Willrath and Vaglica set and tied a record with three walks in a single game. Sophomore Amanda Fine (Brentwood, Tenn.) tied a school record with four hits in a 2-1 win over Georgia State. Kaci Coffee (Broken Arrow, Okla.) tied a school record with four RBI in the Rebel's 10-2 win over Belmont. Sophomore Bobbi Wurth (Highland, Ill.) now holds the school record for saves (3) in a single season and in a career.

It's all academic: In only its second season of existence, the Ole Miss fastpitch softball program already has a number of academic accolades to its credit. When the grades for the 1997 fall semester was released, 11 of the 20 team members all earned a 3.0 grade-point average or higher. Four of those Rebels were named to the Chancellor's Honor Roll for having a 3.75 GPA or higher while three were named to the Dean's Honor Roll (3.50 to 3.74 GPA). In addition to the honor roll, the Rebels were also named to the list of the National Softball Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American teams, placing 58th in the nation and second among teams in the Southeastern Conference. The 58th-place finish was the highest finish for first-year programs in the nation. Junior outfielder Stephanie Vaglica (Tampa, Fla.), was named a NFCA Academic All-American after posting a 4.0 GPA in Accounting.

Early Signees: During the early fall signing period, two players signed national letters on intent to attend the University of Mississippi and become a member of the Rebel fastpitch team in the fall of 1998. Paige Cochrane (Chattanooga, Tenn./East Ridge HS) and Jessica Hamilton (Nashville, Tenn./Father Ryan HS) were the three players to sign. Both Cochrane and Hamilton will attend Ole Miss in the fall of 1998.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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