The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss to Host South Carolina this Weekend
6/21/1999 | Baseball
April 2, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss Rebels return to SEC play this weekend when they host the South Carolina Gamecocks in game one of a three-game series Friday at 7 p.m. at Oxford- University Stadium/Swayze Field.
This weekend's series will mark the halfway point of both team's Southeastern Conference schedule. Ole Miss is currently in fifth-place in the SEC Western Division at 5-6, one full game behind Auburn and Arkansas in third-place. The top three teams in each division automatically qualify for the SEC Tournament May 13-17 in Birmingham, Ala. Overall, the Rebels are 18-12 after falling 6-2 to Mississippi State in the 19th-annual Mayor's Trophy Game Wednesday night in Jackson, Miss.
South Carolina, ranked No. 8 in this week's Collegiate Baseball poll, enters the weekend in second-place in the SEC Eastern Division with a 7-4 conference record after sweeping Auburn on the road last weekend. The Gamecocks trail first-place Florida by one-game. South Carolina lost its mid-week game 6-4 to Clemson on Wednesday and are 26-7 on the year.
The Gamecocks possess a balanced offensive attack, ranking third in the SEC in home runs with 67 and leading the conference in stolen bases with 58. Junior outfielder Mike Curry leads South Carolina in hitting with a .404 average and has swiped 27 bases. Senior catcher Ryan Bordenick and senior outfielder Derick Urquhart lead the Gamecocks in home runs with 10.
For Ole Miss, junior left fielder Bobby Kielty carries a 15-game hitting streak into this weekend's series, hitting safely in every game since he was moved to the lead-off spot in the order before Ole Miss' March 6 game against Auburn. Senior shortstop Jason Huisman is leading the Rebels in both home runs and RBIs with 15 and 46, respectively. His 15 home runs already rank as the second highest single-season total in school history, just two behind the 17 David Dellucci hit in 62 games during the 1995 season. Huisman is also tied for the team-lead in hitting with junior second baseman Brad Henderson with a .385 average.
The Rebels are expected to start senior right-hander Lance Tolbert (2-3, 3.40 ERA) in the series-opener against the Gamecocks' junior right-hander Brett Jodie (3-3, 6.62 ERA). The rest of the weekend's probable pitching match-ups look to be Jeff McAvoy (3-3, 5.32) for Ole Miss on Saturday against freshman right-hander Kip Bouknight (6-0, 2.08 ERA), and on Sunday, sophomore Ryan Bukvich (3-1, 6.98 ERA) for the Rebels against junior southpaw Brett Kondro (2-0, 5.85 ERA).
Game times for Saturday is 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. for Sunday.
