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The University of Mississippi Athletics
REBEL SOFTBALL TEAM TRAVELS TO LOUISIANA FOR MARDI GRAS CLASSIC
6/21/1999 | Softball
MONROE, La.-- After a fifth-place finish in the UTA/Pepsi Intercollegiate Tournament last weekend to start the 1998 campaign, the Ole Miss women's fastpitch softball team is confident heading into the Mardi Gras Classic Tournament this weekend in Monroe, La.
The Rebels, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the 16-team tournament only to fall to No. 11-ranked Oklahoma State last weekend, play in their second of five pre-season tournaments starting Friday.
Ole Miss will be in action Friday for three games, starting with a match up against Northeast Louisiana (3-4) at Noon. Then the Rebels will face Southern Louisiana (0-0) at 2 p.m., and get an early look at Southeastern Conference foe Tennessee (2-5) at 6 p.m. Saturday, they go up against Tulsa at 9 a.m. and Centenary at 11 a.m.
"We are excited to go to Northeast Louisiana and play in a good tournament," Ole Miss head coach Joyce Maudie said. "The (tournament) field is a good mix and I think if we play good defense, I like our chances in the tournament."
The Rebels are coming off their first weekend of competition in the 1998 campaign. Ole Miss finished the weekend with a 2-3 record against a field of talented teams, but Maudie was impressed with how her team competed and was able to squeeze out runs.
"I was pleasantly surprised with our effort at the UTA Tournament," Maudie said. "Overall, it was a good experience for us to see what our players are capable of in a competitive situation. The good news is that we only need to make some minor adjustments heading into this weekend.
"I felt like we were able to squeeze runs out in any game except against Oklahoma State where we were overpowered," Maudie said. "From a defensive standpoint, I am excited about our potential. I was impressed and encouraged by some of the outstanding defensive plays we made."
After completing a five-game pool play schedule, the Rebels move on to a tournament bracket based on how well they finish in pool play. The first round of the tournament is at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and the winner's and consolation brackets start Sunday morning.
