The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Baseball to Tangle with Tigers Tuesday
6/21/1999 | Baseball
April 20, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss takes a break from the Southeastern Conference play-off race to tangle with the Memphis Tigers Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Nat Buring Stadium in Memphis.
The meeting will be the second of three meetings between the two schools this season. Memphis defeated Ole Miss 4-1 back on Feb. 28 in the Service Academies Spring Classic in Millington, Tenn, and the two teams will play again next Tuesday night in Oxford.
The Rebels enter Tuesday's game with a 23-20 mark after sweeping a doubleheader from Vanderbilt on Sunday. Senior shortstop Jason Huisman continues to lead the way at the plate for the Rebels, hitting .392 with 18 home runs and 61 runs batted in. The 18 home runs sets a new Ole Miss single-season record, one better than the 17 David Dellucci hit during the 1995 season. Huisman also needs just two more RBIs to tie Dellucci's single-season mark for RBIs at 63, set during the 1995 season as well, and is just two doubles shy of tying Chris Snopek's single- season doubles record of 21 set back in 1992.
Memphis comes into Tuesday's game at 17-19 after dropping two-of-three to Tulane this weekend. Senior outfielder Cary Hiles is leading the Tigers in hitting with a .324-average, and junior outfielder Chris Becerra leads Memphis in both home runs with 10 and RBIs with 31.
In the Tigers' 4-1 win over the Rebels back in February, junior right-hander Craig House struck out 11 Ole Miss hitters and limited Ole Miss to just two hits. Shortstop Rusty Meadows supplied all the offense the Tigers would need with a two-run single in the second off Jeff McAvoy to give Memphis a 2-0 lead. McAvoy had a solid outing, despite the loss, allowing four earned runs on five hits and striking out eight.
Following Tuesday's game, the Rebels return to Southeastern Conference action this weekend. Ole Miss opens a pivotal three-game SEC series with Alabama at Tuscaloosa starting Friday at 7 p.m. The Rebels are currently 8-12 in the SEC, tied with Mississippi State for the final wild card spot for the SEC Tournament. However, the Bulldogs hold the tiebreaker with the Rebels after winning two-of-three from Ole Miss in Starkville back in March.
