The University of Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Travels to SEC West Leading Arkansas
6/21/1999 | Baseball
May 6, 1999
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss Rebels (30-20, 15-9 SEC) will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., for a three-game Southeastern Conference baseball series with the Arkansas Razorbacks (32-18, 17-7 SEC) starting Friday night at 6:30 p.m. from Baum Stadium. The Rebels enter the weekend series in second-place in the SEC Western Division, two games behind the Razorbacks.
Saturday's game time has moved from 6:30 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. as FOX Sports South will televise the game. Sunday's series-finale is set for 1:00 p.m.
Ole Miss is ranked No. 20 in this week's Collegiate Baseball Top 30 and No. 23 in the current Baseball America Top 25 after taking two-of-three from nationally-ranked Alabama last weekend in Oxford.
Arkansas is ranked in all three major college baseball polls, ranging from as high as No. 9 in Collegiate Baseball to No. 18 in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches poll. The Razorbacks are coming off a three-game sweep of Mississippi State last weekend in Fayetteville.
"We're excited to be going to Arkansas this weekend and playing for a shot at the SEC Western Division championship," said third-year Ole Miss head coach Pat Harrison. "They've played very well at home this year so we will have to be at our best."
The Razorbacks are 22-5 at Baum Stadium this season, including 11-1 in SEC play.
Senior second baseman Brad Henderson carries a career-long 15-game hitting streak into the weekend series. He is hitting .382 on the season to rank seventh in the SEC, and is second in the conference in hits with 81. In SEC play, Henderson leads the conference with a .438 batting average.
Arkansas is led by senior Rodney Nye who is hitting .350 with 16 home runs and 62 RBI, all team highs. The Razorbacks have five players in double digits for stolen bases as Arkansas has stole 90 bases as a team in 106 attempts. Junior Joe Jester is the team's leading base stealer with 22 in 24 attempts.
Junior right-hander Jeff McAvoy is scheduled to start Friday's series-opener for the Rebels. McAvoy hasn't lost a decision since March 12 at South Carolina, winning four-straight decisions and is 7-3 with a 4.63 ERA. He is coming off a complete game, eight-strike out performance against Alabama last Friday in Oxford during a 6-2 Ole Miss win.
Junior right-hander Dan McShea is scheduled be Saturday's starter. McShea is 5-2 with a 4.62 ERA. Ole Miss is undecided on a Sunday starter.
Arkansas is expected to counter with freshman right-hander Charlie Isaacson, 7-0, 3.23 ERA, on Friday, sophomore left-hander Wes McCrotty, 3-0, 5.00 ERA, on Saturday and junior right-hander David Walling, 7-2, 3.94 ERA, on Sunday.
