The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Fastpitch Opens 1998 Campaign Against UTA and Tulsa Friday
6/21/1999 | Softball
Feb. 11, 1998
OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss women's fastpitch softball team opens the 1998 campaign as the Rebels play a pair of teams Friday at the UTA/Pepsi Intercollegiate Tournament in Arlington, Texas.
Ole Miss faces UT-Arlington at 10 a.m., and then squares off against Tulsa at 5 p.m.
"We are ready to get started," Ole Miss head coach Joyce Maudie said. "The team has worked extremely hard for the past several weeks and we are looking forward to seeing some action against some tough teams."
This will be the Rebels' first meeting with UT-Arlington ever. Against Tulsa, Ole Miss split a doubleheader against the Golden Hurricane last season. Tulsa took the first game 9-1, but the Rebels responded with a 5-4 victory in the second set.
Even though the two teams met a season ago, there is more significance to this year's meeting with the Golden Hurricane. Last year, Tulsa freshman shortstop Mandy Shklar went 2-for-4 against Ole Miss, scoring once and driving in another. Shklar went on to be named the team's Defensive Player of the Year and led the Golden Hurricane with 55 hits. This year, however, Shklar is a Rebel after transferring to Ole Miss.
In addition to Shklar, four other members of the Ole Miss team are from the Tulsa vicinity, which makes it an interesting match up.
"I know Mandy is fired up to play Tulsa," Maudie said. "She wants to play well and every one of the five players from Oklahoma want to beat their home state teams."
The Rebels conclude pool play in the tournament with a Saturday meeting against Texas A&M at 11:15 a.m. before moving on to a double-elimination bracket against the tournament's 16-team field. The tournament bracket will be selected based on how the teams finish within their respective pools.
