The University of Mississippi Athletics
Softball Set for Home Finale
6/21/1999 | Softball
April 27, 1998
Ole Miss (24-38, 7-19 SEC)
vs.
Arkansas (19-34, 11-15 SEC)
REBELS SET TO HOST ARKANSAS IN FINAL HOME SERIES: The Ole Miss fastpitch softball team will close out its final home games of the 1998 campaign this week as the Rebels host Arkansas for a four-game series Tuesday and Wednesday. Ole Miss and the Lady Razorbacks will square off at Rebel Stadium, with both doubleheaders beginning at 6 p.m.
SCOUTING THE LADY RAZORBACKS: Arkansas has made a final push to get into the SEC Tournament with an impressive 4-2 record last week. The Lady Razorbacks started the weekend with a home split with SEC East Division leader Florida and then split two games with Kentucky. The finished the week by sweeping Tennessee to move into the seventh-place spot. Arkansas is led by the hitting of sophomore Dana Gulick, who is batting .337 this season with 32 runs scored. Sophomore Jen Cirigliano is contributing with a .299 average while leading the team with 29 RBI. On the mound, Arkansas is led by sophomore Tammy Kincaid, who boasts a 1.88 ERA and a 12-19 record.
OLE MISS GETS LAST CHANCE FOR SEC TOURNAMENT: Entering the last week of Southeastern Conference play, Ole Miss still has a slim chance to be among the final eight teams who will advance to the SEC-Tournament, which will be held May 8-10 in Columbus, Ga. The Rebels enter play this week two games behind eighth-place Tennessee and four games behind sixth and seventh-place Georgia and Arkansas.
There are only two ways Ole Miss can advance to the SEC Tournament. The Rebels have to win at least three games over Arkansas to even have a chance. The best chance for Ole Miss is to win all four games over the Lady Razorbacks. That would give both teams an identical 11-19 mark in SEC, but Ole Miss would get the tiebreaker due to a better divisional record. If the Rebels win three games over Arkansas, they would need help from Kentucky, who would have to sweep a four-game series over the eighth-place team, Tennessee. The following are the standings for the SEC Tournament race as league play enters the final week.
WURTH AMONG NATION'S SAVE LEADERS: Sophomore pitcher Bobbi Wurth (Highland, Ill.) entered last weekend tied for third in the nation with four pitching saves. Wurth, who has a 3-4 record with a 3.75 ERA, earned her fourth save of the year April 11 by retiring three batters--two by strikeouts--with two runners on base to preserve a 5-3 victory over Kentucky. Wurth's four saves also leads the SEC and is a Ole Miss record for a single season and a career. Wurth's first career save came in a 4-2 victory over Georgia Tech on Feb. 28. Wurth also posted saves in a 3-2 win over Robert Morris (March 7) and a 1-0 decision over Delta State. Wurth has pitched 74.2 innings in 27 appearances.
HEAD COACH JOYCE MAUDIE: A three-time Coach of the Year recipient, Ole Miss head Joyce Maudie is in her second year at the helm of the Rebel fastpitch program. Maudie now owns a 221-251 won-loss slate in her 10th season as a head coach and a 46-79 slate as mentor of the Rebels. Maudie was named the 1991 WWIAC Coach of the Year at Wisconsin-Whitewater, 1992 North Atlantic Coach of the Year at Drexel, and 1995 Carolina's Conference Coach of the Year at Barton (N.C.) College.
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Freshman outfielder Jamie Cummings (Jackson, Miss./Hillcrest Christian HS) has been on a tear the last couple of weeks. She hit her sixth and seventh doubles of the season Saturday to raise her total to seven in her first campaign for the Rebels, tying her with Mandy Shklar for second place on the team Over her last eight games, Cummings has hit five doubles and is batting a sizzling .435 over that span.
Cummings was the catalyst for Ole Miss as it went 4-2 and captured 3-of-4 games from Auburn two weekends ago. For the week, Cummings started all six games and hit a blistering .444 at the plate with three doubles. Cummings also posted a .611 slugging percentage and reached base at a .524 rate with four base-on-balls.
DAVENPORT GOES 3-FOR-3 IN RETURN: Just one week after freshman Rachel Davenport (Bremerton, Wash.) suffered a concussion and spent a night in the hospital from a foul ball that struck her in the chin, she returned to the lineup Saturday against Mississippi State. Davenport did not bat in the first game, but in the second contest, Davenport showed no ill effects from the setback by going 3-for-3 and driving in two runs in the Rebels 4-3 loss. Davenport missed three games due to the injury, and is now batting .192 on the season.
CARAWAY SETS RBI MARKS: Senior first base April Caraway (Lake Wales, Fla.) set two RBI records against Auburn. Caraway established a new record for RBI in a season with 22, surpassing Heather Swinney's 20 a year ago. Caraway also tied a record for RBI in a single game, driving in four runs in the Rebels 10-2 win over Auburn Sunday.
RECORD WATCH: With just four games remaining on the regular-season schedule, 1998 has been a record-setting year for the Rebels. In this, the second year of the program, Ole Miss has set or tied 21 records this season... Junior pitcher Kari Ceriani (Vacaville, Calif.) set a record with the longest outing by a Rebel pitcher with her 10.2 innings in the school's longest game--a 3-2, 11-inning win over Robert Morris... Sophomore Allison Willrath (Yukon, Okla.) has drawn 21 base-on-balls this season, eclipsing Stephanie Vaglica's (Tampa, Fla.) total of 13 last year... Both Willrath and Vaglica set and tied a record with three walks in a single game. Sophomore Amanda Fine (Brentwood, Tenn.) tied a school record with four hits in a 2-1 win over Georgia State... Fine also set a record by reaching base in 20-straight games with either a walk or hit... Kaci Coffee (Broken Arrow, Okla.) tied a school record with four RBI in the Rebel's 10-2 win over Belmont... Sophomore Bobbi Wurth (Highland, Ill.) now holds the school record for saves (4) in a single season and in a career... Sophomore Mandy Shklar (Owasso, Okla.) shattered the single-season mark for assists in a season and now has 181... Senior April Caraway (Lake Wales, Fla.) tied a school record with four RBI in a single game against Auburn. Kaci Coffee also notched four earlier in the season..... Caraway also established a new school record for RBI in a single season with 22, surpassing the 20 RBI Swinney posted in 1997.
FINE NEARING 300 K'S: Sophomore pitcher Amanda Fine (Brentwood, Tenn.) is nearing a milestone in her career at Ole Miss. Fine needs 2 more strikeouts to get 300 for her career after striking out five Mississippi State batters over the weekend. Fine posted 211 K's a year ago and this season she has 87 despite missing 12 games with a separated shoulder. Fine is now 12-14 with a team-leading 2.18 ERA.
REBELS IN SEC RANKINGS: Going into the weekend, Sophomore Allison Willrath (Yukon, Okla.) is tied for fourth in walks, with 21...Willrath is also fifth among catchers with a .982 fielding percentage... Sophomore Mandy Shklar (Owasso, Okla.) is sixth with 17 stolen bases (in 22 attempts), and she is fifth among shortstops with a .930 fielding percentage.... Going into the week, sophomore Amanda Fine (Brentwood, Tenn.) is 14th in ERA (2.10), 11th in complete games (14) and eighth in strikeouts (82)... Sophomore Bobbi Wurth (Highland, Ill.) leads the SEC with four saves.
FINE HONORED FOR ACADEMIC WORK: Sophomore pitcher Amanda Fine (Brentwood, Tenn.) was named the recipient of this year's Outstanding Computer Science Sophomore Award at the University of Mississippi. Fine, an All-Southeastern Conference second team selection a year ago, received the award at the Honors Convocation, which was held at Fulton Chapel April 2. She also had her name published in the 1998 Honors Program. A Computer Science major, Fine was selected for the award for having a combination of the highest overall GPA and highest among all sophomore majors in her academic department. Fine carries a 3.46 overall GPA.
WORKING OVERTIME: In the 1998 campaign, the Rebels have already played in six extra-inning games, eclipsing last year's total of three games. The most recent extra-inning game came when Ole Miss and LSU went to eight innings before the Tigers came away with a 4-3 win on March 28. The Rebels set a school record for the longest game on March 7 when it took 11 innings before Ole Miss defeated Robert Morris 3-2. Ole Miss also went to nine-innings in a 12-5 loss to Middle Tennessee and eight innings with Tulsa before falling 5-4 on Feb. 13. The Rebels own extra-frame wins over Southwest Texas State (9-8, 10-innings) and Centenary (7-3, 8-innings). The Rebels have a 5-4 all-time record in extra-innings contests, after playing in three extra-inning games last year.
IT'S ALL ACADEMIC: In only its second season of existence, the Ole Miss fastpitch softball program already has a number of academic accolades to its credit. When the grades for the 1997 fall semester was released, 11 of the 20 team members all earned a 3.0 grade-point average or higher. Four of those Rebels were named to the Chancellor's Honor Roll for having a 3.75 GPA or higher while three were named to the Dean's Honor Roll (3.50 to 3.74 GPA).
In addition to the honor roll, the Rebels were also named to the list of the National Softball Coaches Association (NFCA) All-American teams, placing 58th in the nation and second among teams in the SEC. The 58th-place finish was the highest finish for first-year programs in the nation. Junior outfielder Stephanie Vaglica (Tampa, Fla.), was named a NFCA Academic All-American with a 4.0 GPA in Accounting.
OLE MISS CONCLUDES FLORIDA TRIP WITH THIRD PLACE FINISH AT FSU INVITATIONAL:
The Rebels wrapped up a 10-day trip to the Sunshine State with a third-place finish in the Florida State University Invitational Tournament last weekend. The Rebels began the trip with a 2-3 marker in the USF/Speedline Tournament in Tampa, Fla., falling to eventual tournament champion Texas, Florida Atlantic and Hofstra before closing out pool play with wins over Robert Morris and Michigan State. Ole Miss then faced Florida in the SEC opener and was handed two defeats by the Gators in Gainesville. The Rebels closed the trip with a 5-2 record in the FSU Invitational. Ole Miss finished first in its pool with wins over Marshall, Belmont, Georgia State and Hoftsra before falling to Purdue. The Rebels advanced to the tournament's final four with a win over Southern Illinois, but was handed a loss by Florida State in the semifinal game. Ole Miss finished in third-place in the 24-team field.
FINE NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Since returning from a separated shoulder, sophomore Amanda Fine (Brentwood, Tenn.) has been impressive for Ole Miss. Fine sat out 12 games due to her injury, but has been providing a huge lift both at the plate and on the mound. Fine was named to the All-Tournament Team at the FSU Invitational, and has won four-straight starts and only gave up one earned run in her last 32.0 innings. Fine leads the team with a .339 batting average, and hit successfully in eight of her last nine games. Fine hit .370 (10-for-27) last week and .450 (9-for-20) in the FSU-Invitational. It was the second time this season Fine has been named to an All-Tournament team, as she was honored in the Mardi Gras Classic in Monroe, La.
MAUDIE WINS 200TH CAREER GAME: With a 7-3 victory over Centenary Feb. 21,Ole Miss head coach Joyce Maudie recorded career win No. 200 as a collegiate coach. Maudie now owns a 214-236 won-loss slate in her 10th season as a head coach. Maudie is a three-time Coach of the Year recipient and was named the 1991 WWIAC Coach of the Year at Wisconsin-Whitewater, 1992 North Atlantic Coach of the Year at Drexel, and 1995 Carolina's Conference Coach of the Year at Barton (N.C.) College.
FASTPITCH PROGRAM PLAYS IN 100TH GAME: The Ole Miss fastpitch program, in only its second year of existence, played in its 100th game Saturday against Georgia. The Rebels defeated the Bulldogs 6-0 to boast a record of 39-61 in its first 100 contests.
AMANDA FINE CONTINUES HOT STREAK: Since returning from a separated shoulder, sophomore Amanda Fine (Brentwood, Tenn.) has been dominant both on the mound and at the plate for the Rebels. In Ole Miss' 6-0 win over Georgia, Fine pitched her third-straight shutout as a starting pitcher and she has not given up an earned run in 28.2-straight innings. Fine went 2-1 last week did give up a run in 18.2 straight innings, with complete-game shutouts over Delta State and Georgia and her five scoreless innings against South Carolina.
At the plate, Fine as been equally productive. After having a seven-game hit streak halted against Florida State, Fine has responded with a current five-game hit streak. In her last 14 games, Fine has hit successfully in 13 contest and now leads the team with a .338 batting average. Over that span, Fine is hitting .421 with 16 hits and five runs batted in.
SHKLAR ON HIT STREAK: Sophomore shortstop Mandy Shklar (Owasso, Okla.) has been on her tear over her last 10 games. Shklar is on a current seven-game hitting streak and has hit successfully in 10 of her last 12 games. After transferring from Tulsa, Shklar has started all but one game at shortstop for the Rebels and leads the team with 12 stolen bases (in 14 attempts). Last week, Shklar hit .357, had an on-base percentage of .438 and scored a Ole Miss career-high three runs against Delta State. Shklar was forced to sit out her first game of the season Sunday after suffering a laceration in her league in the first game of the doubleheader, but is expected to return this weekend. In her last nine starts, Shklar is .333 with nine hits, two doubles, six runs and five stolen bases.
EARLY SIGNEES: During the early fall signing period, two players signed national letters on intent to attend the University of Mississippi and become a member of the Rebel fastpitch team in the fall of 1998. Paige Cochrane (Chattanooga, Tenn./East Ridge HS) and Jessica Hamilton (Nashville, Tenn./Father Ryan HS) were the three players to sign. Both Cochrane and Hamilton will attend Ole Miss in the fall of 1998.
FINE'S STREAK COMES TO AN END: Sophomore Amanda Fine (Brentwood, Tenn.) had her nine-game hit streak come to an end Wednesday as she went 0-for-2 against Mississippi State in a 7-0 loss. Fine also had another consecutive-game streak come to an end Saturday. Fine set a school-record by reaching base successfully by a base hit or a walk in 20-straight games. Over that period, Fine hit in 18 of the 20 games and walked six times. Fine also had 21 hits and batted .362 over that stretch. Fine continues to lead the team with a .309 batting average and a 2.37 ERA.
LSU BECOMES HIGHEST RANKED TEAM TO FALL TO REBELS: With a come-from-behind 6-5 win over LSU last weekend, the Rebels handed the No. 16-ranked Tigers their fifth loss of the season. More impressively for Ole Miss is that it becomes the highest-ranked team at No. 16, the Rebels have ever defeated. Ole Miss also handed No. 21-ranked Louisiana Tech a 3-2 defeat a year ago. The Rebels are now 1-5 this season against teams ranked the the top 25 at the time they have played. Ole Miss has played five teams who are now ranked in the top 25 rankings.
MITCHELL MAKES RETURN: After missing 17-straight games with multiple injuries, senior Holly Mitchell (Columbia, Ill.) started the first game of Friday's doubleheader as the designated player. Mitchell, who batted a team-best .344 average last season, came up big on her first plate appearance as she delivered an RBI-single to left field in the second inning to score pinch-runner Misti Dossett (Jackson, Miss.). Mitchell would also score later in the inning. For the game, she went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
SEC Tournament Race
Conf. Div. Pos. Team Rec. Pct. Rec. Games Remaining 1. LSU* 22-3 .880 13-2 at Alabama (4) 2. Florida* 19-5 .792 11-1 Georgia (4) 3. Alabama 15-5 .750 9-1 Louisiana State (4) 4. S. Carolina 15-11 .577 9-7 None 5. Miss. St. 12-10 .545 9-5 at Auburn (4) 6. Georgia 11-13 .458 6-6 at Florida (4) 7. Arkansas 11-15 .423 4-12 at Ole Miss (4) 8. Tennessee 9-15 .375 4-8 at Kentucky (4) 9. Ole Miss 7-17 .269 4-12 Arkansas (4) 10. Kentucky 6-18 .250 2-10 Tennessee (4) 11. Auburn 4-17 .190 2-9 Mississippi State (4)
* Divisional Champions earn automatic No. 1 and No. 2 seeds.
Tiebreaker goes to team with best percentage, then best divisional record.
1998 SEC Team Standings---Eastern Division-- SEC Pct. All Pct. vs. Div.Florida 19-5 .792 41-18 .695 11-1South Carolina 15-11 .577 35-19 .648 9-7Georgia 11-13 .458 34-20 .630 6-6Tennessee 9-15 .375 32-29 .525 4-8Kentucky 6-18 .250 18-39 .316 2-10
--Western Division-- SEC Pct. All Pct. vs. Div.Louisiana State 22-3 .880 52-7 .881 13-2Alabama 15-5 .750 41-15 .732 9-1 Mississippi State 12-10 .545 29-18 .617 9-5Arkansas 11-15 .423 19-34 .358 4-12Ole Miss 7-19 .269 24-38 .387 4-12 Auburn 4-17 .190 14-36 .280 2-9
The Last Time Out
MSU-POSTS SWEEP OVER REBELS
Mississippi State pitcher Autumn Anderson pitched a complete-game, three-hit shutout in the first game and then pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in the second game to post her third save of the season, as the Bulldogs handed Ole Miss a doubleheader sweep Saturday by scores of 11-0 and 4-3 in Starkville, Miss.
Mississippi State pounded out 12 hits and scored 11 runs, keyed by a seven-run second inning to post a 11-0, mercy-run rule shortened game victory. Bulldog sophomore Michelle Gates went 2-for-2 with three runs batted in and hit a two-run home run in the second inning. MSU never looked back as Anderson struck out nine Rebel batters en route to her 20th win. Freshman Jamie Cummings had two of the three hits for Ole Miss--both doubles--coming in the second and fifth innings.
In the second game, MSU jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the fourth inning. But back-to-back RBI singles by Christie Swain and Rachel Davenport in the sixth inning off Bulldog pitcher Alicia Judd cut the lead to 4-3. Anderson then came in and retired the four final batters as Mississippi State held on to win the game. Davenport went 3-for-3 with two RBI.
NCAA Division I Save Leaders
Player, School No.
Amy Robertson, UT-Chattanooga 7
Carolyn Copcutt, Army 5
Bobbi Wurth, Ole Miss 4
Christa Williams, Texas 4
Kelly Nichols, Notre Dame 4
Lauren Fischetti, Boston College 4
Kristie Picon, South Florida 4
Brenda Roach, Villanova 4
15 Players 3
USA Today/NFCA Top 25
1. Arizona (25) 47-3 2. Michigan 40-4 3. Washington 35-7 4. Fresno State 33-8 5. Oklahoma 42-10 6. South Florida 51-10 7. Nebraska 36-8 8. Texas* 41-12 9. Stanford 29-12 10. Louisiana State* 47-6 11. Hawaii 36-10 12. Oklahoma State* 33-14 13. Arizona State 32-16 14. Long Beach State 28-12 15. DePaul 31-5 16. Florida State* 47-18 17. Texas Tech 42-16 18. Missouri 31-18 19. California 28-19 20. Iowa 28-12 21. Minnesota 34-14 22. Oregon State 25-16 23. Cal St. Northridge 31-16 24. Illinois-Chicago 49-16 25. Oregon 33-20
*Denotes Ole Miss Opponents this season
Updated April 22, 1998
