The University of Mississippi Athletics
Softball to Face Samford and Auburn
6/21/1999 | Softball
April 15, 1998
rebels travel to samford and auburn: The Rebels will travel to the State of Alabama this weekend for six games in three days. Ole Miss will begin with a non-league doubleheader at Samford Friday in Birmingham, Ala. The Rebels will conclude the trip by returning to Southeastern Conference play for a pivotal four-game series with Auburn Saturday and Sunday.
scouting the Tigers: After advancing to the SEC Tournament a year ago where it placed upset victories over Louisiana State and Tennessee en route to a third-place finish, Auburn has struggled this season with a 13-29 overall (3-10 SEC) record. The Tigers, however, are looking to use this weekend as a springboard to get themselves back into contention for a spot in this year's post-season tournament. The Tigers feature one of the conference's top players in junior outfielder Kim Blair. An All-SEC Second Team selection a year ago, Blair is batting .338 with six extra-base hits. Auburn is also getting production from freshman Mary Petrie, who boasts a .306 batting average with 24 runs batted in at the plate while leading the team with a 1.59 earned run average on the mound. rebels have week off before facing msu: After traveling to Alabama for six games in three days, Ole Miss will get a six-day rest. The Rebels will return to action with a doubleheader with intrastate rival Mississippi State Saturday, April 25 at MSU Softball Stadium in Starkville, Miss. The doubleheader is set to begin at 11 a.m.
ole miss to host arkansas in final home series: The Rebels will wrap up the regular season by hosting Arkansas to Rebel Stadium for a four-game series April 28-29, with both doubleheaders beginning at 6 p.m. This four-game series will also wrap up Southeastern Conference play for the Rebels, who are looking to move into seventh or eighth place to qualify for the SEC Tournament.Wurth among nation's save leaders: Sophomore pitcher Bobbi Wurth (Highland, Ill.) enters the weekend tied for third in the nation with four pitching saves. Wurth, who has a 3-4 record with a 3.56 ERA, earned her fourth save of the year Saturday 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.
sec tournament update: Heading into the final three weekends of play in the Southeastern Conference, the Rebels are still battling for a spot for the SEC Tournament, which will be held May 8-10 in Columbus, Ga. Time is running out for Ole Miss if they are to place among the top eight teams in conference play that will advance to the tournament. Ole Miss (4-16) is currently three games out of the seventh- and eighth-place spots, which are held by Georgia (7-9) and Arkansas (7-9). The Rebels also trail Kentucky (5-11) and Auburn (3-10). Tennessee holds the No. 6 spot with a 9-11 slate. Ole Miss has played the top seven teams in the conference and will face Auburn, Mississippi State and Arkansas in head-to-head competition in the final three weeks of the season. The seven teams Ole Miss has faced this season boast a combined 77-56 (.579) conference record. The six teams Ole Miss will face in the second half of league play have a combined 19-28 (.404) record. Kentucky still has to face Florida, Arkansas and Tennessee. Auburn has Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia and Mississippi State on its remaining schedule. Meanwhile, Arkansas has yet to play Louisiana State, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky.
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 Rebels fastpitch program. Maudie now owns a 217-247 won-loss slate in her 10th season as a head coach and a 42-75 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.
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. fine nearing
milestone: Sophomore pitcher Amanda Fine (Brentwood, Tenn.) is nearing a milestone in her career at Ole Miss. Fine needs 13 more strikeouts to get 300 for her career. Fine posted 211 K's a year ago and this season she has 76 despite missing 12 games with a separated shoulder.
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.
rebels in sec rankings: Sophomore Allison Willrath (Yukon, Okla.) is fifth in base-on-balls, with 19... Sophomore Mandy Shklar (Owasso, Okla.) is tied for ninth place with 14 stolen bases (in 17 attempts), and she is fifth among shortstops with a .924 fielding percentage.... Going into the week, sophomore Amanda Fine (Brentwood, Tenn.) is tied for 16th in ERA (2.34), and eighth in strikeouts (76)... Sophomore Bobbi Wurth (Highland, Ill.) leads the league with 4 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 grade-point average and highest GPA among all sophomore majors in her academic department. Fine carries a 3.46 overall GPA.
Record watch: Even though the Rebels are only at the half-way point in the season, they are quickly surpassing last year's totals and establishing new school records. In this, the second year of the program, Ole Miss has set or tied 19 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 18 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 established 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 shortstop Mandy Shklar (Owasso, Okla.) shattered the single-season mark for assists in a season and now has 166.
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 Southeastern Conference. 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 after posting 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.
1998 SEC Team Standings --Eastern Division-- SEC Pct. All Pct. vs. Div.Florida 13-3 .813 34-15 .694 7-1South Carolina 9-9 .500 25-17 .595 6-6Tennessee 9-11 .450 24-24 .500 4-8Georgia 7-9 .438 29-16 .644 5-3Kentucky 5-11 .313 17-30 .362
Western Division-- SEC Pct. All Pct. vs. Div.Louisiana State 13-2 .867 43-6 .878 9-2 Alabama 12-2 .857 34-12 .739 8-0 Mississippi State 9-9 .500 22-17 .564 6-4 Arkansas 7-9 .438 14-27 .341 4-8 Auburn 3-10 .231 13-29 .310 1-6 Ole Miss 4-16 .200 20-34 .370
USA Today/NFCA Top 25 1. Arizona (25) 43-3 2. Michigan 34-3 3. Fresno State 29-6 4. Washington 30-7 5. Oklahoma 38-8 6. South Florida 47-10 7. Nebraska 32-8 8. Texas* 38-11 9. Hawai'i 36-8 10. Oklahoma State* 32-11 11. Louisiana State* 43-6 12. Stanford 28-9 Arizona State 27-13 14. Florida State* 45-15 15. Missouri 29-14 16. Minnesota 33-11 17. Long Beach State 28-12 18. Oregon State 22-13 19. Texas Tech 40-16 DePaul 25-5 21. California 24-17 22. Iowa 24-10 23. Oregon 32-17 24. Illinois-Chicago 44-15 25. Cal State-Northridge 26-15 *Denotes Ole Miss Opponents this seasonUpdated April 15, 1998
