The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Softball Notes
1/18/2000 | Softball
Feb. 1, 2000
Ole Miss Opens Season at Texas-Arlington Classic
For the third consecutive season the Rebels will open the season at the Texas-Arlington Pepsi Classic in Arlington, Texas. Last season, the Rebels picked up wins over Stephen F. Austin, Northeast Louisiana and Texas Tech to finish the tournament with a 3-2 mark. The Rebels' two losses came against No. 12 Oklahoma and Tulsa. Overall, Ole Miss has a 5-5 record in the UTA-Pepsi Classic. The Rebels were scheduled to open the 1997 season at the UTA-Pepsi Classic until rain forced the cancellation of the tournament.
Ole Miss vs. the Field
The Rebels have played 13 of the 19 teams participating in the Texas-Arlington Classic. Ole Miss' record against the field: Arkansas (2-10), Auburn (4-8), Kentucky (8-0), Louisiana Tech (1-1), Louisiana-Monroe (1-2), N.W. Louisiana (0-1), Oklahoma (0-2), Oklahoma St. (1-3), Purdue (0-1), S.W. Texas St. (1-0), Stephen F. Austin (1-0), Texas-Arlington (1-0) and Tulsa (1-4). The six teams in the tournament the Rebels have not played are Baylor, Bethune-Cookman, Oregon, Southern Miss. and Texas-San Antonio.
Tough Competition
Ole Miss will start the 2000 season with one of the toughest schedules in the SEC. The Rebels will play eight teams currently ranked in the NFCA Top 25, including six teams ranked in the top 10. Ole Miss will take on No. 1 UCLA, No. 3 Fresno St., No. 5 Southern Miss., No. 7 LSU, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 10 Louisiana-Lafayette, No. 18 South Carolina and No. 22 Illinois-Chicago.
Rebels Looking for Another Hot Start
The Rebels are looking to repeat their hot start from last season as they open the 2000 season. Last season, Ole Miss jumped out to a 14-6 record in their first 20 games and recorded wins over No. 11 South Florida and No. 23 Iowa. The 14-6 record was the best start in team history.
On the Road Again, and Again, and Again, and Again
After having 22 home games last season, the Rebels will spend the majority of the 2000 season on the road. After hosting the Ole Miss Invitational on Feb. 19-20, the Rebels will not play a game in Oxford until March 31, against LSU. Including the LSU series, the Rebels will only play four SEC teams at home this season (Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas). season in 1997.
Final Season for Seven Seniors
The 2000 season marks the first graduating class for the Ole Miss softball program. Of the seven seniors on the Rebels' roster, six (Brittany Maxey, Allison Willrath, Korrie Kashuba, Bobbi Wurth and Heather Swinney) were members of the team's inaugural season in 1997. This season also marks the final season for Kaci Coffee and Mandy Shklar, who both joined the Rebels in 1998.
