The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Softball Team Notes
2/17/2000 | Softball
Feb. 17, 2000
Ole Miss Invitational Game Times
Saturday
Nicholls St. vs. Evansville. - 10 a.m.
Evansville vs. Ole Miss - Noon
Nicholls St. vs. Ole Miss - 2 p.m.
Evansville vs. Ole Miss - 4 p.m.
Sunday
Evansville vs. Nicholls St. - 10 a.m.
Nicholls St. vs. Ole Miss - Noon
Evansville vs. Ole Miss - 2 p.m.
Nicholls St. vs. Ole Miss - 4 p.m.
Scouting Evansville and Nicholls St.
Evansville
The Purple Aces are seeing their first action of the season at the Ole Miss Invitational. The Aces return 12 lettermen and seven starters from a team that went 46-20 in 1999 and finished fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Evansville is led by junior C/UTL Jessica Huff who hit .370 last season and led the Aces in home runs (12), RBI (53) and hits (74). The Aces pitching staff is led by junior Lissa Conn who posted a 16-4 record in 1999 and a 2.16 ERA with 116 strikeouts. Junior Maggie Ross also returns for the Aces after posting a 10-5 record with a team-best 1.13 ERA with 120 strikeouts.
Nicholls St.
The Lady Colonels enter the weekend with a 4-5 record and are coming off a double-header sweep of Jackson St on Wednesday. Nicholls St. pounded out 37 and 28 runs in the two games and held Jackson St. to only one hit in the double-header.
Senior catcher Stacey O'Neil went 5-for-7 in the double-header with four RBI, three runs scored and two stolen bases. Freshman pitcher Kayci Keller combined with senior Staci Bednarski to throw a no-hitter in game one of the series.
Ole Miss Team/Individual Notes
Rebels have rough going at UTA Invitational
Ole Miss got off to its worst start in team history by losing all five games at the Texas-Arlington/Isuzu Invitational last weekend. The Rebels were outscored 17-4 in the five games and were shutout three times. The previous worst start came in 1998 when the Rebels opened the season 2-3.
Moving up the Chart
After doubling twice last weekend, senior outfielder Heather Swinney currently ranks 10th in the Southeastern Conference for career doubles. Swinney, who also is the Ole Miss leader, has hit 31 doubles in her career and set a team single-season record with 15 last year.
Ole Miss vs. the Field
The Rebels will be hosting the Evansville Aces and Nicholls St. Lady Colonels in the Ole Miss Invitational this weekend. Ole Miss is 2-2 all-time against Nicholls St. The Rebels swept a double-header in Thibodaux last year (1-0, 4-1). Nicholls St. defeated the Rebels 1-0 in 1997 and 4-0 in 1998. Ole Miss and Evansville will be playing for the first time.
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.
Burris Gives Strong Performance
Freshman pitcher Holly Burris (Germantown, Tenn.) had a promising debut as a Rebel against Texas-Arlington. Burris allowed just two hits and struck out four in throwing a complete game. Although the Rebels lost the game 1-0, Burris did not allow an earned run and retired the last 12 batters of the game.
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. Following the LSU series, Ole Miss will only play eight of the final 20 games of the season at home.
Willrath, Manley Solid Behind the Plate
Senior catcher Allison Willrath had a solid weekend behind the plate for the Rebels. The Yukon, Okla., native threw out 3-of-6 runners attempting to steal bases. Freshman Phyllis Manley also had a strong showing in her Rebel debut. The Southaven, Miss., native hit .333 in two games and threw out a runner against Stephen F. Austin.