The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Opens SEC Action Against Mississippi State
3/16/2000 | Softball
March 16, 2000
OXFORD, Miss. - The Rebel softball team will take on in-state rival Mississippi State in Starkville this weekend in the first Southeastern Conference action of the season for both teams.
Ole Miss (12-17) is coming off an appearance at the Fresno State Invitational last weekend. The Rebels finished the tournament with a 3-3 mark.
The Bulldogs enter the weekend ranked No. 24 in the country with a 20-7 record and swept a double-header from Jacksonville State on Wednesday.
"Anytime you play State it's big," Ole Miss head coach Candi Letts said. "These are our most important games of the season and we need to get off to a strong start in the SEC. And, if we play like we did last weekend, we have a good chance of doing that."
The series is tied at 6-6, with the Bulldogs holding a 5-1 advantage in Starkville. Last season, the Rebels took three of four games from Mississippi State in Oxford.
Senior shortstop Mandy Shklar enters the conference opener with the hottest bat in the Rebel lineup. Last week, the Owasso, Okla., native hit .385 with three runs batted in, a triple and a double and was named to the Fresno State Invitational All-Tournament team.
Pitcher Holly Burris continued her strong freshman campaign with two wins during the Fresno Invitational. Burris did not allow an earned run over the weekend and capped the tournament by holding Illinois State to two hits in a 7-3 victory.
The Memphis, Tenn., native has not allowed an earned run in her last 24 innings of work and has only given up six earned runs in her last 39 innings.
The Rebels will open the series against Mississippi State on Friday at 5 p.m. with the second game schedule for a 7 p.m. start.
The series concludes on Saturday with the first game set for a 1 p.m. start and game two at 3 p.m.