The University of Mississippi Athletics
This Week in Ole Miss Softball
4/3/2000 | Softball
April 3, 2000
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss softball team will play its fourth consecutive Top 25 team when it takes on the 16th-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette Lady Cajuns in a double-header on Tuesday.
The Rebels (17-26 overall, 4-8 Southeastern Conference) have lost five straight games after being swept by No. 9 LSU over the weekend.
The Lady Cajuns enter the series with a 27-9 overall record and have won three straight, including a 35-1 victory over Southern on Thursday.
"Here we go again playing a Top 25 team on the road. It's a good opportunity and we know we can play with them. We have beaten No. 10 (Southern Miss), No. 17 South Carolina and No. 24 (Mississippi State) on the road this year, so it's something we know we can do," Ole Miss head coach Candi Letts said.
Ole Miss has played 10 Top 25 teams this season, with only No. 9 LSU playing in Oxford. The double-header against the Lady Cajuns will be the sixth ranked team the Rebels have played on the road this season.
Game one of the double-header will begin at 5 p.m., with game two slated for a 7 p.m. start.
Last Time Out
The Rebels were swept in a four-game series for the first time this season. The ninth-ranked LSU Tigers swept both double-headers from Ole Miss over the weekend and extended the Rebels losing streak to five games. LSU pitcher Britni Sneed and Ashley Lewis held the Rebel bats in check as Ole Miss managed just four runs on 10 hits in the four-game series. Sneed also no-hit the Rebels in game two of the series, marking the third time this season Ole Miss has gone hitless. The three no-hitters ties a team record set in 1997, the first year of the program.
They Keep Going, and Going, and Going
Ole Miss played its fifth extra-inning game of the season in game one against No. 9 LSU. It was the fourth time in the Rebels' last seven games they have gone to extra-innings and the third time Ole Miss has gone to extra-innings against a top 25 team. The Rebels have played two 11 inning games (Georgia and LSU), one nine inning game (South Carolina) and two eight inning games (Florida State and LSU). The Rebels are now 4-1 in extra-inning contests after dropping a 5-3 decision to LSU.
Burris' Streak Snapped
Freshman pitcher Holly Burris had her streak of consecutive wins snapped at six Friday night. LSU handed Burris her first loss since March 17, against No. 24 Mississippi State. Burris also had another streak snapped against the ninth-ranked Tigers on Friday night. Until the first inning of game one, Burris had gone a team-record 119.1 innings this season without allowing a home run.
Kashuba Comes Through in the Clutch Senior Korrie Kashuba has been the big bat with the game on the line over the two last weeks. In the Rebels 11-inning win over Georgia, Kashuba singled in the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th to give Ole Miss a 2-1 lead. Kashuba followed that up with another pressure hit against No. 10 Southern Miss. With two outs and runners on second and third, Kashuba ripped a double to center off All-American Courtney Blades to give Ole Miss a 2-0 lead in the 11th inning. Kashuba then scored after two wild pitches by Blades that proved to be the winning run as the Rebels held on for a 3-2 win.
Hot Bat
Senior shortstop Mandy Shklar tied a team and personal record with a nine game hitting streak. The Owasso, Okla., native tied the mark with a single in game two against No. 17 South Carolina. Since March 12, Shklar has hit safely in 15 of the last 20 games, including the nine-game hit streak.
Swinney Closes in on Record
Senior Heather Swinney is inching closer to the record for doubles in a season that she set last year. Swinney has 10 doubles through 43 games this season after hitting 15 last year. Swinney needs six more doubles in the last 20 games of the season to break her record. Swinney is the all-time career leader in doubles for Ole Miss with 39 and ranks in the top 10 all-time in the SEC.
Tough Stretch
The Rebels are in the midst of playing five straight teams ranked in the top 25, with the Rebels playing four of those teams on the road. The Rebels played No. 17 South Carolina, No. 10 Southern Miss and No. 9 LSU prior to playing No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette. The Rebels will then travel to Tuscaloosa to play No. 14 Alabama. Ole Miss has played a total of 10 top 25 teams this season and has a 3-14 record against those teams.