The University of Mississippi Athletics
This Week in Ole Miss Softball
2/19/2001 | Softball
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
OSU Cowgirl Classic (Stillwater, Okla.)
Feb. 23:
vs. Tulsa, Noon (CT)
vs. Oklahoma State, 2 p.m.
Feb. 24:
vs. Southwest Missouri State, 10 a.m.
vs. Creighton, 2 p.m.
OSU COWGIRL CLASSIC
Ole Miss (7-8) plays its fourth tournament of the year this weekend at the OSU Cowgirl Classic in Stillwater, Okla. The Rebels will be joined by Creighton, Tulsa and host Oklahoma State, as well as Evansville and Southwest Missouri State for the second straight tournament. Ole Miss is 1-4 all-time against Tulsa, and 1-3 against OSU. The Rebels boast a 3-2 all-time mark vs. SMS, including a 1-0 win over the Bears last weekend. Ole Miss defeated Creighton, 5-4, a year ago in the school's only previous meeting.
VALLEY TIES
With Creighton and Southwest Missouri State on the slate for Stillwater, Ole Miss will be continuing its ties with the Missouri Valley Conference. Head coach Candi Letts and assistant Dedeann Pendelton earned undergraduate degrees at Creighton, while assistant Arleen McKnight graduated from Southwest Missouri. Letts led the Bluejays to three straight Women's College World Series appearances from 1981-83, and spent five seasons as an assistant coach following her playing days. Pendelton was a first team All-MVC selection as a CU senior in 1995. She set the Jay career home run mark with 16 and ranks in the top three in career hits, RBI, doubles and games played. The Rebels have already faced some Valley competition this season, beating SMS and losing twice to Evansville in the Rebel/Easton Invitational last weekend.
REBEL/EASTON INVITATIONAL
Ole Miss finished third in the Rebel/Easton Invitational with a 2-3 mark. Evansville won the tournament with a 5-1 record, while Southwest Missouri State went 2-2 to place second. The Rebel were twice shutout by UE's Lissa Conn, 0-5 and 0-1, took a split with Samford, 1-4 and 2-0, and defeated SMS, 1-0. Both of Ole Miss' Sunday games were scoreless after seven innings and went to extra frames. Against Evansville, Holly Burris took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before allowing a one-out single, but suffered the loss after an Evansville two-out basehit in the ninth sent home the go-ahead run. Against Samford, Kristi DiMarco hit the Rebels' first home run of the season, a two-run game-winner in the eighth. Burris and Jennifer Hughes combined to surrender only four hits in Ole Miss' last 17 innings.
UNHITTABLE HUGHES
Jennifer Hughes tossed her third and fourth career shutouts over the weekend, earning both of Ole Miss' wins in the Rebel/Easton Invitational. The senior from Missouri City, Texas, limited Southwest Missouri State and Samford to only five baserunners and no extra-base hits over 15 innings. She tallied nine strikeouts and no walks. Hughes has allowed only one run in her last 29.2 innings-pitched and is riding a three-game winning streak. Hughes leads the Rebels in wins (3) and strikeouts (29) this season.
