The University of Mississippi Athletics
This Week in Ole Miss Softball
3/5/2001 | Softball
UPCOMING SCHEDULE:
- Southeast Missouri doubleheader, Southeast Softball Complex (Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
- Tennessee series, Ole Miss Softball Complex (Oxford, Miss.)
Mar. 6
at Southeast Missouri [DH], 3 & 5 p.m. (CT)
Mar. 10
vs. Tennessee [DH], 1 & 3 p.m.
Mar. 11
vs. Tennessee, 1 p.m.
THIS WEEK'S AGENDA
After a nine-day layoff, Ole Miss (8-9) returns to action Tuesday with a doubleheader against Southeast Missouri in Cape Girardeau. SEMO (0-3) has been outscored 26-2 through three games including a 10-1 defeat to Southwest Missouri State, whom Ole Miss knocked off 1-0 on Feb. 17. This will be the first ever meeting between the Rebels and Otahkians.
Ole Miss is back home next weekend to open Southeastern Conference play against Tennessee. The Lady Vols are 10-13 but won their last two, beating Florida A&M and Pittsburgh in last weekend's Eagle Classic in Statesboro, Ga. UT leads the all-time series 1-8, but took a split in two games with the Rebels last year. In game one of a doubleheader in Oxford, Lindsay Price hurled a four-hit complete game, and Heather Swiney went 2-for-3 with three RBI in a 4-1 Ole Miss victory.
SOUTH CAROLINA RAINOUT
Bad weather in Oxford prevented Ole Miss and South Carolina from ever taking the field for their three-game series last weekend. Heavy rain put a stop to Saturday's doubleheader, and poor field conditions and continued showers did the same on Sunday. The series between the Rebels and 19th-ranked Gamecocks, which would have been both teams' SEC opener, will no be rescheduled.
Weather has been quite an obstacle for Ole Miss lately. Since Feb. 16, the Rebels have lost six games to rainouts and had four other games rescheduled because of poor conditions.
SLATON HEATS UP
After a slow start, junior transfer Amber Slaton has raised her level of play of late. Over the last five games, Slaton is batting .429 (6-for-14) with four doubles. She also delivered a clutch hit against Creighton, driving in the game-tying run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. A native of Lancaster, Calif., Slaton is one of four Rebels that has started all 17 games this season - 16 at third base and one at first. Her .922 fielding percentage ranks her among the top five defensive third baseman in the SEC. Slaton joined the Rebels this season after spending two years at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster.
HUGHES CONTINUES HER TEAR
After tossing two straight shutouts, Jennifer Hughes avoided a letdown by setting a new Ole Miss record for single-game strikeouts with 14 in the 3-2 win over Creighton in the OSU Cowgirl Classic. She earned her fourth consecutive complete-game win and second straight eight-inning victory. A southpaw from Missouri City, Texas, Hughes has allowed only three earned runs in her last 41.2 innings-pitched (0.51 ERA). She leads the Rebels this season with a 4-2 record, a 2.02 ERA and 47 strikeouts.
