The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Baseball Ranked No. 10 Nationally
4/23/2001 | Baseball
April 23, 2001
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss moved to No. 10 in this week's Collegiate Baseball Top 30, up five spots from last week, after sweeping a three-game Southeastern Conference series from Florida this past weekend in Oxford.
The Rebels also moved up three spots in this week's Baseball America Top 25 to No. 15, while Ole Miss stayed at No. 22 in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches Top 25.
"I'm very proud of a lot of the things we've accomplished this year and this is another step the players have taken to raise the level of our program," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. "Of course, it's an honor to be ranked in the top 10 but the players realize there is several weeks of baseball left to be played."
Ole Miss is 30-13-1 overall on the season, including 14-7 in the SEC and tied with LSU and Mississippi State for the SEC Western Division and overall SEC lead. The Rebels are set to host Louisiana-Monroe in a two-game non-conference series beginning Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Wednesday's game is also scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Ole Miss will return to SEC play Friday at 7 p.m., when the Rebels open a three-game series at Vanderbilt.
Junior left-hander Nathan Lyons is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Indians. He is 2-1 with a 5.17 ERA, and has registered two saves in 15.2 innings this season. The Rebels are undecided on a starter for Wednesday.
UL-Monroe will bring a 29-14 record into Tuesday evening's contest, including a 14-7 mark in the Southland Conference. The Indians are currently in second in the SLC.
The Indians have won seven of their last nine, including sweeping a three-game conference series against Sam Houston State this past weekend in Monroe. They are hitting .333 as a team led by freshman catcher Jay Aulds' .463 average. Senior third baseman Willie Core is hitting at a .461-clip with a team-high 44 RBI, and senior infielder Jesse Hoorelbeke is batting .393 and has hit a team-leading nine home runs.
Sophomore right-hander Caleb McConnell is scheduled to start Tuesday's contest. He is 5-1 with a 6.35 ERA in 17 appearances, including five starts this season. Wednesday's starter is scheduled to be senior right-hander Jeremy Fletcher, 3-2 with a 3.16 ERA in 31.1 innings this season.
