Baseball Game Notes

Feb. 21, 2002

Ole Miss Game Notes in PDF Format
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Ole Miss Roster
Ole Miss Statistics

Official South Alabama Web Site
South Alabama Roster and Bios
Final 2001 South Alabama Statistics

NOTE: The NCBWA released an earlier poll that was incorrect, listing Alabama twice and Ole Miss as No. 9.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Feb. 22, 2002
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Site: Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field

RECORDS

TEAM	W	L	T	PCT.	CONF.	NON-CONF.	HOME	ROAD	NEUTRAL	STREAK
South Alabama	4	3	0	.571	0-0	4-3	4-2	0-1	0-0	Lost 3
Ole Miss	4	0	0	1.000	0-0	4-0	4-0	0-0	0-0	Won 4

TODAY'S PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UP

TEAM

No.

Name

Yr.

L/R

ERA

VS. OPPONENT

NOTES

USA

Eric Thomas

Jr.

10.0

0.00

First meeting

Drafted in 11th rd., by Detroit in 2001 MLB Draft

Pete Montrenes

Sr.

6.0

3.00

First meeting

2002 CB Preseason SEC Pitcher of the Year

UPCOMING PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UPS (RADIO/TV)
SATURDAY VS. SOUTH ALABAMA: Sam Smith (Sr., RHP, 1-0, 2.89) vs. J.R. Pickens (Jr., RHP, 1-0, 1.29 ERA) (WTNM Supertalk Mississippi 105.5 FM)
SUNDAY VS. SOUTH ALABAMA: Clark Girardeau (2-0, 2.03) vs. Nick Bradshaw (So., RHP, 0-0, 4.76 ERA) (Ole Miss Radio Network)

REBEL GAME NOTES
AT A GLANCE: No. 10 Ole Miss (4-0) looks to start 5-0 for the first time since 1995 when the Rebels host the South Alabama Jaguars (4-3) today at 3 p.m., at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field, in the opener of a three-game weekend series. The Rebels moved to 4-0 for the first time since 1996 with a 20-6 win over Mississippi Valley State Tuesday in Oxford. The Jaguars come into this weekend's series looking to snap a three-game losing streak, after falling 7-3 to Southern Miss Tuesday in Hattiesburg. Senior right-hander Pete Montrenes (1-0, 3.00) is scheduled to start for Ole Miss, while South Alabama is expected to counter with junior right-hander Eric Thomas (1-1, 0.00).

TV/RADIO: Today's game can be heard locally in Oxford on WTNM Supertalk Mississippi 105.5 FM beginning at 2:45 p.m., with the Ole Miss Pregame Show. David Kellum and Gary Darby will call the action. The game can also be heard over the internet on the official Ole Miss athletic web site at www.OleMiss Sports.com.

EYE ON THE POLLS: Ole Miss is ranked No. 10 in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) poll, up one spot from last week. The Rebels also jumped two spots in this week's Collegiate Baseball Top 30 to No. 10. The top 10 rankings are believed to mark just the second time since the Rebels finished the 1972 season ranked No. 9, by Collegiate Baseball, that Ole Miss has been in the top 10. The other time the Rebels cracked the top 10 was in the April 30, 2001 Collegiate Baseball poll when Ole Miss was No. 9. The Rebels maintained their positions in the Baseball Weekly and Baseball America polls with rankings of No. 18 and No. 20, respectively. The Rebels are one of five SEC teams to be ranked in all four polls, joining Florida, LSU, Mississippi State and South Carolina.

LAST TIME OUT: Ole Miss scored nine runs in the first two innings to build a 9-2 lead and cruise to a 20-6 win over Mississippi Valley State Tuesday. Junior shortstop Chad Sterbens went 4-for-5, to tie a career high for hits, and had two RBIs to pace the Rebels' 19-hit attack. Junior Dustin Cliburn homered in his first career at bat in the sixth inning to extend Ole Miss' lead to 18-6. Sophomore right-hander Adam Yates (1-0), the first of seven Rebel pitchers, worked two innings to earn the win.

AFTER FOUR GAMES LAST YEAR: Ole Miss was 3-1 after four games last season ... The Rebels had a .322 batting average (39x121) with six home runs, 33 RBIs, nine doubles and one triples ... The opposition had outscored Ole Miss 36-30 ... The Rebels stole 2-of-4 bases and had not hit into a double play ... Ole Miss pitchers had a 5.34 ERA (32.0 IP, 19 ER), allowing 35 hits, with four home runs, walked 23 and struck out 31 ... The Rebels had committed six errors and had a .956 fielding percentage.

BIANCO IN ELITE COMPANY: Head Coach Mike Bianco's .649 winning percentage at Ole Miss ranks second among Ole Miss coaches after 67 games at Ole Miss. Pete Shields holds the best mark, guiding the Rebels to a .694 winning percentage with a mark of 46-20-1 over the course of the 1923-26 seasons. Bianco is 43-23-1 with the Rebels and guided Ole Miss to a 39-23-1 record last year in his first season.

SERIES INFO: Today's game marks the 21st meeting between Ole Miss and South Alabama, with the Jaguars holding a 12-8 advantage. Ole Miss has won four of the last six meetings, earning 2-1 series wins in 1999 and 2000 ... The Rebels are 4-3 against USA in Oxford, 2-9 in Mobile, and 2-0 at neutral sites. The two neutral site wins for Ole Miss came in the 1972 NCAA District III Playoffs, where the Rebels won two straight from the Jaguars to advance to their last College World Series appearance. The last time the two teams met in Oxford was in 1999.

REBELS VS. THE SUN BELT CONFERENCE: Ole Miss is 77-47 (.621 winning percentage) all-time against teams from the Sun Belt Conference. The Rebels are 10-4 against Arkansas-Little Rock, 49-14 versus Arkansas State, 1-2 versus Louisiana-Lafayette, 6-12 against Middle Tennessee, 5-3 versus New Orleans, and 8-12 against South Alabama. South Alabama is the first of two Sun Belt teams Ole Miss will play this year. The Rebels are also scheduled to play a home-and-home with Arkansas State in April, hosting the Indians on April 16 before traveling to Jonesboro on April 30.

SCOUTING SOUTH ALABAMA: The Jaguars bring a 4-3 mark into today's game, having lost three straight after opening the season with four consecutive victories. USA returns four position starters and eight pitchers from last year's team that went 45-19 and won the Sun Belt Conference. The Jaguars are hitting .332 as a team, so far this season, led by senior catcher Shane Scoville's .478 (11x23) average. Junior outfielder Ryan Mulhern is hitting .385 (10x26), is tied for the team-lead in home runs with two, and has driven in a team-leading nine runs. USA has hit nine home runs in seven games and has been successful in 14-of-17 steal attempts. The Jaguar pitching staff has a team ERA of 1.95 (60.0 IP, 13 ER), and opponents are hitting .218 against them.

REBEL DIAMOND NOTES: Ole Miss is off to its first 4-0 start since 1996 ... The Rebels have trailed at one point in three of their four victories this season ... Ole Miss used 24 players in Tuesday's win over MVSU, with six players making their first career appearances: Kyle Bateman (Jr., RHP), Dustin Cliburn (Jr., INF), Barry Gunther (Fr., C), Dwayne Hall (RSFr., LHP), Holt Montgomery (RSFr., OF), and Chad Pilcher (RSFr., INF) ... The Rebels are hitting .500 (30x60) with runners in scoring position, and .435 (10x23) with runners in scoring position and two outs.

TODAY'S STARTING PITCHER
#6 Pete Montrenes (6-3, 206, Sr., RHP)

* Named 2002 Preseason SEC Pitcher of the Year by Collegiate Baseball newspaper.
* Also earned second team preseason All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball.
* Is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA (6.0 IP, 2 ER) in one start this season.
* Opponents are hitting .217 against him (5x23).

2001 Highlights
* Was a second team All-SEC and ABCA All-South I Region selection in 2001.
* Went 10-4 with a 3.45 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 2001 to join former Rebel All-American Jamey Price as the only pitchers in school history to record at least 10 wins and 100 strikeouts in a season.
* .216 batting-average-against (94x436) was the lowest in the SEC in 2001.
* Ranked second in the SEC in strikeouts and runners picked off, tied for second in wins, was third in ERA and innings pitched, and was fifth in games started.
* Recorded a quality start (at least 6 IP, 4 ER or less) in 13-of-16 starts during 2001.
* Struck out at least seven in nine starts.
* Averaged over seven innings per start and worked at least eight innings in eight starts.

Career Highlights
* .733 career winning percentage at Ole Miss (11-4) ranks ninth on the Ole Miss career list.
* Has recorded a quality start in 14-of-17 career starts at Ole Miss.
* Recorded at least seven strikeouts in 10-of-17 career starts.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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