The University of Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Game Notes
2/22/2002 | Baseball
Feb. 22, 2002
Ole Miss Game Notes Release in PDF Format
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Final 2001 South Alabama Statistics
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 | 4 | 0 | .571 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 4-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | Lost 4 |
| Ole Miss | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0-0 | 5-0 | 5-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | Won 5 |
TODAY'S PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UP
| TEAM | No. | Name | Yr. | L/R | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | BB | SO | VS. OPPONENT | NOTES |
| USA | 25 | Sam Smith | Sr. | R | 9.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.89 | 1 | 8 | First meeting | Two-time All-Region, All-Conf., at Trinidad (CO) St. CC |
| UM | 21 | J.R. Pickens | Jr. | R | 7.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.29 | 3 | 8 | First meeting | Earned the W in UM debut vs. JSU (7 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 SO) |
UPCOMING PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UPS (RADIO/TV)
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 (5-0) looks to start 6-0 for the first time since 1995 when the Rebels host the South Alabama Jaguars (4-4) in game two of their three-game series today at 1:30 p.m., at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Ole Miss won yesterday's series opener 12-5. The Rebels will send junior right-hander J.R. Pickens (1-0, 1.29 ERA) to the mound. Pickens won his Ole Miss starting debut last Saturday against Jacksonville State, working seven complete innings, allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits and three walks, while striking out eight in an 8-4 win. South Alabama will counter with senior right-hander Sam Smith (1-0, 2.89 ERA) as the Jaguars look to end a four-game losing streak.
TV/RADIO: Today's game can be heard locally in Oxford on WTNM Supertalk Mississippi 105.5 FM beginning at 1:15 p.m., with the Ole Miss Pregame Show. 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. NOTE: The NCBWA released an earlier poll that was incorrect, listing Alabama twice and Ole Miss as No. 9.
LAST TIME OUT: Burney Hutchinson and Drew Rogers had four hits and two RBIs each, and freshman Seth Smith capped a four-run eighth inning with a two-run home run to lead No. 10 Ole Miss to a 12-5 win over South Alabama yesterday. Pete Montrenes (2-0) pitched seven innings to earn the win, overcoming three errors to allow five runs, two earned, on nine hits and one walk. He also struck out four. Adam Yates tossed two scoreless innings to earn his second save. Jaguar starter Eric Thomas (1-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing six runs on seven hits in four-plus innings. Rogers also homered in the contest, hitting a one-out solo shot in the first to tie the game at 1-1.
AFTER FIVE GAMES LAST YEAR: Ole Miss was 4-1 after five games last season ... The Rebels had a .338 batting average (50x148) with nine home runs, 41 RBIs, 11 doubles and three triples ... The Rebels had outscored the opposition 45-30 ... Ole Miss was 2-of-4 in stolen bases and had hit into one double play ... Ole Miss pitchers had a 4.38 ERA (39.0 IP, 19 ER), allowing 36 hits, with four home runs, walked 24 and struck out 35 ... The Rebels had committed six errors and had a .964 fielding percentage.
BIANCO IN ELITE COMPANY: Head Coach Mike Bianco's .654 winning percentage at Ole Miss ranks second among Ole Miss coaches after 68 games at Ole Miss. Pete Shields holds the best mark, guiding the Rebels to a .699 winning percentage with a mark of 47-20-1 over the course of the 1923-26 seasons. Bianco is 44-23-1 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 22nd meeting between Ole Miss and South Alabama, with the Jaguars holding a 12-9 advantage ... Ole Miss has won five of the last seven meetings ... The Rebels are 5-3 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 78-47 (.624 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 9-12 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 enter today's game having dropped four straight after starting the season 4-0. Two of those losses have come against top 10 teams, dropping a 4-3 decision to No. 8 Wichita State last Saturday and losing 12-5 to No. 10 Ole Miss yesterday. USA is hitting .322 as a team with nine homers and have outscored the opposition 62-33. Senior catcher Shane Scoville leads the team in hitting with a .462 (12x26) average. Junior outfielder Ryan Mulhern is batting at a .400-clip (12x30) with two home runs and a team-leading nine RBIs. Mulhern's two homers is also tied for the team high. As a team, USA has been successful in 14-of-17 steal attempts. The Jaguar pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.31 (68.0 IP, 25 ER), and opponents are hitting .244 against them with four home runs.
REBEL DIAMOND NOTES: Ole Miss' 5-0 record matches its best start since 1995 ... The Rebels have trailed at one point in four of their five wins this season ... Ole Miss has recorded at least 13 hits in all five games, and has scored in double figures three times ... The Rebels have committed at least two errors in four of the five games ... Ole Miss is outscoring the opposition 32-13 from the fifth inning on, including 11-2 during the eighth inning.
