Rebel Baseball Game Notes

April 26, 2002

Ole Miss Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Ole Miss Roster
Ole Miss Statistics

Tennessee Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Tennessee Roster
Tennessee Statistics

GAME DAY INFORMATION
Date: Friday, April 26, 2002
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Site: Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field * Oxford, Miss.

RECORDS

TEAM	W	L	T	PCT.	SEC	NON-CONF.	HOME	AWAY*	STRK
Tennessee	21	22	0	.488	6-12	15-10	16-9	5-13	W1
Ole Miss	33	9	0	.786	12-6	21-3	25-4	8-5	W2

* - includes neutral site games.

TODAY'S PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UP

TEAM	No.	Name	Yr.	L/R	IP	W	L	SV	ERA	BB	SO	VS. OPPONENT
TENN	45	Ben Riley	So.	L	61.0	3	2	0	5.46	39	53	First appearance
UM	21	J.R. Pickens	Jr.	R	73.2	7	2	0	2.93	20	61	First meeting

UPCOMING PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UPS
Tomorrow: Jeffery Terrell (Jr., LH, 3-6, 4.17) vs. Pete Montrenes (Sr., RH, 8-3, 4.71)
Sunday: TBA vs. Alan Horne (Fr., RH, 3-1, 4.54)

REBEL GAME NOTES
AT A GLANCE: No. 6 Ole Miss (33-9, 12-6 SEC) looks for its 21st win in its last 24 games when the Rebels open a three-game Southeastern Conference series tonight against the Tennessee Volunteers (21-22, 6-12 SEC) at 6:30 p.m,. at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Ole Miss enters tonight's game trailing No. 7 Alabama (35-7, 13-5 SEC) in the SEC Western Division. The Volunteers come into tonight's action three games behind Auburn (27-15, 9-9 SEC) for the eighth and final spot to next month's SEC Tournament. Tonight's game can be heard on stations along the Ole Miss Radio Network and over the internet at www.OleMissSports.com, beginning at 6:15 p.m., with David Kellum and Gary Darby.

LAST TIME OUT: Ole Miss made three first-inning runs stand up as the Rebels downed UT-Martin 3-1 Tuesday evening at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Chad Sterbens had a two-run single and Bryce Morrison added an RBI single as the Rebels scored three runs on four hits in the first inning. Ole Miss would tally just one hit the rest of the night off Jason Venczel (0-6), who would pitch a complete game in taking the loss. Senior left-hander Mike Gray (3-0) pitched three scoreless innings to start the game and earn the win, and Al Simontis pitched a scoreless ninth to record his second save.

BEAM HONORED BY SEC: Junior right-hander T.J. Beam was named the SEC's Pitcher of the Week on Monday by the conference office. He recorded the save in both of Ole Miss' wins at No. 2 Alabama this past weekend, and currently has a streak of 12.1 scoreless innings over his last eight appearances. He has not surrendered an earned run since March 16 at Florida, a span of 19.1 innings over 10 appearances.

IN THE POLLS: Ole Miss jumped six spots in this week's Baseball America Top 25 to No. 6, while moving up one spot to No. 7 in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30, and three places to No. 9 in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches Top 25. The Rebels also moved four places to No. 7 in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association poll from No. 11 last week.

OLE MISS ADDS HOME GAME: Ole Miss will host McNeese State on Tuesday, May 14 at 6:30 p.m., in a make-up game for the Rebels' March 12 game at Louisiana-Monroe being canceled due to inclement weather. Since the ULM game was not originally an Ole Miss home game, all season ticket holders will be admitted free at the gate upon presentation of a torn or unused ticket stub from any earlier played game this season. If you are a season ticket holder, and do not have any unused tickets or stubs, see the Swayze Field Ticket Office on game day for your admission pass. The season ticket holder will have the right to sit in the seats they purchased for the season. Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Ticket Office.

AFTER 42 GAMES LAST SEASON: The Rebels were 28-13-1 after 42 games last season ... Ole Miss was hitting .298 (429x1,440) with 73 doubles, 16 triples, 39 home runs and 252 RBIs ... The Rebels stole 34 bases in 51 attempts and grounded into 33 double plays ... They were outscoring their opponents 292-223 ... Rebel pitchers had a 4.37 ERA (371.0 IP, 180 ER), allowing 378 hits, including 33 home runs, walked 140 and had struck out 280 ... Ole Miss had committed 57 errors in 42 games.

SCOUTING THE VOLUNTEERS: Tennessee enters tonight's game 5-5 in its last 10 games. The Volunteers are hitting .287 as a team, ranking ninth in the SEC. Junior SS Walter Sevilla is the team's leading hitter with a .343 average, including one home run and 25 RBIs. Junior OF Jordan Czarniecki is hitting .331 and leads the team in home runs, six, and runs batted in, 34. Czarniecki has also stole a team-leading 18 bases in 29 attempts, and as a team, the Volunteers have swiped 73 bases in 101 attempts, ranking second in the SEC. The UT pitching staff has a team ERA of 5.39, ranking ninth in the conference, and opponents are hitting .272 against them with 31 home runs.

REBELS VS. VOLUNTEERS: Tonight's meeting is the 49th all-time between Ole Miss and Tennessee dating back to 1907 ... The Volunteers lead the series 25-22-1 ... UT went 3-1 last year against the Rebels, including sweeping a three-game series in Knoxville ... Ole Miss downed the Vols Tennessee has won the last six series between the two teams, including sweeping the Rebels last year in Knoxville ... The Vols swept a rain-shortened two-game set the last time the two teams played in Oxford in 2000 ... Ole Miss' last series win was 2-1 in Oxford in 1991 ... Ole Miss' 17-6 win at last year's SEC Tournament snapped a six-game losing streak to UT, however, the Vols enter tonight's game having won 14 of the last 18 meetings since 1992 ... The Rebels are 13-14 against the Volunteers in Oxford, 7-10 in Knoxville, and 2-1 at neutral sites.

REBEL NOTEBOOK: Ole Miss is 20-3 since being swept at Florida, March 15-17 ... A win tonight would move the Rebels to 25 games above the .500 mark for the first time in school history ... Ole Miss enters this weekend's series having won five straight SEC series for the first time since 1995 ... The Rebels have won 14 of their last 15 SEC series when winning the opener ... Ole Miss is 25-4 at home this season to tie the Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field record for the most wins in a season, set by the 1995 and 2001 teams.

TONIGHT'S STARTING PITCHER
#21 J.R. Pickens (6-1, 210, Jr., RHP)

* Is making his 12th appearance of the season, including his 11th start ... Is 7-2 with a 2.93 ERA (73.2 IP, 24 ER).
* Enters weekend third in the SEC with a 2.93 ERA.
* His .231 batting-average-against is the third lowest in the conference.
* Is tied for sixth in the SEC in strikeouts (61) and innings pitched (63.2).
* Eight hit batsmen is tied for the fifth highest in the SEC.
* Won his first three decisions of the year against Jacksonville State (2/16), Eastern Illinois (3/2) and Indiana State (3/9).
* Turned in a quality start (at least 6 IP, 4 ER or less) in 8-of-10 starts this season ... Is averaging 7.1 innings per start.
* Made his Ole Miss debut in a start against Jacksonville State on Feb. 16, allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits and three walks over seven innings to earn the decision in an 8-4 win ... Also fanned eight against the Gamecocks.
* Worked 8.1 innings against South Alabama (2/23), carrying a shutout into the ninth inning ... Was charged with four runs on five hits and one walk, and struck out eight in taking a no decision as the Jaguars rallied for six runs in the ninth to tie game and force extra innings.
* Struck out a season-high 10 in a start against Eastern Illinois (8.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB).
* Made his first career relief appearance at Louisiana-Monroe (3/13), working a perfect ninth inning.
* Won three consecutive starts against LSU (3/22), Kentucky (3/30) and Vanderbilt (4/5).
* Recorded his first career complete game against LSU, allowing three runs, two earned, on eight hits and three walks, while striking out eight in a 9-3 win.
* Pitched eight scoreless innings against Vanderbilt (4 H, 2 BB, 2 SO).

LAST START: Worked into the eighth inning last Friday at Alabama, earning the win in a 4-3 Ole Miss victory ... Allowed two runs on eight hits and a season-high four walks ... Struck out two ... Threw 103 pitches, 61 for strikes ... Alabama scored a run in the first on back-to-back two-out doubles by Peter Stonard and Jeremy Brown ... Trailing 1-0, pitched out of a one-out, bases loaded jam in the third as he coaxed Beau Hearod to pop out to short and struck out Allen Rice to end the inning ... The Rebels scored a run in the fifth to tie the game at 1-1, and scored three in the eighth on Josh Christian's three-run home run to take a 4-1 lead ... Allowed a lead-off single to Rice to start the eighth ... Was then relieved by Al Simontis ... Alabama would score two in the eighth before T.J. Beam pitched the final 1.1 innings to earn the save.

PREVIOUS START: Had his shortest start of the season against Auburn on April 12, as he was lifted after 5.2 innings ... Allowed 10 runs, four earned, on 11 hits and one walk, and struck out four in suffering the loss in the Rebels' 10-3 defeat ... Retired six of the first seven batters he faced ... Auburn tied the game 1-1 in the third on Sean Gamble's sac fly to center that scored Chuck Jeroloman, who reached on a one-out double ... Javon Moran then reached on a two-out error by first baseman Bryce Morrison to put runners on first and second and set-up Bobby Huddleston's three-run home run to make it 4-1 ... Jeroloman hit a two-out home run in the fourth to give the Tigers a 6-1 lead ... Scott Schade led-off the sixth with a home run to extend Auburn's lead to 7-1 ... After the retiring the next two batters, Jonathan Schuerholtz reached on an error by third baseman Clint Farrar ... Gamble then walked and Moran followed with a single to center that scored Schuerholtz ... Was then relieved by Nick Bradshaw.

PICKENS VERSUS TENNESSEE: Tonight will mark Pickens' first career appearance against the Volunteers.

PICKENS VERSUS THE SEC: Is 4-2 with a 3.53 ERA (43.1 IP, 17 ER) in six conference starts.

PICKENS MISCELLANEOUS:
* Opponents are hitting .231 (66x286) against him with four HRs ... Lefties are batting .191 (18x94) against him and right-handers are batting .250 (48x192) with four homers.
* Ole Miss is 8-2 in games started by Pickens ... The Rebels are scoring an average of 7.4 runs per start by Pickens.
* Is 5-1 with a 3.24 ERA (50.0 IP, 18 ER) in seven day time starts.
* Is 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA (23.2 IP, 6 ER) in four appearances at night, including three starts.
* Is 5-1 with a 2.25 ERA (52.0 IP, 13 ER) in seven starts at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.
* Is 2-1 with a 4.57 ERA (21.2 IP, 11 ER ) in four appearances, including three starts, on the road.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

Related News

Related Videos