The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Climb To No. 9 In Collegiate Baseball Top 30
4/8/2002 | Baseball
April 8, 2002
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss moved up two spots to No. 9 in this week's Collegiate Baseball Top 30, while the Rebels held their positions at No. 13 in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches Top 25, and at No. 15 in the Baseball America Top 25.
Ole Miss (25-7) enters the week having won 10 straight for its longest winning in-season winning streak since 1964. The Rebels kept the streak intact on Sunday by rallying from a 9-1 deficit in the eighth inning for a 10-9, 10-inning win over Vanderbilt.
The Rebels will put their 10-game winning streak on the line with a pair of midweek games against Memphis Tuesday and Murray State on Wednesday. Both games are scheduled for a 6:30 p.m., start at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Ole Miss will then host Auburn next weekend in a three-game Southeastern Conference series beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The Tigers (11-16) will enter Tuesday's game having won six of their last eight. Junior first baseman Andy Gesell leads Memphis with a .378 average. Sophomore Kyle Scott is batting .256 with a team-best five home runs, and senior Jay Fik is hitting .276 with four homers and a team-best 20 RBIs. Tiger pitchers have a team ERA of 6.27, and opponents are hitting .288 against them with 32 home runs.
Murray State (10-15) is 3-7 in its last 10 games after being swept in a three-game series by Lipscomb this past weekend. The Thoroughbreds are hitting .259 as a team, led by senior Todd Satterfield's .364 average. Senior Mike Voyles is hitting .254 with a team-leading three home runs, and junior Brett McCutchan is batting .281 with two home runs and has driven in a team-high 18 runs. Murray State's pitching staff has a 6.62 team ERA, and opponents are hitting .317 against them with 18 home runs.
Senior left-hander Mike Gray (1-0, 2.79) is scheduled to start on the mound for Ole Miss Tuesday night against Memphis, and junior right-hander Kyle Bateman (1-0, 1.42) is slated to draw the start versus Murray State on Wednesday.
Freshman outfielder Seth Smith enters the week riding a nine-game hitting streak, and continues to lead the Rebels with a .430 batting average, and with 33 runs batted in.
All games can be heard locally in Oxford on WTNM Supertalk Mississippi. Tuesday's game with Memphis, and this upcoming weekend's series with Auburn, will be carried by stations on the Ole Miss Radio Network.
