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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Game Notes
5/10/2002 | Baseball
May 10, 2002
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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Friday, May 10, 2002
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Site: Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field (3,500) * Oxford, Mississippi
TV: None
Radio: Tonight's game, and all three games for the remainder of the season, can be heard on stations along the Ole Miss Radio Network. Air time is 6:15 p.m., with David Kellum and Gary Darby. Tonight's broadcast can also be heard over the internet at www.OleMissSports.com.
RECORDS
| TEAM | W | L | T | PCT. | SEC | NON-CONF. | HOME | AWAY* | STRK |
| Arkansas | 25 | 21 | 0 | .543 | 8-13 | 17-8 | 16-9 | 9-12 | L2 |
| Ole Miss | 35 | 13 | 0 | .729 | 14-10 | 21-3 | 26-6 | 9-7 | W1 |
REBELS VS. RAZORBACKS:
Arkansas leads 22-10
Last Series: Arkansas won 2-1 on April 6-8, 2001 in Fayetteville.
THE COACHES
Ole Miss - Mike Bianco (LSU, 1989) is in his second season with the Rebels ... He is 74-36-1 (.671 winning percentage) at Ole Miss, and has a five-year career record of 174-107-1 (.619) ... His .668 winning percentage is first among Ole Miss coaches with at least 100 games coached ... Bianco is 1-2 versus Arkansas.
Arkansas - Norm DeBriyn (Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 1963) is in his 32nd year as the head coach of the Razorbacks ... He has a career record of 1,151-643-6 (.642), and entered the 2002 season 10th among active coaches for victories ... DeBriyn is 22-10 versus Ole Miss.
NATIONAL RANKINGS
Ole Miss - #12 Collegiate Baseball; #13 NCBWA; #14 Baseball America; #15 Baseball Weekly/ESPN;
Arkansas - NR
TONIGHT'S PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UP
ARK- Charlie Isaacson (Sr., RHP, 3-6, 2.95)
UM- Pete Montrenes (Sr., RHP, 8-4, 4.93)
NOTING MONTRENES: Will make his first Friday night start since the SEC opener at Florida, March 15 ... Is 0-2 with an 11.68 ERA (12.1 IP, 16 ER) in his last three starts, however, he held South Carolina to two runs, one earned, on five hits and five walks, and struck out seven in six innings last Saturday ... Needs two wins to become the 11th pitcher to win 20 games at Ole Miss.
REST OF WEEKEND'S PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UPS
SATURDAY
ARK- Gary Hogan, Jr. (Jr., RHP, 3-6, 4.80)
UM- Alan Horne (Fr., RHP, 5-1, 3.83)
NOTING HORNE: Has won his last five decisions ... Last loss was at Florida on Mar. 17 (1.1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 5 BB) ... Has recorded a quality start (at least 6 IP, 4 ER or less) in his last five starts, going 4-0 with a 2.56 ERA (31.2 IP, 9 ER) ... Struck out a season-high six over a season-long 7.1 innings last Sunday at South Carolina to earn the win (2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 BB).
SUNDAY
ARK- TBA
UM- TBA
REGULAR OLE MISS STARTING LINE-UP
| Pos. | Name | Yr. | B-T | BA-HR-RBI | NOTES |
| C | Charlie Waite | Jr. | R-R | .271-1-17 | Career-best 5-game hit streak; 10-16 (.625) with 5 RBIs. |
| 1B | Bryce Morrison | Jr. | L-R | .327-4-20 | Is in 3x19 (.158) slump over his last eight games. |
| or Dustin Cliburn | Jr. | R-R | .246-2-10 | Charged w/first errors of '02 last wknd.; 2x15 last 6 games. | |
| 2B | Matt Tolbert | So. | B-R | .269-2-15 | Had a career-best 5-game hit streak from April 23-May 3. | 3B | Jonathan Swearingen | Jr. | R-R | .336-3-23 | 4x20 in last five games. |
| or Clint Farrar | Sr. | B-R | .260-1-18 | Is 0x18 slump over his last six games. | |
| SS | Chad Sterbens | Jr. | R-R | .363-4-45 | 24-game SEC hit streak; Career-long 14-game streak overall |
| LF | Drew Rogers | Jr. | R-R | .378-5-28 | Started as DH last weekend at USC; 5x9, HR, 3 RBIs |
| CF | Burney Hutchinson | Sr. | L-R | .345-8-34 | Hit first HR last Sun. @ USC in 85 ABs dating back 3/31 @ Ky. |
| RF | Seth Smith | Fr. | L-L | .402-4-44 | Enters weekend fifth in the SEC in batting. |
| DH | Josh Christian | Sr. | R-R | .294-7-37 | On season-best 6-game hit streak; 10x27 (.370), 2 HRs, 4 RBIs |
TOP RELIEVERS
| R/L | Name | Yr. | W-L/SV/ERA | NOTES |
| R | Adam Yates | So. | 1-0/4/2.09 | Unscored upon in 5 of last 6 Apps; 1.39 ERA (13.0 IP, 2 ER) |
| R | T.J. Beam | Jr. | 2-2/6/3.18 | Tied for 3rd in the SEC in saves. |
| R | Al Simontis | Jr. | 4-2/2/5.01 | 18.00 ERA (5.0 IP, 10 ER) in last four appearances. |
| R | Nick Bradshaw | So. | 1-2/0/7.08 | Scored upon in 4 of last 5 apps.; 9.65 ERA (9.1 IP, 10 ER) |
REBEL GAME NOTES
AT A GLANCE: No. 12 Ole Miss (35-13, 14-10 SEC) begins a five games in five-day stretch tonight when the Rebels host the Arkansas Razorbacks (25-21, 8-13 SEC) in the opener of a three-game Southeastern Conference series at 6:30 p.m., at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Game two of the series is set for Saturday at 4 p.m., and the series-finale will be Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Following this weekend's series, Ole Miss will travel to Arkansas State for a 6:30 p.m., game on Monday and then host McNeese State Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m.
REBELS NEXT FIVE GAMES
Date Opponent Time Friday Arkansas 6:30 p.m. Saturday Arkansas 4 p.m. Sunday Arkansas 1:30 p.m. Monday at Arkansas State 6:30 p.m. Tuesday McNeese State 6:30 p.m.LAST TIME OUT: Freshman RHP Alan Horne struck out a season-high six over a season-long 7.1 innings to earn his fifth straight win as Ole Miss salvaged the final game of last weekend's series at No. 4 South Carolina, with a 4-2 win on Sunday. Horne limited the Gamecocks to two runs on two hits and six walks. The Rebels used three home runs for a four-run sixth inning to take a 4-1 lead. Junior SS Chad Sterbens gave Ole Miss the lead with a two-run shot, and a batter later, Burney Hutchinson and Josh Christian connected for back-to-back solo home runs. Junior RHP T.J. Beam pitched a scoreless ninth inning to register his sixth save of the year.
SCOUTING ARKANSAS: The Razorbacks enter this weekend's series with a 25-21 record, including an 8-13 mark in the conference. Arkansas is ninth in the overall SEC standings, trailing Mississippi State by two games for the eighth and final spot to the SEC Tournament. The Razorbacks are 11th in the SEC in hitting with a .270 team batting average. Freshman OF Kirk McConnell is hitting .303 and is the only regular with a .300-average or better. Junior Ryan Fox leads the team with 43 RBIs, and senior Michael Conner has belted a team-high 13 home runs. The Arkansas pitching staff is sixth in the conference with a 4.15 ERA, and opponents are hitting .274 against them with 33 HRs. The Razorbacks rank sixth in the SEC in fielding percentage at .965, having been charged with 63 errors in 46 games this season.
AFTER 48 GAMES LAST SEASON: The Rebels were 34-13-1 after 48 games last season ... Ole Miss was hitting .307 (510x1,661) with 90 doubles, 16 triples, 44 home runs and 301 RBIs ... The Rebels stole 41 bases in 60 attempts and grounded into 37 double plays ... They were outscoring their opponents 347-250 ... Rebel pitchers had a 4.26 ERA (425.0 IP, 201 ER), allowing 435 hits, including 36 home runs, walked 157 and had struck out 324 ... Ole Miss had committed 64 errors in 48 games.
REBEL NOTEBOOK:
* Head Coach Mike Bianco is aiming for his 75th win at Ole Miss and his 175th career win overall ... Bianco enters tonight's game with a 74-36-1 (.671) record at Ole Miss and a career mark of 174-107-1 (.619) in four-plus seasons at Ole Miss and McNeese State (1998-2000).
* The Rebels are 2-4 since being a season-high 24 games over .500, at 33-9 on April 23 ... All six games during that span have been SEC contests.
* Ole Miss is 13-24 during the month of May since 1999.
HITTING NOTES
* The Rebels have homered in four straight games, hitting eight during that span, including three straight multi-home run games.
* Ole Miss enters the weekend ranked second in the SEC in hitting and on-base percentage, with a team batting average of .322 and a team on-base percentage of .402.
* Ole Miss has hit into a double play in five of the last six games, and has hit into the third-highest total in the SEC this season at 38 ... The Rebels bounced into five twin-kllings during the Tennessee series, April 26-28.
* Ole Miss is hitting .288 and averaging 5.4 runs per game in the last 10 games, 34 points less than its season average of .322, and nearly two runs less than its average of 7.3 runs per game.
PITCHING NOTES
* Rebel pitchers have held opponents to a .259 batting-average-against, the third lowest in the SEC.
* Opponents have recorded 10 or more hits off Ole Miss pitching in four of the last six games.
* Opponents are hitting .300 against Rebel pitching over the last 10 games, and the pitching staff has recorded a 5.75 ERA (87.2 IP, 56 ER) during that span.
* Ole Miss pitchers have fanned 54 in the last seven games, an average of 7.7 strikeouts per game, while issuing 27 walks.
* Junior RHP J.R. Pickens' complete game against LSU on March 22 in Oxford is the Rebels' only complete game of the season. Last season, the Ole Miss pitching staff had recorded four complete games through 48 games.
FIELDING NOTES
* The Rebels are 11th in the SEC in fielding with a team fielding percentage of .955.
* Ole Miss has committed at least one error in eight straight games.
SEC NOTES
* Ole Miss can clinch a spot in the 2002 SEC Tournament with a win tonight over Arkansas AND a Tennessee loss to South Carolina.
* The Rebels have lost 17 of their last 18 SEC series when losing the series opener ... Ole Miss' 2-1 series victory over Auburn, April 12-14 in Oxford, snapped a string of 15 consecutive conference series losses when the Rebels lost game one.
* Ole Miss needs three wins to tie the school record for SEC wins in a season at 17, set twice previously by the 1999 and 2001 squads.
* The Rebels have batted .320 (69x216) in their last two SEC series against Tennessee and South Carolina, however, the Ole Miss pitching staff has a 6.66 ERA (52.2 IP, 39 ER) in the last two weekends.
* Ole Miss is 7-3 against SEC Western Division opponents this season, including the Rebels' 8-4 win over Mississippi State in the April 3 Mayor's Trophy game in Jackson, Miss.
IN THE POLLS: Ole Miss is ranked as high as No. 12 in this week's Collegiate Baseball Top 30, dropping out of the top 10 in any of the four major polls for the first time since April 1. The Rebels are No. 13 in the NCBWA poll, No. 14 in Baseball America and No. 15 in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches Top 25. The following chart shows the Rebels' week-by-week rankings in all four of the major college baseball polls.
| Baseball | Baseball | Collegiate | ||
| America | Weekly | Baseball | NCBWA | |
| Preseason | 20 | 18 | 14 | 17 |
| February 4 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 11 |
| February 11 | 20 | 18 | 12 | 11 |
| February 18 | 20 | 18 | 10> | 10 |
| February 25 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 14 |
| March 4 | 19 | 12 | 9 | 12 |
| March 11 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| March 18 | 24 | 17 | 16 | - |
| March 25 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 17 |
| April 1 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 12 |
| April 8 | 15 | 13 | 9 | 8 |
| April 15 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 11 |
| April 22 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| April 29 | 11 | 13 | 9 | 13 |
| May 6 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 13 |
REBELS CHASING SCHOOL RECORD FOR WINS: Ole Miss' 35-13 record equals the best mark after 48 games in school history, tying the 1986 team that went on to finish 38-17. The 2002 Rebels are currently five wins shy of tying the school single-season of 40, set by the 1995 team. Entering tonight's game, the 2002 squad is two games ahead of the pace of the 1995 team, that was 33-15 after 48 games. The following chart compares the 2002 team to the teams that have posted the four best records in school history:
Year W-L-T Pct. Final Record 2002 35-13-0 .729 41-15** 1995 33-15-0 .688 40-22 1977 33-15-0 .688 39-19 2001 34-13-1 .719 39-23-1 1986 35-13-0 .729 38-17
** - projected 56-game record; based on current winning percentage.
RAIN CHECK: Ole Miss' game at Arkansas State Monday will be the rescheduled game from April 30, that was rained out due to heavy thunderstorms in the Jonesboro-area that day.
TUESDAY TO BE FAN APPRECIATION DAY: Tuesday's home game with McNeese State will also be Fan Appreciation Day at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field, as all season ticket holders with an unused ticket or torn ticket stub will be admitted free. Season ticket holders without an unused ticket or torn ticket stub, can pick up a free ticket on game day at the Swayze Field Ticket Office. Regular individual game tickets are also available for purchase at the Ole Miss Athletic Ticket Office, or at the Swayze Field Ticket Office on game day. Tuesday's game with McNeese State is a make-up game for the Rebels' March 12 game at Louisiana-Monroe that was canceled due to inclement weather.
SEC TOURNAMENT TICKETS ON SALE: Fans can now order tickets for the 2002 SEC Tournament, scheduled for May 22-26 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Birmingham, Ala., either on the phone or over the internet at www.secsports.com. Fans can also purchase tickets at the official Ole Miss Athletic web site, www.OleMissSports.com, by clicking on the SEC Baseball Tournament logo on the right-side of the front page. To order by phone, the number to call is 1-205-933-1280 or 1-800-240-2300. Prices are $90 for reserved box seats, $15 for a single-game reserved seat, $48 for a Dr. Pepper Six-Pack general admission book, and $10 for a single-game general admission ticket.
REBELS HAVE FOUR NAMED TO SMITH AWARD WATCH LIST: Ole Miss has four players on the watch list for the 2002 Rotary Smith Award, presented to the nation's top collegiate player: senior OF Burney Hutchinson, senior RHP Pete Montrenes, junior RHP J.R.Pickens, and freshman OF Seth Smith. The first round of voting for the first 15th-annual award will begin in May, and the winner will be announced June 24 in Houston.
FARRAR FINALIST FOR THE BOYD McWHORTER SEC SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD: Senior INF Clint Farrar was a finalist for this year's H. Boyd McWhorter SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award and will receive a $5,000 scholarship for post-graduate studies.
OLE MISS TO HONOR 11 SENIORS SUNDAY: Ole Miss will honors its 11-member senior class prior to Sunday's series finale with Arkansas. The four-year record of the Class of 2002 entering tonight's game is 138-91-1 (.602 winning percentage) and has made appearances in the 1999 and 2001 NCAA Regionals. Four-year members of this year's senior class include: INF Clint Farrar (Clinton, Miss.), OF Burney Hutchinson (Tupelo, Miss.), LHP Nathan Lyons (Kennett, Mo.), RHP/OF Glen Morris (Jackson, Miss.), and INF Banks Robinson (Camilla, Ga.). Other members of the Class of 2002 are: C Thomas Carter (Gulfport, Miss.), 1B/DH Josh Christian (Clinton, Miss.), LHP Mike Gray (Chatham, Ontario, Canada), C Rusty McDaniels (Centreville, Miss.), RHP Pete Montrenes (Fountain Valley, Calif.), and OF Jon Reeder (Pontotoc, Miss.).
"HOME SWEET HOME:" With a 26-6 record at the friendly confines of Oxford-University Stadium/ Swayze Field, Ole Miss has set a new stadium record for home wins in a season, eclipsing the previous mark of 25 set by the 1995 and 2001 squads. The overall school record for home wins in a season is 28 set by the 1986 club at old Swayze Field. Ole Miss' current home, was opened in 1989.
REBELS SET HOME ATTENDANCE MARK: Entering tonight's contest, Ole Miss has drawn a total of 76,040 fans in 32 home dates this season to set a new Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field record for total home attendance, smashing the old record of 58,929 established in 2001. The Rebels are averaging 2,376 fans per game to put them on pace to break the stadium record for average attendance per game of 2,100 set in 1999.
FABULOUS FROSH: Freshman OF Seth Smith enters tonight's game with Arkansas having set Ole Miss freshman records for hits (68), singles (55), total bases (90), and runs batted in (44). His .402 batting average and .461 on-base percentage entering tonight would also be records. Smith also needs one stolen base and two home runs to tie the school freshman marks in those categories.
SMITH EARNS MIDSEASON HONORS FROM BASEBALL AMERICA: Freshman outfielder Seth Smith was named a Midseason Freshman All-America by Baseball America on April 12 in its midseaon review issue.
REBELS RECORD FIFTH STRAIGHT 30-WIN SEASON: With the 8-1 win over Arkansas State on April 16 in Oxford, Ole Miss secured a fifth straight 30-win season for the first time in school history. Prior to the current five-year run, the Rebels' longest streak of consecutive 30-win seasons was three from 1993-1995, under former Ole Miss All-American Don Kessinger. This year's team was also the fastest to reach the 30-win mark, doing so in its 38th game of the season, three better than the 1986 team that did so in 41 games.
BEAM HONORED BY SEC: Junior right-hander T.J. Beam was named the SEC's Pitcher of the Week on April 22, for his performance during the week of April 15-21. He recorded the save in both of Ole Miss' wins at No. 2 Alabama, and had a streak of 12.2 scoreless innings before being snapped in the eighth inning against Tennessee last Friday. It was also the first earned run he allowed since March 16 at Florida, totaling a span of 19.2 innings over 11 appearances.
HUTCHINSON NAMED SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior outfielder Burney Hutchinson was named the SEC's Player of the Week, for the week of April 8-14. In five games that week, Hutchinson batted .524 (11x21), with four doubles, three RBIs and seven runs scored. He was also walked once for a .545 on-base average and had a .714 slugging percentage. In that weekend's series with Auburn, he was 7x13 (.538) with three doubles, three RBIs and four runs scored, including going 4x5 with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored in Sunday's rubber-match to help the Rebels to a 10-2 win.
FLORIDA SERIES RECAP
MARCH 15-17 * GAINESVILLE, FLA.
* Ole Miss drops its third straight SEC opening series, and its fourth in the last six years as Florida sweeps a three-game series from the Rebels.
* The Gators record 45 hits in the series and outscore the Rebels 48-17.
* The 24-5 loss in the opener on March 15 marks Ole Miss' worse defeat since losing 24-5 at TCU on March 16, 1994 ... The loss is also the largest to an SEC opponent since Vanderbilt blanked Ole Miss 21-0 in the 1980 SEC Tournament, played in Gainesville, Fla., and is the Rebels' worse regular-season SEC loss since 1936 when they lost 28-7 to LSU.
* Junior SS Chad Sterbens is 7x14 in the series and hits his first career home run with a solo shot in the sixth to pull the Rebels to within 6-3 during a 7-6 loss.
LSU SERIES RECAP
MARCH 22-24 * OXFORD, MISS.
* Ole Miss rebounds to win its first SEC series of the year and its first against LSU since 1998, as the Rebels take 2-of-3 from the Tigers.
* Junior RHP J.R. Pickens records Ole Miss' only complete-game performance, to date, in a 9-3 win in the Friday night game (9.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO).
* Josh Christian hit his first career grand slam in the bottom of the eighth inning on Sunday to lift the Rebels to a 10-7 win in the rubber-match.
* Sunday's win sparked a 12-game winning streak for the Rebels, the fourth-longest in school history.
KENTUCKY SERIES RECAP
MARCH 30-31 * LEXINGTON, KY.
* Ole Miss records its first SEC series sweep of the season, and its fourth under Head Coach
Mike Bianco.
* Friday's game is rained out, forcing the two teams to play a twinbill on Saturday, March 30 ... The Rebels overcome a 5-0 defict in game one for a 9-5 win, and score five runs in the final four innings to rally for a 5-4 win.
* Junior OF Drew Rogers records nine straight hits in the series and reaches base safely in 10 consecutive plate appearances after striking out twice and grounding to second in his first three at bats of game one ... Rogers finishes the series 9x12 with a HR and two RBIs.
* Freshman RHP Alan Horne records his first career victory in Sunday's 12-2 win (5.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 3 SO).
VANDERBILT SERIES RECAP
APRIL 5-7 * OXFORD, MISS.
* Ole Miss sweeps its second straight SEC series to extend its win streak to 10 games, including seven straight in the SEC ... It is the first time Ole Miss has won 10 consecutive in the same season since winning 15 straight in 1964.
* Rebel pitchers record a 1.61 ERA (28.0 IP, 5 ER) for the series, and limit the Commodores to a .196 (21x107) batting average.
* Reserve senior OF Jon Reeder goes 2x3, hits his first career home run, records two RBIs, scores two runs and steals three bases in Friday's 9-0 win after replacing starting left fielder Drew Rogers, who suffered a strained left hamstring in the first inning.
* Ole Miss rallies from a 9-1 deficit in the eighth inning to post a 10-9, 10-inning win in the series finale ... Chad Sterbens' two-out, three-run homer in the ninth tied the game at 9-9 ... Ole Miss won the game in the 10th when Burney Hutchinson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Jonathan Swearingen.
AUBURN SERIES RECAP
APRIL 12-14 * OXFORD, MISS.
* Rebels win their fourth straight SEC series for the first time since winning five straight in 1995 ... Ole Miss losses the opener 10-3 before rebounding to win games two and three, 2-1 and 10-2 to snap a string of 15 straight SEC series losses since doing so against LSU on the final weekend of the 1998 season in Oxford.
* Senior RHP Pete Montrenes allows one run on six hits and one walk, fans six over a season-long 8.1 innings to earn the win in a 2-1 pitching duel on Saturday, in a game televised by FOX Sports Net.
* Senior OF Burney Hutchinson goes 7x13 with three doubles, three RBIs and scores four runs in the series to earn SEC Player of the Week honors ... Hutchinson records his fourth career four-hit game, going 4x5 with two doubles and three RBIs in the series finale, including hitting a three-run double in the seventh to break open a 4-2 game in the Rebels' 10-2 victory.
ALABAMA SERIES RECAP
APRIL 19-21 * TUSCALOOSA, ALA.
* Ole Miss wins its fifth straight SEC series, matching its longest streak since 1995, with a 2-1 series win at then-No. 2 Alabama.
* Senior DH Josh Christian hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning on Friday to break a 1-1 tie in the eighth inning and lift the Rebels to a 4-3 win and snap the Crimson Tide's 27-game home win streak dating back to last season.
* Alabama out-hit Ole Miss 33-26 for the series, recording a .327 batting average to the Rebels' .255 ... Tide pitchers had a 3.00 ERA for the series while the Rebel hurlers had a 5.54 ... Alabama stranded 30 runners on base, while Ole Miss left 20.
* Junior right-hander T.J. Beam recorded the save in both of the Rebels' wins to earn SEC Pitcher of the Week honors.
TENNESSEE SERIES RECAP
APRIL 26-28 * OXFORD, MISS.
* The 2-1 series win by Tennessee snapped a string of five straight SEC series wins by the Rebels since they were swept at Floria to open conference play, March 15-17 ... The series loss was the Rebels' seventh straight to Tennessee.
* Ole Miss hit .351 (39x121) for the series, but batted .217 (10x46) with runners in scoring position. The Rebels stranded 36 runners on base in the three games, including 20 in scoring position.
* Sophomore catcher Charlie Waite went 7x10 (.700) at the plate with two RBIs ... Friday's 8-5 loss marked the first time in 28 games this season that Ole Miss lost a game when leading after six innings, and the first time in 30 games when holding the lead after seven.
SOUTH CAROLINA SERIES RECAP
MAY 3-5 * COLUMBIA, S.C.
* Ole Miss dropped its second straight SEC series as the Gamecocks took the first two games for a 2-1 series victory ... The series loss was the Rebels' fifth straight to South Carolina since 1996.
* In the third inning during Friday's game, the two teams combined to score 19 runs on 18 hits, including six home runs, and sent a total of 25 batters to the plate ... Ole Miss scored 10 runs during the top half of the frame to take a 10-4 lead, before South Carolina plated nine in the bottom half to take a 13-10 lead in a 17-12 win.
* South Carolina hit three home runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to score four runs to post a 6-4 win in game two of the series. Brian Buscher hit the game-winner with a two-run shot to break a 4-4 tie.
* Freshman RHP Alan Horne struck out a season-high six over a season-long 7.1 innings to win his fifth straight decision, as the Rebels salvaged the final game 4-2 ... The two-run margin was the eighth two-run game played between the two teams in the last 10 meetings, with South Carolina having won six of the eight two-run contests.
* South Carolina hit 10 home runs off Rebel pitching in the series and batted .319 (36x113) in the three games.
* Junior SS Chad Sterbens went 6x15 with two HRs and seven RBIs in the series, and extended his SEC hitting streak to 24 games.
TONIGHT'S STARTING PITCHER
#6- PETE MONTRENES (SR., RHP)
2002 HIGHLIGHTS: Is making his 14th start of the season ... Is currently tied for third in the SEC with eight wins ... Is tied for second in the conference in games started (13) and is tied for fifth in runners picked off (4) ... Recorded a quality start in 8-of-13 outings this season (at least 6 IP, 4 ER or less) ... Won his first four starts of the season against Jacksonville State (2/15), South Alabama (2/22), Eastern Illinois (3/1) and Indiana State (3/8) ... Held Eastern Illinois to one run on one hit and a season-high five walks, and also struck out a season-high nine over seven innings ... Worked two innings on a pitch count in a midweek start against Southern Miss on March 19, earning the win (3 H, 2 R, 4 SO) ... Won three consecutive starts against Kentucky (3/30), Vanderbilt (4/6) and Auburn (4/13), posting a 1.59 ERA (22.1 IP, 4 ER) during that span ... Worked a season-long 8.1 innings against Auburn, limiting the Tigers to one run on six hits and one walk, while striking out six ... Is 0-2 with an 11.68 ERA (12.1 IP, 16 ER) in his last three starts versus Alabama (4/20), Tennessee (4/27) and South Carolina (5/4) ... Was lifted in the third inning this against Tennessee (4/27), in what was the shortest start of his career without the limitation of a pitch count (L, 2.0 IP, 5 H 9 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO) ... Took a no decision last Saturday versus the Gamecocks, overcoming five walks, tying a season high, to limit USC to two runs, one earned, on five hits and struck out seven in six-plus innings ... Named 2002 Preseason SEC Pitcher of the Year by Collegiate Baseball newspaper ... Also earned second team preseason All-America honors from Collegiate Baseball.
Career Highlights: Career record of 23-9 with a 4.56 ERA (270.1 IP, 137 ER) in 78 career appearances, including 36 starts, at Southern California (1999-2000) and Ole Miss ... Is 18-8 with a 4.02 ERA (190.1 IP, 85 ER) in 29 starts with the Rebels ... Needs two wins to become the 11th pitcher in school history to win 20 games at Ole Miss ... Has recorded a quality start in 21-of-29 career starts at Ole Miss (at least 6 IP, 4 ER or less) ... The Rebels are 14-7 in games in which Montrenes records a quality start ... Was 10-4 with a 3.45 ERA and struck out 107 last season to join former Ole Miss All-American Jamey Price as the only pitchers in school history to win at least 10 games and record at least 100 strikeouts in a season.
LAST START: Took a no decision in a 6-4 Ole Miss loss to South Carolina last Saturday in Columbia ... Overcame five walks, matching a season-high, to limit the Gamecocks to two runs, one earned, on five hits and struck out seven in six-plus innings ... Held USC hitless through three innings before Garris Gonce led-off the fourth with a home run to give the Gamecocks a 1-0 lead ... Was relieved by T.J. Beam in the top of the seventh after Drew Meyer singled to start the inning, with Ole Miss holding a 4-2 lead ... USC would hit three home runs in the bottom of the ninth off Beam for a 6-4 win.
PRIOR START: Did not make it out of the third inning against Tennessee (4/27) ... Allowed nine runs, five earned, on five hits and two walks in 2.0 innings to mark the shortest start of his career - without the limitation of a pitch count ... The Volunteers scored a run in the first and three in the second, highlighted by Jordan Czarniecki's two-run triple to make it 4-0 ... Was relieved by Nick Bradshaw in the third after the first four batters of the inning reached base safely, and Tennessee leading 7-2.
MONTRENES VS. ARKANSAS: Tonight will be Montrenes' second career start and appearance versus the Razorbacks ... Is 0-1 with a 0.00 ERA versus Arkansas after allowing three unearned runs over eight innings in suffering a 3-2 loss last year on April 6 in Fayetteville.
MONTRENES VS. SEC OPPONENTS: Is 3-4 with a 5.67 ERA (46.0 IP, 29 ER) in eight SEC starts this season ... Has a 9-8 career mark with a 4.52 ERA (129.1 IP, 65 ER) against SEC opponents at both Ole Miss and Southern California.
MONTRENES MISCELLANEOUS: Opponents are hitting .279 (81x290) with five home runs against him ... Lefties are hitting .232 (23x99) against him, and right-handers are batting .304 (58x191) with five home runs ... Has a 1-1 career record in May with a 4.34 ERA (37.1 IP, 18 ER) in eight appearances, including six starts ... Has a 17-5 mark with two saves and a 3.45 ERA (156.2 IP, 60 ER) in 44 career appearances, including 18 starts, at home at both USC and Ole Miss ... Is 15-4 with a 2.99 ERA (111.1 IP, 37 ER) in 16 career starts at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field ... Is 7-2 with a 3.88 ERA (51.0 IP, 22 ER) in eight starts at home this season ...Has a 5-4 record with a 6.21 ERA (100.0 IP, 69 ER) in 31 career road appearances, including 16 starts ... Is 1-2 with a 7.36 ERA (22.0 IP, 18 ER) in four starts away from Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field this season ... Has an 11-3 record with two saves and a 5.15 ERA (122.1 IP, 70 ER) in 47 career day time appearances, including 17 starts ... Is 5-3 with a 4.99 ERA (48.2 IP, 27 ER) in eight day time starts this season ... Is 12-6 with a 4.08 ERA (147.2 IP, 67 ER) in 31 career appearances at night, including 19 starts ... Is 3-1 with a 4.81 ERA (24.1 IP, 13 ER) in five night time starts this season.
