Baseball Game Notes

May 17, 2002

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GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Friday, May 17, 2002
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Site: Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium (Approx. 15,000) * Starkville, Mississippi

TELEVISION: Friday- Comcast Sports Southeast (Richard Williams and Jim Ellis). Saturday - SEC-TV (Dave Neal and Larry Conley).

RADIO: Tonight's game, and all 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
Ole Miss	37	16	0	.698	14-13	23-3	27-9	10-7	W2
Arkansas	30	22	1	.575	11-15	19-7-1	19-10-1	11-11	W2

* - includes neutral site games.

REBELS VS. BULLDOGS:
Mississippi State leads 218-172-5
Last Series: May 11-13, 2001 in Oxford; Miss. State won series 2-1.
Last Meeting: Ole Miss won 8-4 in the 23rd annual Mayor's Trophy game at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson, Miss., April 3, 2002

THE COACHES
Ole Miss - Mike Bianco (LSU, 1989) is in his second season with the Rebels ... He is 76-39-1 (.659 winning percentage) at Ole Miss, and has a five-year career record of 176-110-1 (.615) ... Bianco is 2-3 against Mississippi State.

Mississippi State - Ron Polk (Grand Canyon, 1965) is in his first season since back at Mississippi State after coaching the two previous years at Georgia ... Overall it is his 23rd year as the Bulldogs' mentor, compiling a 918-444-1 (.674) record at the school, and has career record of 1152-556-1 (.674) in 29 seasons as a collegiate head coach ... He is 76-43 against the Rebels.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Ole Miss - #16 Collegiate Baseball; #19 Baseball Weekly/ESPN; #22 NCBWA; #24 Baseball America.

Mississippi State - NR.

PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UPS
FRIDAY
UM- Pete Montrenes (Sr., RHP, 8-5, 4.78)
MSU- Paul Maholm (So., LHP, 8-3, 3.74)
NOTING MONTRENES: Is scheduled to make his 15th start of the season ... Is 0-2 with an 8.41 ERA (20.1 IP, 19 ER) in his last four starts.

SATURDAY
UM- Alan Horne (Fr., RHP, 5-1, 4.05)
MSU- Tanner Brock (Sr., RHP, 6-4, 4.44)
NOTING HORNE: Has won five straight decisions since taking the loss at Florida, Mar. 17 ... Allowed four runs or less in five of last seven starts, going 5-0 with a 3.09 ERA (43.2 IP, 15 ER).

SUNDAY
UM- J.R. Pickens (Jr., RHP, 7-3, 3.53)
MSU- TBA
NOTING PICKENS: Is 1-2 with a 4.27 ERA (33.2 IP, 16 ER) in his last six starts ... Suffered the loss Sunday vs. Arkansas (6.0 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO).

REGULAR OLE MISS STARTING LINE-UP

Pos.	Name	Yr.	B-T	BA-HR-RBI	NOTES
C	Charlie Waite	Jr.	R-R	.265-1-18	Batting .357 (25x70) since 3/31 to raise BA from .182 to .265.
1B	Bryce Morrison	Jr.	L-R	.321-5-21	Has an extra-base hit in 3 of last 5 games (2 2Bs, HR).
	or Dustin Cliburn	Jr.	R-R	.270-3-13	10x31 (.323) in his last 11 gms; Hit 1st HR since 4/6 on Monday.
2B	Matt Tolbert	So.	B-R	.274-2-15	4x16 (.250) in his last 5 gms; reached base safely in 4 straight gms.
3B	Jonathan Swearingen	Jr.	R-R	.327-3-25	Leads team with 13 SBs in 14 attempts.
	or Clint Farrar	Sr.	B-R	.271-1-19	Has 3-game hit streak; 3x6 with RBI.
SS	Chad Sterbens	Jr.	R-R	.375-4-46	27-game SEC hit streak; 19-game hit streak overall.
LF	Drew Rogers	Jr.	R-R	.374-6-34	Season-best 8-game hit streak; 12x29 (.414).
CF	Burney Hutchinson	Sr.	L-R	.333-10-42	Needs one RBI to tie UM career mark of 169.
RF	Seth Smith	Fr.	L-L	.419-4-50	GWRBI Tuesday night w/bases loaded single in the ninth.
DH	Josh Christian	Sr.	R-R	.278-7-38	2x17 (.118) in last 5 games.

TOP RELIEVERS

R/L	Name	Yr.	W-L/SV/ERA	NOTES
R	Adam Yates	So.	1-1/4/2.92	Is 0-1 with a 6.23 ERA (8.2 IP, 6 ER) last 6 appearances.
R	T.J. Beam	Jr.	2-2/6/3.86	0-1 with a 10.29 ERA (7.0 IP, 8 ER) last 5 appearances.
R	Al Simontis	Jr.	5-2/2/4.74	Pitched scoreless ninth to earn W Tues. vs. McNeese St.
R	Nick Bradshaw	So.	1-2/0/6.80	Scored upon in 6 of last 7 apps.; 7.90 ERA (13.2 IP, 12 ER)

REBEL GAME NOTES
AT A GLANCE: No. 16 Ole Miss (37-16, 14-13 SEC) will conclude its regular season with a three-game series at arch-rival Mississippi State (30-22-1, 11-15 SEC) beginning tonight with a 6:30 p.m., contest at Dudy Noble Field, Polk-DeMent Stadium in Starkville, Miss. The Rebels can clinch a berth in next week's SEC Tournament with a win over the Bulldogs. Tonight's game will be televised by Comcast Sports Southeast with Richard Williams and Jim Ellis, providing play-by-play and color analysis. The game can also 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: Freshman OF Seth Smith's bases loaded single with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to score Josh Christian lifted Ole Miss to a 3-2 win over McNeese State Tuesday evening at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Smith and junior SS Chad Sterbens both went 2-for-4, however, the Cowboys held an 11-8 advantage in hits. Junior right-hander Al Simontis, the last of five Ole Miss pitchers on the night, pitched an inning of scoreless relief in the ninth to earn the win. Both teams scored a run in the second and McNeese State took a 2-1 lead with a run in the fourth. Drew Rogers tied the game for Ole Miss with an RBI single in the fifth to score Smith.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:
* Mississippi State is 30-22-1 overall and 11-15 in the SEC.
* The Bulldogs are hitting .303 as a team with eight regulars hitting .300 or better ... Sophomore OF Robby Goodson leads the team with a .361 (22x61) average.
* Sophomore 1B Matthew Brinson is hitting .325 with a team-leading 12 home runs and has driven in a team-leading 63 runs.
* Bulldog pitchers have a team ERA of 4.30, and are allowing an average of 8.9 hits and 3.2 walks per game ... Opponents have hit 37 home runs off them this season.
* The pitching staff is averaging 7.2 strikeouts per game.

RECAPING THE MAYOR'S TROPHY:
OLE MISS 8, MISSISSIPPI STATE 4
APRIL 3 * SMITH-WILLS STADIUM, JACKSON, MISS.
* Josh Christian's two-run home run in the seventh extended Ole Miss' lead to 8-4.
* Junior right-hander T.J. Beam struck out six in three scoreless innings of work to earn his second save.
* Junior right-hander Al Simontis worked 3.1 innings of relief for starter Mike Gray to earn the win, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk, while striking out two.
* All nine starters garnered at least one hit as the Rebels out-hit the Bulldogs 15-9.

AFTER 53 GAMES LAST SEASON: The Rebels were 35-17-1 after 53 games last season ... Ole Miss was hitting .302 (549x1,819) with 92 doubles, 18 triples, 49 home runs and 324 RBIs ... The Rebels stole 43 bases in 65 attempts and grounded into 40 double plays ... They were outscoring their opponents 371-274 ... Rebel pitchers had a 4.31 ERA (465.1 IP, 223 ER), allowing 478 hits, including 38 home runs, walked 169 and had struck out 356 ... Ole Miss had committed 75 errors in 53 games.

REBEL NOTEBOOK:
* Head Coach Mike Bianco notched his 75th win at Ole Miss and the 175th for his career in Monday night's 12-4 win at Arkansas State ... Bianco's .659 winning percentage with the Rebels (76-39-1) is first among coaches in school history with at least 100 games at the Rebels.
* The 76-39-1 mark under Bianco's direction marks the most wins in a two-year span in the program history, and the .659 winning percentage is the best in a two-year span since Ole Miss posted a .702 winning percentage under the direction of Tom Swayze in the 1963 and 1964 seasons, going 43-14.
* Ole Miss is 15-27 (.357) during the month of May since 1999.
* The Rebels are 8-3 (.727) in their last 11 games away from Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field since being swept at Florida to open SEC play, March 15-17 in Gainesville.

HITTING NOTES
* Ole Miss enters tonight's game with 600 hits on the season to mark the third time in the past four seasons that the Rebels have registered at least 600 hits in a season ... Ole Miss is 58 hits shy of the school record of 658 set by the 1999 team.
* With 100 doubles, the Rebels have recorded at least 100 two-base hits in four of the past five seasons.
* Ole Miss' 47 home runs is the lowest by the Rebels since hitting only 27 in 54 games during the 1996 season ... The Rebels averaging 1.5 home runs in eight games during May (12 HRs), their highest output of any month this season, bettering the average of 1.1 they hit in 20 games during March (22 HRs).
* Rebel hitters are striking out an average of 5.15 times per game this season (273 SOs/53 games), their lowest average since fanning an average of 5.0 times per game (280 SOs/56 games) in 1989.

PITCHING NOTES
* Ole Miss pitchers have hit 44 batters this season, two shy of the school record of 46 set in 1995 and 1996.
* 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 51 games.

FIELDING NOTES
* The Rebels rank 11th in the SEC in fielding with a .956 team fielding percentage.
* Ole Miss has made at least two errors in 28-of-53 games this season, however, the Rebels have played erorrless defense in two of their last three contests.
* Ole Miss recorded just its ninth errorless game of season Tuesday against McNeese State.

SEC NOTES
* Ole Miss enters tonight's game tied with Auburn for sixth-place in the overall SEC standings with a 14-13 conference mark.
* The Rebels can clinch a berth to next week's SEC Tournament with a win tonight over Mississippi State.
* With one win this weekend, Ole Miss can secure at least a .500 record in SEC play for the first time in back-to-back seasons since the 1977 and 1978 seasons, when the Rebels went 15-9 and 12-11, respectively, in SEC play under Jake Gibbs.
* With a sweep of this weekend's series, Ole Miss can tie the school record for SEC wins in a season with 17, set by the 1999 and 2001 teams.
* The Rebels have lost three straight SEC series since winning 2-of-3 at Alabama, April 19-21 in Tuscaloosa ... They are 2-7 in SEC games during that span.
* Arkansas' three-games sweep of Ole Miss this past weekend in Oxford marked the first time the Rebels have been swept in an SEC series at home since Tennessee won both games of a rain-shortened series in 2000 ... The last time Ole Miss was swept in a three-game conference series at home was in 1999 by South Carolina.
* Rebel hitters drew a total of just five walks in last week's three games series against Arkansas, while striking out 17 times.

REBELS CHASING SCHOOL RECORD FOR WINS: Ole Miss' 37-16 record entering tonight's game tied for the best 53-game record by any team in school history and is three wins shy of the school single-season record of 40 set by the 1995 team. The 2002 team is currently one game ahead of the pace set by the 1995 team, which was 36-17 after 53 games. The following chart compares the top five winningest teams in school history, with each team's record after 52 games:

Year	W-L-T	Pct.	Final Record
*2002*	*37-16-0*	*.698*	39-17**
1995	36-17-0	.679	40-22
1977	36-17-0	.679	39-19
2001	35-17-1	.670	39-23-1
1986	37-16-0	.698	38-17

** - projected 56-game record; based on current winning percentage.

STERBENS CHASING HISTORY: Junior SS Chad Sterbens enters tonight's game against Mississippi State having recorded at least one hit in all 27 SEC games this season. If he can extend that streak through this weekend's series, it is believed he would become the first player in SEC history to record at least one hit in all 30 conference games in a single-season, since the SEC went to a 30-game schedule in 1996.

Four other players are known to have recorded at least one hit in 27 SEC games during the course of an SEC season. The charts on the following page show the longest known SEC hitting streaks and most number of games with at least one hit in conference play in SEC history:

Longest Consecutive SEC Hitting Streaks

Player, School	Year	Games
*Chad Sterbens, Ole Miss*	*2002*	27*
Casey Dunn, Auburn	1997	24
Mailon Kent, Auburn	2000	22
Jeff Pickler, Tennessee	1998	22
Ryan Theriot, LSU	2001	21
Scott Pratt, Auburn	1998	20
Mike Fontenot, LSU	2000	17
Jay Waggoner, Auburn	1994	17

Most Games With At Least One Hit In SEC Play

		Games	Games
Player, School	Year	W/Hit	Played
*Chad Sterbens, Ole Miss*	*2002*	27	27
Jeff Pickler, Tennessee	1998	27	28
Casey Dunn, Auburn	1999	27	30
Brad Henderson, Ole Miss	1997	27	30
Mailon Kent, Auburn	1999	27	30

HUTCHINSON LOOKS TO BREAK CAREER RBI MARK: Senior OF Burney Hutchinson enters tonight's game one RBI shy of tying Kyle Gordon's (1984-87) Ole Miss career record of 168. He also rates in the top in eight other career offensive categories at Ole Miss, including being tied for the all-time lead in triples with 14 (see the updated Ole Miss Record Book on pages 16-18).

IN THE POLLS: Ole Miss is ranked as high as No. 16 in this week's Collegiate Baseball Top 30, dropping four spots from last week. The Rebels also fell four places to No. 19 in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Top 25, nine spots to No. 22 in the NCBWA poll, and 10 notches to No. 24 in the Baseball America 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
May 13	24	19	16	22

"GOOD WORK" CHARLIE: Junior C Charlie Waite was named to the 2002 SEC at-large sports Good Works team on Wednesday by the conference office. Waite is an active participant in the UM CHAMPS Life Skills program. He has read books to elementary school children and joined in game nights at a retirement home. Waite has also taken time to visit veterans' hospitals and give Halloween safety tips at elementary schools. The at-large Good Works Team represents 17 SEC sponsored sports as well as men's soccer and lacrosse. The Good Works Team looks to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to their community in superior service efforts. The honorary team is in its fourth year of existence.

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.

FABULOUS FROSH: Freshman OF Seth Smith enters tonight's game with Mississippi State having set four Ole Miss freshman records this season. He owns marks for hits (80), singles (66), total bases (103), and RBIs (50). He is also on pace to set new school "rookie" marks for batting average (.419) and on-base percentage (.472). Smith is also one stolen base and two home runs shy of the school freshman mark for those categories (see the updated Ole Miss Record Book on pages 16-18).

REBELS HAVE FOUR NAMED TO SMITH 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.

REBELS SET HOME ATTENDANCE MARK: Ole Miss concluded its regular-season home schedule with a total of 84,910 fans passing through the turnstiles at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field in 36 dates to smash the school record for total home attendance of 58,929 set last season in 31 dates. Ole Miss' average attendance for 2002 was 2,358, which would break the school record of 2,100 set in 1999 should the Rebels not have any home postseason games.

"HOME SWEET HOME:" The Rebels' 27-9 record at home this season establishes a new Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field record for wins in a season, surpassing the previous mark of 25 set by the 1995 and 2001 teams. The 27 wins was also one shy of the school record for home wins in a season, set by the 1986 squad at old Swayze Field with 28.

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.

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.

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.

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.

ARKANSAS SERIES RECAP
MAY 10-12 * OXFORD, MISS. * Arkansas swept three games from Ole Miss this past weekend in Oxford to mark the first time the Rebels have been swept in an SEC series at home since Tennessee won both games of a rain- shortened series in 2000 ... The last time Ole Miss was swept in a three-game conference series at home was in 1999 by South Carolina.
* The series loss was the Rebels' third straight since winning five straight series from March 22-April 21.
* Arkansas scored 10 runs in the seventh inning on Saturday to erase a 4-0 deficit and earn an 11-5 win, and scored five runs in the seventh on Sunday to break a 3-3 tie en route to a 10-8 win.
* Freshman OF Seth Smith 8x13 (.615) in the series and junior SS Chad Sterbens 8x14 (.571) to lead the Rebels at the plate.

TONIGHT'S STARTING PITCHER
#6- PETE MONTRENES (SR., RHP)
2002 HIGHLIGHTS: Is making his 15th start of the season ... Is currently tied for fourth in the SEC with eight wins ... Is tied for second in the conference in games started (14) and is fifth in runners picked off (4) ... Recorded a quality start in 9-of-14 outings this season (at least 6 IP, 4 ER or less) ... The Rebels are 6-3 in games in which he records a quality start ... 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 ... 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 8.41 ERA (20.1 IP, 19 ER) in his last four starts since the outing against Auburn ... Averaging 9.6 hits (81.0 IP, 86 H), 4.2 walks (81.0 IP, 38 BB) and 7.4 strikeouts (81.0 IP, 67 SO) per nine 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 23-10 with a 4.53 ERA (278.1 IP, 140 ER) in 79 career appearances, including 37 starts, at Southern California (1999-2000) and Ole Miss ... Is 18-9 with a 3.99 ERA (198.1 IP, 88 ER) in 30 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 22-of-30 career starts at Ole Miss (at least 6 IP, 4 ER or less) ... The Rebels are 14-8 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.

MONTRENES' 2002 PITCHING LOG

DATE	OPPONENT	SCORE	DEC.	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	When he left	Pitches/Strikes
Feb. 15	Jacksonville State (S)	W, 10-2	W	6.0	5	2	2	2	8	0	Leading 4-2	112/71
Feb. 22	South Alabama (S)	W, 12-5	W	7.0	9	5	2	1	4	0	Leading 8-5	117/81
Mar. 1	Eastern Illinois (S)	W, 6-1	W	7.0	1	1	1	5	9	0	Leading 6-1	119/71
Mar. 8	Indiana State (S)	W, 11-8	W	5.0	9	5	4	2	4	1	Leading 8-5	100/65
Mar. 15	at Florida (S)	L, 5-24	L	4.1	7	5	5	4	0	1	Trailing 5-2	97/54
Mar. 19	Southern Miss (S)	W, 7-2	W	2.0	3	2	2	0	4	0	Leading 4-2		51/35
Mar. 23	LSU (S)	L, 5-6	L	6.2	10	5	4	4	2	0	Trailing 5-4	125/77
Mar. 30	at Kentucky -Game 2 (S)	W, 5-4	W	7.1	6	3	2	1	5	1	Leading 4-2	115/76
Apr. 6	Vanderbilt (S)	W, 6-1	W	7.0	5	1	1	3	8	0	Leading 6-1	108/65
Apr. 13	Auburn (S)	W, 2-1	W	8.1	6	1	1	1	6	0	Leading 2-1	118/81
Apr. 20	at Alabama (S)	L, 2-12	L	4.1	10	10	10	3	2	1	Trailing 9-1	90/52
Apr. 27	Tennessee (S)	L, 6-14	L	2.0	5	9	5	2	1	0	Trailing 7-2	61/35
May 4	at South Carolina (S)	W, 8-4	ND	6.0	5	2	1	5	7	1	Leading 4-2	122/70
May 10	Arkansas (S)	L, 4-5	L	8.0	5	4	3	5	7	1	Trailing 4-2	122/69
	FEBRUARY TOTALS			13.0	14	7	4	3	12	0	2.77 ERA
	MARCH TOTALS			32.1	36	21	18	16	24	3	5.01 ERA
	APRIL TOTALS			21.2	26	21	17	9	17	1	7.06 ERA
	MAY TOTALS			14.0	10	6	4	10	14	2	2.57 ERA
	SEASON TOTALS			81.0	86	55	43	38	67	6	4.78 ERA
	CAREER TOTALS			278.0	269	168	140	132	254	-	4.53 ERA

LAST START: Pitched eight innings in taking the loss against Arkansas last Friday ... Allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits and five walks, tying a season-high, and struck out seven ... Allowed a two-run home run to Clay Goodwin in the fifth to tie the game at 2-2 ... Cody Clark broke a 2-2 tie with a two-out, two-run single the seventh to give the Razorbacks a 4-2 lead ... Retired seven of the last eight batters he faced before being relieved by Al Simontis at the start of the ninth.

PRIOR START: Took a no decision in a 6-4 Ole Miss loss to South Carolina on May 4 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.

MONTRENES VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE: In his only previous start against the Bulldogs, allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits and five walks, and struck out seven in eight innings to suffer the loss on May 11, 2001 in Oxford.

MONTRENES VS. SEC OPPONENTS: Is 3-5 with a 5.33 ERA (54.0 IP, 32 ER) in nine SEC starts this season ... Has a 9-9 record with a 4.46 ERA (137.1 IP, 68 ER) in 21 career appearances, including 20 starts, against SEC opponents at both Southern California and Ole Miss.

MONTRENES MISCELLANEOUS:
* Opponents are hitting .271 (86x317) him with six home runs.
* Right-handers are batting .292 (59x202) with five home runs, and lefties are hitting .235 (27x115) with one homer.
* Is 1-2 with a 4.17 ERA (45.1 IP, 21 ER) in nine career appearances, including seven starts, during May.
* Has a 7-3 mark with a 3.81 ERA (59.0 IP, 25 ER) in 10 starts at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field this season ... Is 13-5 with a 3.02 ERA (119.1 IP, 40 ER) in 18 career starts at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.
* Is 1-2 with a 7.36 ERA (22.0 IP, 18 ER) in four road starts this season ... Is 6-4 with a 6.21 ERA (100.0 IP, 69 ER) in 31 career appearances, including 16 starts, on the road.
* Has a 5-3 record with a 4.99 ERA (48.2 IP, 27 ER) in eight day time starts in 2002 ... Is 11-3 in his career with two saves and a 5.15 ERA (122.1 IP, 70 ER) in 47 career day time appearances, including 17 starts.
* Is 3-2 with a 4.45 ERA (32.1 IP, 16 ER) in six starts at night this season ... Is 12-7 with a career 4.05 ERA (155.2 IP, 70 ER) at night.
* Is 19-9 as a starter with a 4.15 ERA (221.0 IP, 102 ER) in 37 starts.

MONTRENES' HIGHS
MONTRENES IN 2002
LAST COMPLETE GAME: None
LAST SHUTOUT: None
STRIKEOUT HIGH: 9, vs. Eastern Illinois (3/1)
WALK HIGH: 5, 3x, MR: vs. Arkansas (5/10)
INNINGS PITCHED: 8.1, vs. Auburn (4/13)
WIN STREAK: 4, February 15-March 8

MONTRENES' CAREER
COMPLETE GAMES: 2, vs. Florida (4/20/2001)
SHUTOUTS: 0
STRIKEOUT HIGH: 10, vs. SE Missouri State (2/17/2001)
WALK HIGH: 7, at LSU (4/13/2001)
INNINGS PITCHED: 9.0, vs. Florida (4/20/2001)
WIN STREAK: 5, from March 9, 1999-March 24, 2000

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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