The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Announces 2003 Softball Schedule
9/18/2002 | Softball
Sept. 18, 2002
OXFORD, Miss. - After guiding the Ole Miss softball team to its best season in school history, Rebel head coach Candi Letts faces a daunting 2003 schedule for a squad that returns seven starters and 11 letterwinners.
The Rebels match up with stiff competition in venues across the nation, all leading up to the always challenging 30-game Southeastern Conference slate.
Following the Feb. 4 season-opening doubleheader with Jackson State in Oxford, the Rebels will participate in four tournaments, including the Rebel/Easton Invitational, Feb. 15-16 at Ole Miss Softball Complex. Other tournaments on the docket are the Triple Crown Classic in St. Augustine, Fla., the Tulsa Invitational in Tulsa, Okla., and the Speedline Invitational in Plant City, Fla.
"This year's schedule is going to be much more difficult," said UM fifth-year head coach Letts. "With the Speedline Invitational as well as the other tournaments in St. Augustine and Tulsa, we have upgraded our schedule and given ourselves a good variety of teams from other regions. These tournaments include a number of top-15 teams which should also improve our RPI. We should definitely be prepared for conference season."
Plant City is also the site of the 2003 SEC Championship, May 8-11, when Ole Miss hopes to make its first tournament appearance. Standing in its way is the usual cast of conference powerhouses, such as perennial top-25 foes Alabama (Apr. 5-6 in Tuscaloosa), LSU (Apr. 18-19 in Baton Rouge), Georgia (Apr. 12-13 in Oxford) and South Carolina (Apr. 26-27 in Oxford).
The Rebels battle in-state rivals Mississippi State, Apr. 9-10 in a home SEC series, and Southern Miss, Mar. 19 in an Oxford doubleheader. Ole Miss also hosts series with Auburn, Mar. 22-23 and Tennessee, May 3-4, as part of UM's 24-game home schedule.
In addition, Ole Miss tunes up for the upcoming campaign this month with the fifth annual Rebel Softball Fall Classic, Sept. 28-29 in Oxford.
The Rebels wrapped up last season with the highest single-season winning percentage in the program's six-year history with a 25-29 record. Ole Miss broke or tied seven team season records, including most homers (26), most RBI (152) and lowest staff ERA (2.16).
OLE MISS SOFTBALL 2003 SCHEDULEDate Opponent/Tournament LocationFeb. 4 Jackson State Oxford, Miss.Feb. 7-9 at Triple Crown Classic St. Augustine, Fla.Feb. 16-17 at Rebel/Easton Invitational Oxford, Miss.Feb. 22 at Evansville [DH] Evansville, Ind.Feb. 23 at Evansville Evansville, Ind.Feb. 28-Mar. 2 at Tulsa Invitational Tulsa, Okla.Mar. 6-9 at Speedline Invitational Plant City, Fla.Mar. 12 at Arkansas [DH] Fayetteville, Ark.Mar. 13 at Arkansas Fayetteville, Ark.Mar. 15 at Kentucky [DH] Lexington, Ky.Mar. 16 at Kentucky Lexington, Ky.Mar. 19 Southern Miss [DH] Oxford, Miss.Mar. 22 Auburn [DH] Oxford, Miss.Mar. 23 Auburn Oxford, Miss.Mar. 26 at Tennessee-Martin [DH] Martin, Tenn.Mar. 29 at Florida [DH] Gainesville, Fla.Mar. 30 at Florida Gainesville, Fla.Apr. 5 at Alabama [DH] Tuscaloosa, Ala.Apr. 6 at Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala.Apr. 9 Mississippi State [DH] Oxford, Miss.Apr. 10 Mississippi State Oxford, Miss.Apr. 12 Georgia [DH] Oxford, Miss.Apr. 13 Georgia Oxford, Miss.Apr. 18 at LSU Baton Rouge, La.Apr. 19 at LSU [DH] Baton Rouge, La.Apr. 26 South Carolina [DH] Oxford, Miss.Apr. 27 South Carolina Oxford, Miss.May 3 Tennessee [DH] Oxford, Miss.May 4 Tennessee Oxford, Miss.May 8-11 SEC Tournament Plant City, Fla.May 15-17 NCAA Regional Campus Sites
