The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Softball Game Notes
3/12/2003 | Softball
March 12, 2003
Ole Miss Rebels vs. Arkansas Lady 'Backs
Games one & two: Wednesday, 5 p.m. CST (DH)
Game three: Thursday, 5 p.m. CST
Stadium: Lady 'Back Yard
Team Hotel: Best Western Windsor Suites
TEAM INFO
Head Coach: Carie Dever-Boaz
2003 Record/SEC: 11-12/0-3
Top Player/Pitcher: Ruth Atkins (UT), Valanna Lyons
MEDIA
Audio: www.ladybacks.com
Livestats:
SEC OPENER
With an 8-11 overall record, Ole Miss enters Southeastern Conference play this week with series at Arkansas and Kentucky. The Rebels are 3-4 thus far on this grueling 12-day, 13-game road trip. Ole Miss spent the first six days of the swing in Plant City, Fla., where the squad finished runner-up in the consolation bracket. Ole Miss begins SEC action with Arkansas, in a series that has been dominated by the Lady Razorbacks, 19-3. Arkansas took 2-of-3 in last year's set in Oxford. Conversely, Ole Miss has been on the winning end of the all-time series with Kentucky, 13-3. The Rebels swept last year's home series. All three teams will be looking to move up in the SEC standings this week. Ole Miss is the only league team to not already have a series under its belt, while the Lady 'Backs and Wildcats are the lone 0-3 squads. The Rebels are 3-3 in conference openers, including a 7-4 loss in a slugfest at Tennessee a year ago.
SPEEDLINE INVITATIONAL
Ole Miss finished runner-up in the consolation bracket of last week's Speedline Invitational, falling to Illinois, 4-0, in the final. The Rebels posted a 3-4 tournament mark with wins over Pittsburgh, Central Michigan and UIC. Senior righthander Lindsay Price hurled her two shutouts and collected all three UM victories at the Speedline. Her two-hitter vs. UIC propelled the Rebels into the consolation final. Sophomore DeDe Justice batted .444 (8-for-18) for the tournament, while freshman Rebecca McIntire hit .409 (9-for-22) with five two-out RBI.
OFFENSIVE TURNAROUND
After struggling through the first month of the season, the Rebel offense has been clicking of late and just in time for the SEC season. The first seven games of the road trip have seen the bats heat up in almost ever area, including a 50+ point improvement in batting average.
Games AVG SLG OBP HitsPG RunsPG SO PGFirst 12 .222 .316 .306 5.33 3.43 6.17Last 7 .278 .330 .371 7.00 3.67 4.57
WHAT SLUMP?
DeDe Justice and Brooke Turner are showing no signs of a sophomore slump, as the second-year duo is 1 and 2 in nearly every offensive category for the Rebels. Justice, a catcher/DP from Vero Beach, Fla., ranks top four in the SEC in both batting average (.415) and slugging percentage (.717) and eighth in on-base percentage (.484). She also has three homers to take over as the UM all-time leader with 14. Turner, a centerfielder from Southaven, Miss., is among the conference's best leadoff hitters, tying for second in stolen bases at a perfect 12-for-12, while posting a .339 batting average and .426 on-base percentage. She also belted only the second grand slam in Rebel history in the season-opening victory over Jackson State.
TOUGH PRICE TO BEAT
Lindsay Price enters SEC play as one of the hottest pitchers in the league. Thus far on the road trip, Price has posted a 3-0 record with a 1.15 ERA, three complete games and her first two shutouts since the 2001 season. The senior righthander from Terry, Miss., opened the Speedline Invitational with her third career shutout and her first of the seven-inning variety, hurling a four-hitter against Pittsburgh. Price followed up three days later with her finest outing ever, tossing a two-hit, nine-strikeout shutout in a 3-0 win over UIC. She has been victorious in her last four starts to move to 5-4 on the year, and match her season-high for wins at only the season's midway point.
OTHER HOTTIES
When starting leftfielder Britte Hardy went down with a dislocated thumb in the Northern Illinois game, Jenny Cox was thrust into an everyday player role and the No. 2 spot in the lineup. The junior from Bartlett, Tenn., has responded with her most productive stint as a Rebel, specifically with her outstanding bunting. Over the last 10 games, Cox has batted in the two hole and has reached base at a .333 clip with a team-high five sacrifice hits. After four hits total in her first two years in the Red and Blue, she already has seven this year alone ... Freshman Rebecca McIntire is riding a seven-game hit streak, collecting at least one single in each Speedline contest. She has risen to third on the team in batting at .283 on the season.
HOME RUN QUEEN
With her solo home run in game two of the Jackson State doubleheader, DeDe Justice blasted her way alone atop the Ole Miss career homer chart. She has since ripped two more, giving her a team-high three round-trippers on the young season and 14 for her career. Justice, a native of Vero Beach, Fla., needed only one explosive rookie season to tie the UM career homer record with 11, placing her alongside former Rebel slugger Heather Swinney.
