Ole Miss Opens Softball Road Trip in Florida

March 5, 2003

PLANT CITY, Fla. - The Ole Miss softball team begins a 12-day road trip this week at the Speedline Invitational in Plant City, Fla.

On Thursday, the Rebels match up with Pitt at noon ET and Purdue at 2 p.m. Friday's slate pits Ole Miss against Temple at 10 a.m. and Central Michigan at noon. The Rebels take on Pacific Sunday at noon, before beginning tournament play.

The 24-team field also includes such nationally-ranked teams as Oklahoma State, Stanford, UMass, South Florida and Washington. The tournament is hosted by USF and held at the Plant City Stadium and Softball Complex, also site of the 2003 SEC Tournament.

Ole Miss (5-7) is coming off a fourth-place finish at last weekend's Snowfall Classic in Oxford, collecting victories over Central Connecticut and Northern Illinois. The 8-0 CCSU blowout saw senior Leslie Day hurl her second shutout of the year, allowing only three hits.

DeDe Justice, a sophomore from Vero Beach, Fla., totaled four RBI and two triples in the Classic, and is batting. 400 with 10 runs driven in on the season.

The Rebels will be matching up with Pittsburgh and Pacific for the first time this week. Ole Miss is 0-2 all-time vs. Purdue, and lost to Temple and Central Michigan in the only previous meeting with each team.

The Rebels have not competed in the Speedline Invitational since 1999, when they finished third and notched wins over No. 11 South Florida and No. 23 Iowa. Ole Miss participated in the tourney 1997-99 in the first three years of the UM fastpitch program.

Following the Speedline, the Rebels continue the road swing and open SEC play at Arkansas, Mar. 12-13, and Kentucky, Mar. 15-16.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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