The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Softball Game Notes
4/25/2003 | Softball
April 25, 2003
Ole Miss (17-30, 6-18 SEC) vs. No. 18 South Carolina (34-14, 16-9 SEC)
Ole Miss Softball Complex (Oxford, Miss.)
April 26 - Games One & Two, 1 p.m. CST (DH)
April 27 - Game Three, 1 p.m. CST
OPPONENT INFO
Head Coach: Joyce Compton
Record at USC: 769-282-2/16 Years
2003 Record/SEC: 34-14/16-9
Top Hitter: Amber Curtis (Jr., SS), .345, 9 2B, 16 RBI
Top Pitcher: Stacey Johnson (Jr., R), 15-7, 1.35 ERA, 4 SHO
MEDIA
Audio: www.USCSports.com ( | )
Gametracker: www.OleMissSports.com ( | | )
THIS WEEKEND
Still in the hunt for an SEC Tournament berth, Ole Miss (17-30, 6-18 SEC) opens a regular-season-ending, six-game SEC homestand this weekend with South Carolina (34-14, 16-9 SEC) The 18th-ranked Gamecocks are the Rebels' fifth top-25 foe in their last six opponents. Ole Miss dropped all three games of a tight series at No. 11 LSU last weekend, including an 11-inning battle in game one. With six contests remaining, UM sits four games behind Mississippi State, who has three league game left, for the final SEC Tournament spot. Carolina is fifth in the overall conference standings and third in the Eastern Division. The Tigers boast a 11-1 all-time edge in the series, and have won four straight over the Rebels. The lone Ole Miss triumph came in game one of a 2000 doubleheader in Columbia, 1-0 in nine innings, on a two-hit shutout by former Rebel Holly Burris.
LAST TIME OUT
Coming off a 6-5 comeback win over No. 10 Georgia, Ole Miss seemed to be en route to their second straight dramatic victory in game one with No. 11 LSU last weekend. In the top of the 10th inning, Brooke Turner, who had five RBI in the bout, blasted a three-run homer to put the Rebels on top 6-3. However the Fighting Tigers responded with two home runs to tie it in the bottom of the 10th and a walk-off grand slam to win it in the 11th, 10-6. The 11-inning war tied the longest game in Ole Miss history. Game two of the series was controlled by LSU hurler Tessa Lynam, 3-0. The finale saw Ole Miss take a first-inning 2-0 lead on one of DeDe Justice's two long balls in the game, but the Tigers would rally, 6-3. Justice's third multiple-homer performance of the year helped her break her own UM season record for home runs with 13.
SCOUTING SOUTH CAROLINA
The Gamecocks, who have risen as high as 13th in the national rankings, come in fresh off a non-conference doubleheader sweep of Furman on Wednesday. Senior second baseman Debralee Troesh ripped her 10th home run of the season against the Paladins to set a new USC season record. She also tops the Gamecocks in RBI with 36 to go with a .287 average. Junior righthander Stacey Johnson has been Carolina's top arm, registering a 1.35 ERA, a 15-7 record and four shutouts.
TOURNAMENT SCENARIOS
Bottom line: Ole Miss needs to win out, and Mississippi State needs to lose out for the Rebels to earn their first ever berth in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, May 8-11 in Plant City, Fla. Ole Miss would be eliminated from Tournament contention if it were to lose any of its final six games (at home against No. 15 South Carolina and Tennessee), or if MSU were to take one from its three-game set at No. 20 Florida this weekend. Should a rainout occur and the Magnolia State rivals finish with identical records, the Rebels own the tie-breaker having taken 2-of-3 from the Bulldogs in their series April 9-10. The top seven teams have already clinched SEC Tournament spots, and Arkansas and Kentucky have been eliminated from the tourney picture.
ALL-SEC SOPHOMORES
A pair of second-year Rebels have proven themselves to be All-SEC caliber players in their sophomore year. DeDe Justice has made herself one of the top offensive forces in the conference. The series finale at No. 11 LSU saw the sophomore catcher notch her third two-homer game of the year; no other Rebel has ever pulled off the feat. The Vero Beach, Fla., native became the first Rebel to garner SEC Player of the Week status on Mar. 17 after a record six-RBI, two-homer day against Kentucky. For the year, Justice has set a new single-season school record for RBI with 40 and has broken her own UM season high for home runs with 13, including two walk-off long balls to win the Mississippi State series. In SEC play, she is tied for the conference lead in homers (9), second in RBI (23) and total bases (51) and fourth in slugging percentage (.718) ... Brooke Turner has emerged as one of the league's best all-around outfielders this season. Offensively, her speed (16-for-16 stolen bases) and power (7 home runs) have made her a tough out whether batting leadoff or in RBI situations. In centerfield, Turner has provided quite a highlight reel while committing only one error with 62 putouts, one of the highest totals among SEC outfielders. The Southaven, Miss., native doubled in the game-tying runs vs. No. 10 Georgia, and gave the Rebels a 6-3 lead over No. 11 LSU with a 10th-inning, three-run homer. Turner is tied for the team-lead in runs (30) and is second in batting (.303), doubles (9), home runs and RBI (22) ... In the program's seven years of existence, two Rebels have earned All-SEC distinction. Stephanie Vaglica was a second team honoree in 1997, and Amanda Fine was picked second team in 1997 and 1998.
OH SO CLOSE
Despite a 1-11 record against top-25 competition, Ole Miss has nearly pulled off the upset in several of the games. On four occasions, the Rebels put the tying run either on base or at the plate in the final frame. Ole Miss also held leads in seven of the defeats, and jumped on top by two or more runs in four of the losses. In the opener at No. 11 LSU, the Rebels took a 6-3 into the bottom of the 10th, only to see the Fighting Tigers collect two homers to tie it, followed by the game-winning long ball in the 11th. In the series with 18th-ranked Alabama, the Rebels outhit the Crimson Tide, 11-10, through the first two games of the set. Ole Miss has dropped 13 contests by two runs or less this season.
SETTING THE TABLE
Since being moved to the leadoff spot in the Rebel batting order, senior leftfielder Britte Hardy has experienced the finest offensive stretch in her three-year UM career. Over the last 10 games, Hardy is batting .371 -tops on the team - including her first five multiple-hit games of the season. She also notched her first two career doubles. The Peachtree City, Ga., native tallied a double and a triple in the Rebels' 10-8 victory over Mississippi State on April 10, and also scored the first run of Ole Miss' six-run game-winning rally against No. 10 Georgia on April 13.
OTHER HOTTIES
Sophomore Megan Kozar was the Rebels' top hitter during the LSU series with a .375 average (3-for-8) and her second double of the season. The Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native started all three games at second base and committed no errors ... Phyllis Manley has been one of the team's best players at Ole Miss Softball Complex. The senior catcher is batting .308 with a .419 on-base percentage in 12 home games ... Dana Brill has also been tremendous in Oxford, recording a team-best 1.80 ERA along with three complete games. A freshman from Houston, Texas, Brill also notched all three of her victories on the season on her home field.
