The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Softball Season Outlook
9/15/2003 | Softball
After a strong finish to last season, the Ole Miss softball team carries momentum and a field full of potential into the upcoming 2004 campaign.
"Now we just have to put it all together," said Rebel head coach Candi Letts, who is entering her sixth year at the helm.
Letts loses only one position starter from a squad that wrapped up 2003 with flashes of excellence. Over the final month, the Rebels notched victories over No. 10 Georgia, No. 18 South Carolina and Tennessee and also took the season series from rival Mississippi State.
The team's never-say-die attitude resulted in some heroic rallies. Ole Miss overcame a 5-0 deficit against Georgia with six runs over the final two frames, and three with two outs in the seventh inning. Against the Lady Vols, Letts' comeback kids did one better by plating seven unanswered runs - including five in the seventh inning - to pull off an astounding 7-6 win. The six-run deficit tied the largest comeback in Rebel fastpitch history.
"We had some outstanding wins against great teams," Letts said. "It was a good springboard for us heading into this year. I think the players learned that there's no team we can't beat.
"The key for us now is to be consistent. If we play up to our potential every game, we will be the first Ole Miss softball team to make the SEC Tournament."
Some of the Rebels' greatest dramatics were supplied by DeDe Justice in the Mississippi State series. The Vero Beach, Fla., native launched game-winning, walk-off home runs to decide games two and three, and help Ole Miss win its first season series from the Bulldogs since 1999.
A power-hitting catcher and designated player, Justice leads the list of the Rebels' returnees. The rising junior was named to the 2003 All-SEC second team, becoming the first Rebel to be selected since 1998 and the third all-time. Justice led the SEC in home runs (11) and RBIs (28) in conference play only, and finished in top three in homers (15), RBI (45) and slugging percentage (.693) for the season. She also set single-season school records in those three categories. Justice became the first Rebel to homer twice in one game, and pulled off the feat three times - all against SEC opponents.
"DeDe is a savvy player," Letts said. "She is experienced and did a great job of becoming a better hitter last year. She also stepped up to the occasion against better competition."
Justice teams with center fielder Brooke Turner to form one of the top junior tandems in the conference. A Southaven, Miss., native, Turner led the team in stolen bases (16-for-16) and doubles (10) and finished second in batting (.298), home runs (7) and runs scored (32). She doubled in the game-tying runs vs. Georgia, and gave the Rebels a 6-3 lead over No. 11 LSU with a 10th-inning, three-run homer. Turner also emerged as one of the league's top defensive outfielders, committing only one error all year.
The Ole Miss lineup boasts some veteran leadership in their senior quartet of Andrea Brahs, Desiree Layman, Britte Hardy and Jenny Cox. Florida natives Brahs and Layman have been two of the Rebels' top RBI producers over their career. Brahs, a first baseman, ranks third on the school's all-time homer list (10), while Layman is fourth in career doubles (19).
"Andrea battled injuries last year," Letts said. "She did a good job of fighting through it, and I think she will understand how to better deal with injuries this year.
"Desi is a deadly player. She keeps getting stronger, and knows what it takes to win."
Outfielders Hardy and Cox were a big part of the Rebels' success down last season's stretch run. Hardy, a native of Peachtree City, Ga., was moved to the leadoff spot late in the year and responded with a .308 average and 12 runs scored in those 16 games. Cox set season highs in every statistical category and supplied some clutch hits for the Red & Blue, including a two-out, two-run, walk-off double in the victory over Tennessee.
"Britte was as hot as anyone over the second half of the season," Letts said. "Offensively, she understands how to control her game, and has become a real threat at the plate.
"Jenny came through in some big situations last year. She is a player that truly wants to make the team better."
Last year's freshman class came in ready and able, and even bigger accomplishments could be in store for rising sophomores Rebecca McIntire, Mandy Ott, Dana Brill, Jordan Chitwood, Stacy McCommon and Genee' Spears.
A third baseman from Chatsworth, Calif., McIntire reeled off a team-best nine-game hit streak at one point, and collected 12 two-out RBIs, tied for the club high. A native of Hillsboro, Ore., Ott was third on the squad in batting with a .244 clip.
Brill turned in a 3.19 ERA as a rookie a year ago, but bad luck left her with only three wins. The Houston, Texas, right-hander is the Rebels' lone returning hurler.
Joining Brill on the staff is a pair of highly-touted freshmen southpaws in Mary Jane Callahan from Muenster, Texas, and Tara Willit from Okmulgee, Okla.
"Our pitching is young, young and young," Letts said. "Dana learned a lot last year, and got an eyeful of what happens out there. She is capable of being dominant, and we are looking for her to step up and be a leader.
"The two new left-handers bring a great deal athleticism to the mound. Most importantly, they know how to win."
Also new to the Ole Miss program is Brittany Warner, an athletic left-handed catcher from Vancouver, Wash., that could make an immediate impact. The latest additions are Jill Bandhauer, a sophomore tranfer from Jacksonville University; Ashley Broom, a junior transfer from John A. Logan College in Carterville, Ill.; and Vanessa Gibbs, a freshman from Seminary, Miss.
