Ole Miss Set To Compete At Mardi Gras Classic

Feb. 19, 2004

OXFORD, Miss. - After a steady outing over the weekend in its own tournament, Ole Miss will look to keep things on track at the Mardi Gras Classic at Nicholls State University this weekend.

The Rebels (1-6) will face off against Syracuse, Nicholls State and McNeese State in the weekend tournament. Ole Miss will lead off the tournament against the Orangemen at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

"We're excited to get another opportunity to go out and play softball and come home with some wins," said Ole Miss head coach Candi Letts. "We have made some strides since the start of the season, we just need to finish off our games. That's the main thing. We need to maintain our focus throughout the whole game."

The Orangemen of Syracuse, the first team on the schedule for the Rebels this weekend, come into the tournament with a 1-5 overall record. Syracuse defeated then No. 13 Cal State Fullerton 6-3 to close out play at the Fiesta Bowl Classic.

Leading the way on offense for the Orangemen are three players who have started ever game, all batting at a .350 pace or higher. Cassie Morales leads the way at a .385 clip, driving in four runs on the season with a double and a home run. Helping her at the plate are Tiffany Robinson (.368) and Alexis Switenko (.353).

Courtney Mosch heads things up on the mound for Syracuse, going 1-2 in her six appearances. Mosch has worked 22.1 innings for the Orangemen, striking out 18 and walking 18 on the season. She has allowed 15 earned runs, while giving up 23 hits in facing 87 batters. This marks the first meeting between Ole Miss and Syracuse.

Nicholls State was set to open the season at Southern Miss last weekend of February 14, but the tournament was canceled, pushing back the Colonels' opening date to a February 18 date with Louisiana-Lafayette. The season officially opened for the Lady Colonels on Wednesday, when they dropped two games to ninth-ranked Louisiana-Lafayette 3-1, 3-0.

The Lady Colonels finished the 2003 season as Southland Conference runners-up, posting a 29-27 record.

Looking to continue the Colonels' success on the mound is Dione Meier, who posted an 18-10 record last season with her first win coming in a 1-0 no hitter against Ole Miss. It was one of nine shutout victories for Meier on the year.

First baseman Lindsay Coleman looks to lead the team at the plate again this season. After leading the team with a .287 average while driving in 38 runs and eight home runs in 2003.

McNeese State enters the weekend with a 1-4 record after an appearance at the Triple Crown Classic. The Cowgirls defeated Boston College 6-5 in the final game of the tournament after facing Jacksonville, Bethune-Cookman, Stetson and UCF.

Karissa Wappler leads McNeese at the plate, hitting .368, driving in three runs and belting a home run.

Jana Jones boasts the best ERA on the team at 0.72, despite an 0-1 record on the season. Jones has struck out five batters and walked only one in her only appearance. Jessica Denham recorded the Cowgirls only wins on the season to date with the victory over BC and Louisiana Tech.

Ole Miss and McNeese State have faced off twice before, with the Cowgirls holding a 2-0 advantage over the Rebels.

Ole Miss will play three games before either competing in the Consolation Game at 1 p.m. on Sunday or the Championship Game at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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