The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels To Face Southern Miss In Doubleheader Tuesday
3/15/2004 | Softball
March 15, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. -
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Last Time Out ....
The Rebels opened up Southeastern Conference play at home against the Kentucky Wildcats over the weekend, taking the series 2-1.
Ole Miss claimed the first game behind the solid pitching of Mary Jane Callahan who struck out 11 batters and walked three on the way to her second shutout of the season. The timely hitting of the Rebels also secured the 3-0 win.
Kentucky took the second game 3-7 after Amber Janneck hit a solo home run in the first at bat for the Wildcats. The Rebels got two runs back in the bottom of the first to tie the game, but Kentucky added three in the second to push ahead and claim the win.
Callahan again pitched a solid game on Sunday, and the Rebel bats were on fire as DeDe Justice hit a pair of home runs, one for two runs and one for three, to push Ole Miss to a 9-0 victory and Callahan's second shutout of the weekend.
The win marked the first run-rule win for the Rebels over an SEC team in two years.
Scouting Southern Miss ....
Southern Miss enters Tuesday's matchup with an 11-13 record overall and is coming off an 8-0 loss to Southeastern Conference team LSU at home.
The Golden Eagles have four players hitting better than .300 on the season with Heather Bell leading the way at a .364 clip. Three USM players have driven in more than 10 runs on the season with Ashley Davis leading the way with 14 RBI.
On the mound, the Golden Eagles have been looking to Danielle Hatfield and Jessica Holaway to get the job done. Hatfield boasts a 4-3 record and a 3.58 ERA in her 43.0 innings pitched. Holaway has posted a 4-4 record with a 4.49 ERA in her 57.2 innings of work.
Road Warriors ....
The Rebels have taken the show on the road to open the season, spending four of the first five weekends on the road. Of their first 27 games, the Rebels will have only played six at home.
Ole Miss opened the season at the Arizona Pepsi Classic, then returned home for the Rebel/Easton Invitational, the only home date in the first month of the schedule. The Rebels then returned to the road the next weekend, playing at the Mardi Gras Mambo Classic at Nicholls State University. Most recently, the Rebels competed on the road at North Carolina. Ole Miss ended the opening season road stint in the Speedline Invitational at the University of South Florida the first weekend in March.
Ain't It Grand....
Junior DeDe Justice notched her first grand slam of the season in the sixth inning against Indiana State to push the Rebels to an 8-2 win over the Sycamores. It marked the second home run of the season for Justice, who led the Southeastern Conference in home runs and RBIs a season ago. She garnered Second Team All-SEC honors in 2003 for her performance at the plate. Justice was 2-for-2 at the plate against Indiana State in the win.
Bringing It Home....
DeDe Justice has been turning in solid production at the plate already this season, sitting at second on the team in batting average at .305. She also boasts a team leading 20 RBI and has scored 13 runs for the Rebels. The junior catcher/designated player has also jacked seven home runs on the season.
Most recently, Jusice belted out three home runs in the series against Kentucky. She hit her first home run of the weekend, a solo shot, in the third inning of a 3-7 loss to the Wildcats on Saturday (3/13). She came back on Sunday and belted two, a two-run shot and a three-run homer, in Sunday's 9-0 win over Kentucky (3/14).
Justice notched her first home run in the first game of the season, taking the first pitch of her second at bat over the left field wall against Cal State Northridge.
Justice notched her second home run of the season against Indiana State, recording a grand slam that pushed the Rebels to an 8-2 victory over the Sycamores.
Her third home run of the season came two games later against Nicholls State in the Mardi Gras Classic. Justice took the first pitch over the left field wall in the sixth inning to tie the game for the Rebels. Ole Miss would fall to the Colonels, the host team of the tournament, 3-1 in eight innings.
Justice belted her third home run against LIU-Brooklyn at the Speedline Invitational. The three-run homer pushed the Rebels out to a 12-2 win in five innings.
Justice League....
DeDe Justice has had a strong start to the season with her bat coming alive this past weekend against Kentucky. The sophomore who earned All-SEC Second team honors as a sophomore has started down that path again, being in the top 10 in several batting categories already this season.
Justice is currently 4th in the Southeastern Conference in home runs (7), 6th in the league in slugging percentage (.695), 6th in the league in times hit by a pitch (4) and 10th in the league in RBI (20).
Oh So Close....
The Rebels have already had their share of close games and extra inning games this season, and it's not been an easy pill to swallow.
The Rebels have gone 0-4 in extra inning games, dropping a 1-0 decision to New Mexico in eight innings and a 4-3 decision to Southern Illinois that saw Ole Miss lose a three run lead in the seventh inning. The Rebels also dropped a 3-1 decision to Nicholls State in eight innings at the Mardi Gras Classic. Most recently, the Rebels fell to Purdue 2-1 in eight innings in the Speedline Invitational after holding a 1-0 lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.
We Just Need One ....
The Rebels have been a part of seven games decided by one run. Ole Miss has gone 1-6 in those games, with the sole win coming 2-1 over Syracuse in the Mardi Gras Classic.
The Rebels dropped one run decisions to #2 Arizona (3-2), New Mexico (1-0), #24 Southern Illinois (4-3), North Carolina (2-1) and Purdue (2-1). Three of those losses (New Mexico, Southern Illinois and Purdue) came in extra innings.
On The Verge Vs. Top 25....
Ole Miss has also faced three teams ranked in the top-25 this season, dropping two of those three games by a run after the Rebels held the lead. Ole Miss fell to then No. 2 Arizona 3-2 after holding a two run lead. The Rebels also dropped a 4-3 game to then No. 24 Southern Illinois after holding a three run lead. The Rebels fell to No. 22 South Florida 4-1 in the opening game of the Speedline Invitational.
Fleet Of Foot....
Three Ole Miss players have proven to be threats as baserunners as well as at the plate.
Brooke Turner has picked up where she left off last season. The junior is 9-for-9 on steal attempts this season after going a perfect 16-for-16 in her sophomore campaign. She is now 36-of-39 for her career, placing her third in the all-time steals list behind current Ole Miss assistant Mandy Walls (49) and Stephanie Vaglica (52). Turner's nine steals places her tied for 10th in the Southeastern Conference in steals this season.
DeDe Justice has also proven herself as a fleet footed runner, going 6-for-7 on the season, while Britte Hardy is 7-for-9 on steal attempts. Ole Miss is now 36-for-47 on steal attempts as a team.
Rogue Squad ....
The Rebels have turned in the SEC's season best performance for steals in a game. Ole Miss came up with 10 stolen bases against LIU-Brooklyn in the fourth game of the Speedline Invitational. The Rebels were a perfect 10-for-10 in steal attempts against the Blackbirds.
Junior Brooke Turner also snagged the season-high for steals in a game against the Blackbirds. Turner's perfect 3-for-3 performance kept her perfect on the season in steals and is tied for the most steals in a single game by a SEC player this season.
Playing The Field ....
Sophomore Rebecca McInitre has been playing steady ball in the infield for the Rebels, as she ranks in the top five in the Southeastern Conference in fielding percentage at her positions. McIntire is first in the conference among third basemen with a .977 fielding percentage.
McIntire also rankes among the Southeastern Conference leaders in assists. Her 56 assists on the season puts her fourth in the league.
Second baseman Jordan Chitwood is also getting the job done in the field. The sophomore ranks fifth in the Southeastern Conference among second basemen in fielding percentage at .952 percent.
Getting Out Of A Jam ....
Andrea Brahs is getting the job done at first base for the Rebels when it comes to making the out. The senior is ninth in the Southeastern Conference in chances for putouts (149) and is also ninth in the league for putouts (136).
As a team the Rebels are getting it done in assisting their teammates with making the out. Ole Miss is third in the league in assists (211) this season.
Making The Sacrifice ....
Senior first baseman Andrea Brahs has made no small sacrifice for the team when it comes to the good of the team. Brahs has posted two sac flies in her 15 hits on the season to tie for third in the Southeastern Conference in the category. Both of her RBIs on the season have come on sacrifice flies. Brahs is currently third on the team in batting average with a .255 average.
Junior Brooke Turner is leading the team in sac bunts on the season, laying down four to this point. The total tied Turner for seventh in the Southeastern Conference in sacrifice bunts this year.
Putting In The Work....
Freshman Mary Jane Callahan has been putting in more than her share of time on the mound this season for the Rebels. The LHP is currently tied for third in the Southeastern Conference for innings pitched (89.1). The Muenster, Texas, native has pitched 11 complete games, including games against No. 2 Arizona and No. 24 Southern Illinois.
Callahan has also been getting it done when it comes to working the batters at the plate. Of her 86 strikeouts, she has gotten 29 batters to strike out looking, the sixth best in the Southeastern Conference to date. Callahan struck out a season-high 11 batters in the Southeastern Conference opener against Kentucky (3/13). Callahan's 86 strikeouts is a team-best and is eighth-best in the conference.
Callahan is also tied for fourth in the SEC in appearances (15) and sixth in games started (11).
The freshman had an outstanding game against Tulsa (2/13), despite the loss. In that game, Callahan came up with seven assists on put outs, tying her for the most assists in a game by a single player in the Southeastern Conference.
Callahan Can ....
Mary Jane Callahan had one of her best weekend on the mound at the Speedline Invitational. The freshman pitched in four games over a 60 hour period with amazing success.
Callahan went 2-1 in her two starts, claiming wins over UIC and LIU-Brooklyn while dropping a tight game to Purdue in extra innings. She also worked relief against Temple.
In her 22.2 innings of work, Callahan faced 89 batters, striking out 25 and walking only four. She allowed only three earned runs for a 0.93 ERA.
The freshman also hit for herself over the weekend, batting at a .429 clip and driving in the game winning run against UIC. Callahan was 3-for-7 on the weekend, belting out a double and a pair of singles. She also scored a run.
View From The Left ....
The Rebels might want to face a few more left handed pitchers to get on the winning track and start capitalizing on their opportunities at the plate.
Ole Miss is batting .364 against southpaws this season, a stark contrast to their .211 average against right handed pitchers. The average against lefties is the second-highest by a team in the Southeastern Conference.
Need An Advance ....
The Rebels are also converting successfully at the plate when needing to advance runners and with runners in scoring position.
Ole Miss is hitting at a .430 clip to advance runners this season, converting on 117 of 272 opportunities through 22 games. The Rebels are hoping to continue that success at the plate as the season progresses.
Hitting with runners on third and less than two outs has also been a strength of the Rebels. Ole Miss is hitting at a .390 clip in that situation, converting on 16 of 41 attempts thus far in the season.
The Rebels are hitting .253 with runners in scoring position.
A Change Of Scenery ....
Sometimes a change of scenery is all you need to get a little spark. That was the trend last season with transfer Mandy Ott who came in as a sophomore after a year at Texas A&M and finished the season with the third best batting average on the team at .244.
The Rebels hope that trend continues with two more transfers this season in Jill Bandhauer and Ashley Broom.
Bandhauer transferred to Ole Miss from Jacksonville University where she earned a spot on the All-Atlantic Sun Freshman team after leading all freshman in batting (.326). She will have to sit out the season due to an ACL tear suffered in the fall.
Broom, who transferred from John A. Logan College, will be expected to provide a big boost in the infield. She hit .301 in her sophomore season, driving in 14 runs and scoring 31 runs. She also was a threat on the bases, stealing 12 bases on the year.
Bring It On ....
The Rebels play what is arguably one of the toughest schedules ever in the history of the program in the 2004 season.
Ole Miss will face seven teams ranked in the preseason Top 25, and eight teams if you count those receiving votes in the presason polls.
The Rebels opened the season at No. 2 Arizona in the Pepsi Classic before returning home for a matchup with No. 24 Southern Illinois in the Rebel/Easton Invitational.
Ole Miss will also have to face Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida and Mississippi State. All six teams were ranked or receiving votes in the preseason polls.
Arizona Pepsi Classic ....
The Rebels opened the season at the Arizona Pepsi Classic, suffering tough losses on the way to an 0-4 start. Ole Miss got off to a shaky start with a 6-2 loss to Cal State Northridge before rebounding for a dogfight with No. 2 Arizona. The Rebels dropped the game 3-2 to the Wildcats. In the second day of action, UNLV ran past Ole Miss 8-4 in the first game, while New Mexico squeaked out a 1-0 win over the Rebels in eight innings to close out tournament play.
Rebel/Easton Invitational ....
Ole Miss picked up its first win of the season in the Rebel/Easton Invitational with an 8-2 win over Indiana State. The Rebels played three games, going 1-2 with losses to Tulsa and No. 24 Southern Illinois. The Golden Hurricane notched a 3-0 win over the Rebels, while the Salukis recorded a 4-3 come from behind win in eight innings. The Sunday games, a rematch with Southern Illinois and another game with Indiana State, were canceled due to snow and ice in the Oxford area that Saturday night.
Mardi Gras Classic ....
Ole Miss had a difficult outing at the Mardi Gras Mambo Classic over the weekend, going 1-3 in the tournament at Nicholls State University. Ole Miss opened the tournament with a 2-1 win over the Syracuse Orangemen, before falling to host Nicholls State 3-1 in eight innings in the second game on Saturday. The Rebels then fell to McNeese State 2-1 in the third game of the tournament on Sunday. In the consolation game against Nicholls State, the Rebels came up short again, falling 3-1 to the Colonels to close out the weekend.
Vs. North Carolina ....
The Rebels dropped a two-game series to the Tar Heels of North Carolina over the weekend on the road in Chapel Hill. The series, which was to be played over two days, shifted to a double-header on Sunday because of snow. Ole Miss got out to a quick lead, scoring in the first inning of the opening game, but the Rebels wouldn't be able to hold on. Dionne Streete belted a two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to pull North Carolina to the first win. The Tar Heels claimed the second game 3-0 with two early runs against sophomore pitcher Dana Brill in the second game.
Speedline Invitational....
The Rebels traveled to Tampa, Fla., to compete in the Speedline Invitational over the weekend, posting a 2-4 record in six games. Ole Miss finished third in its pool, defeating UIC and LIU-Brooklyn, while dropping games with #22 USF, Purdue and Mercer.
The Rebels opened the tournament with #22 USF, dropping a 4-1 decision after costly fielding errors allowed USF to build the lead. Ole Miss turned around and played a tough game with Purdue, falling 2-1 in eight innings despite a solid outing from freshman LHP Mary Jane Callahan, who struck out nine batters and walked only one.
On the second day, the Rebels fell to Mercer 2-0 before rallying to defeat LIU-Brooklyn 12-2 in five innings.
