The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Set To Host Birmingham Southern In Doubleheader Wednesday
3/30/2004 | Softball
March 30, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss (9-21, 4-5 SEC), fresh off a 1-0 win in eight innings over the 16th-ranked Florida Gators on Sunday, will step out of conference to host the Panthers of Birmingham Southern (14-19) in a doubleheader on Wednesday.
The first game will begin at 5 p.m. with the second game following immediately.
The Rebels are hoping to build on Sunday's performance that saw freshman Mary Jane Callahan go the distance in her fourth shutout of the season, third in Southeastern Conference play, and win the second game over a ranked team in a week. Ole Miss defeated then No. 25 Auburn a week earlier.
"This is an important series for us entering into conference play for the rest of the season," said Ole Miss head coach Candi Letts. "Birmingham Southern is a great team and we need to prepare and play them as if they were a Southeastern Conference team. It's important for us to play solid ball in every aspect."
The Rebels will be looking to Mandy Ott and DeDe Justice to get the offense going, while looking to the pitching staff to shut down the Panthers at the plate. Ott leads the team in batting with a .299 average, while Mary Jane Callahan leads the pitching staff with a 1.20 ERA and an 8-9 record on the season.
The Panthers enter Wednesday night's doubleheader coming off a sweep of Liberty on March 24 to push the season record to 14-19.
Nikki Rombough leads the way for Birmingham Southern at the plate, hitting .296 for the season with 16 RBI and a home run. Her 16 RBI ties her for the team lead with Jennifer Wellborn who is hitting at a .222 clip.
The Panthers look to Ami Rodgers and K. Villavicencio most often on the mound as both players have made more than 10 appearances on the season. Rodgers is 4-7 on the year while Villavicencio is 5-8. Rodgers has a 1.80 ERA to Villavicencio's 2.69 ERA. Both players have pitched at least 65.0 innings on the year.
The Rebels and Birmingham Southern have never met before on the diamond.
