The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Travel To Face Bulldogs In Pivotal Southeastern Conference Showdown
4/20/2004 | Softball
April 20, 2004
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss (13-31, 5-16 SEC) takes to the road to face the Bulldogs of Mississippi State (28-22, 9-15 SEC) in a pivotal showdown for both teams as Southeastern Conference Tournament implications are on the line for both teams.
The Rebels are fighting to stay in the Southeastern Conference Tournament race, while the Bulldogs are fighting to lock up a bid to the conference tournament.
"Not only is this series big because of it just being Mississippi State, but the tournament implications just add another level to the intensity," said Ole Miss head coach Candi Letts. "They are going to want to pay us back for the way we won the series last season and we are hoping to use that to push to another win. As long as we take care of our side of the ball, we have a good chance to do what we need to do in this series."
Ole Miss claimed last year's series two games to one, edging the Bulldogs 6-5 and 10-8 in a doubleheader after dropping the first game of the series 14-0. The Rebels are coming off a week that saw Ole Miss go 2-4, picking up a series win over Arkansas before dropping a series to third-ranked LSU. DeDe Justice and Britte Hardy led the Rebels, as Justice was 4-for-10 on the week, hitting at a .400 clip and driving in two home runs. She was intentionally walked nine times against Arkansas. Hardy went 7-for-12 at the plate against LSU over the weekend to move into second on the team in batting average at .289.
Dana Brill and Mary Jane Callahan will be looked to as the driving force on the mound for the Rebels as the duo combined well on the week to keep the Rebels alive against LSU and win the series with Arkansas. Brill picked up a 2-3 record on the weekend while Callahan went 0-1 despite working a bulk of the innings. Three of the games went to extra innings.
Mississippi State is coming off a series win over Arkansas on the road that saw the Bulldogs take two of three games from the Lady 'Backs.
Iyhia McMichael leads a hot hitting Bulldog team heading into the series. She is hitting .472 on the season, driving in 34 runs and hitting 9 home runs. Kate Jaspers is backing her up at a .374 clip.
Stephanie Comeuax leads the Bulldogs from the pitching circle with a 9-5 record and a 2.23 ERA. She has struck out 39 batters and walked 15. Melissa Massey leads Mississippi State in innings pitched at 140.2 and a 2.29 ERA. She has posted a 12-8 record in that time.
The Rebels and Bulldogs will play a doubleheader Tuesday night beginning at 5 p.m. and will close out the series with a single game on Wednesday at 5 p.m. All games will be played at the Mississippi State Softball Complex.
