The University of Mississippi Athletics
Softball To Visit In-State Rival Southern Miss On Thursday
3/15/2006 | Softball
March 15, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. - The next step in this week's busy spring break schedule for the Ole Miss softball team is a trip to Hattiesburg, to take on in-state rival Southern Miss in a doubleheader on Thursday, with the first game scheduled for 5 p.m.
The Rebels earned a pair of shutout victories on Tuesday, defeating the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks 2-0 and 1-0, to move to 9-17 on the season.
Senior right-hander Dana Brill tied the school record with 15 strikeouts in the complete-game shutout in game one, while allowing just two hits to the Ladyjacks. Senior outfielder Stacy McCommon provided the offensive heroics with an RBI double in the second and a triple in the sixth. She scored on Brittany Warner's RBI single in the sixth to seal the 2-0 win.
The second game on Tuesday belonged to junior southpaw Mary Jane Callahan. The Muenster, Texas, native pitched the ninth one-hitter in school history and fanned seven batters on her way to a complete-game shutout. Freshman catcher Michelle May hit a second-inning solo home run to provide the Rebel run. It was the first long ball of her collegiate career.
"We were glad to get the wins on Tuesday," said first-year head coach Missy Dickerson. "Dana and M.J. both pitched great games, and we're hoping that our offense and defense built up some confidence for the Southern Miss doubleheader and this weekend's series with Florida."
With the win, Callahan moved into a tie for second place with 27 career victories at Ole Miss, matching her with Jennifer Hughes (1999-2001).
Freshman shortstop Lisa Conchos continues to lead the club in hitting with a .338 average and in runs with 12, while Warner has moved into second in hitting with a .297 mark. Sophomore Lauren Rowe is tops on the squad with three home runs, 13 RBI and a .478 slugging percentage, to go with her team-leading .380 on-base percentage.
Southern Miss is 15-16 on the year, with key wins over No. 7 Alabama (3-2 on Feb. 22) and at No. 24 Mississippi State (2-0 on March 7). The Golden Eagles most recently won two of three against Marshall over the weekend. They also boast a 6-1 record at home this season.
Sophomore outfielder Jennifer Fox tops the team with a .345 batting average, four home runs and 17 RBI. Sophomore catcher Allison Bullard is also hitting over .300 at a .329 clip.
Redshirt-freshman Lacey Gros and senior Danielle Wymer are the two workhorses in the circle. Gros is 9-8 with a 3.05 ERA and 100 strikeouts in 105 2/3 innings, while Wymer has a 4-4 record and 3.84 ERA in 51 innings of work. The Golden Eagle staff has a combined 3.18 ERA so far in 2006.
The doubleheader will mark the 12th and 13th meetings all-time between the in-state rivals, with Southern holding a 6-5 advantage. The Rebels won both ends of last year's doubleheader in Oxford, 13-1 in five innings and 4-0.
