The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebel Softball Travels To Auburn For Season Finale Weekend
5/4/2006 | Softball
May 4, 2006
OXFORD, Miss. - With an opportunity to advance to postseason play for the first time in school history, the Ole Miss softball team will try to continue its winning ways with a trip to Auburn, Ala., to take on the No. 20-ranked Tigers in a three-game series to close out the regular season.
Ole Miss has won a school-record five straight Southeastern Conference contests, including a 5-4 win at South Carolina on April 23, a 1-0 win at Mississippi State on April 26 and a three-game sweep of the Kentucky Wildcats this past weekend in Oxford.
The Rebels enter the weekend a half-game behind South Carolina for eighth place in the SEC standings and the final spot in the conference tournament, in which the Rebels have never participated in the nine-year program history.
"It will be crucial for us to take at least one game this weekend and try to get ahead of South Carolina," said first-year head coach Missy Dickerson, who has guided her club to seven wins in the last 10 games. "I think we have made significant progress in our overall play since the beginning of the season. There is more enthusiasm because we still have a purpose. We need to take advantage of that. It makes it easier to step out on the field knowing you having something to play for."
Junior left-handed pitcher and outfielder Mary Jane Callahan leads the Rebels at the plate with a .296 batting average and 22 runs scored. Freshman shortstop Lisa Conchos, who had been tops in batting average all season, boasts a .293 average with 20 runs and 15 RBI. She and sophomore second baseman Lauren Rowe are tied for the team-lead with nine doubles, while Rowe tops the club with five home runs and 29 RBI.
Callahan is the reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week after three wins and 20 scoreless innings a week ago, including back-to-back complete-game shutouts of Mississippi State and Kentucky. She currently has pitched 28 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run in SEC games.
Senior right-hander Dana Brill leads the staff with a 2.39 ERA, 11 wins and 156 strikeouts in 161 1/3 innings pitched.
Auburn, ranked No. 20 in the nation, is 33-17 on the season and sits in third place in the SEC West and tied for fifth overall with a 14-13 league record. The Tigers are coming off a series loss against South Carolina last weekend.
Auburn is hitting .286 as a team. Kristina McCain and Sara Ghezzi lead five Tigers batting over .300 with .381 and .364 marks, respectively. Five batters have hit at least five home runs, led by Ghezzi and Ashley Griffin, who each have seven blasts this season.
The Tigers have a staff ERA of 1.77. Holly Currie ranks third in the SEC with 246 strikeouts, while she boasts a 17-10 record and 1.86 ERA in 35 appearances and 26 starts. Beth DiPietro is 15-6 and has a 1.76 ERA, having started 21 of 33 appearances.
Ole Miss trails in the all-time series 22-9. Auburn took two of three last season in Oxford. The Rebels last won a series against the Tigers back in 1998.
Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled to get underway with an early 10 a.m. start time. Sunday's regular-season finale is slated for 1 p.m.
