Building A Dream

There is a young group of ballplayers in Oxford, Mississippi, that few people in the collegiate softball world know about.

That could change in the very near future.

The Ole Miss Rebel softball team, under the direction of second-year head coach Missy Dickerson, is beginning to dream about a bright future.

Dickerson, a former UCLA standout for three national champion Bruin teams, is no stranger to success, and she and her staff have begun the process of creating a championship-caliber contender for a Rebel program that made its first postseason appearance in its 10-year history last season.

In the first year of the Dickerson era, the Rebels started slowly during a difficult non-conference stretch, but heated up in the final two weeks of the regular season to win seven of their last eight league contests and advance to the Southeastern Conference Tournament for the first time in program history.

Eight letterwinners, including six starters, return from that 2006 squad, while the program will welcome 10 fresh faces for the 2007 season. The Rebels seem to have brought in a very talented group of newcomers, which includes two high school All-Americans, one state Player of the Year, five All-State honorees and two members of the 2005 undefeated and national champion Keller (Texas) High School team.

"I think we're moving in the right direction," said Dickerson, who boasts a 136-92 record in four years as a Division I head coach. "This year's returnees had never before seen the kind of success we had late last year, so I think it's important for them to understand that this is a new era. They needed to see what they can accomplish. I think most of the new kids don't know how to lose, so that's not even an issue in their minds. I think that combination can only help us this year."

The Pitching

The Rebels will rely on two veteran leaders and a talented freshman to anchor the squad from the pitching circle in 2007.

Senior left-hander Mary Jane Callahan and junior southpaw Tara Willitt are the two Rebel captains for 2007, and both have several years of experience in the Southeastern Conference from which to draw.

Callahan is the all-time school record holder in career strikeouts (465), complete games (58) and innings pitched (564), while she ranks in the top four in every other major statistical category. She is Ole Miss' top returning pitcher (2.99 ERA) and hitter (.308 average) for the second straight year.

"In regards to the pitching staff, you always have to look to your senior to help lead your staff," Dickerson said. "We're looking for Mary Jane to be a leader on the mound as well as in other capacities with this team."

Willitt was redshirted last season and hopes to be stronger and more fundamentally sound after a promising first two seasons in the circle.

"We hope that Tara learned a lot from watching last year as far as what to expect and what we would like to see from her out on the mound," Dickerson added.

The third cog in the Rebels' rotating wheel is rookie Becky Nye, who was a three-time All-State selection at McKinney North High School in McKinney, Texas. She was the District Pitcher of the Year as a senior after compiling a 0.42 ERA and 286 strikeouts.

"We hope that our veteran leaders will help Becky make the transition to the collegiate level relatively quickly," Dickerson said, "because we want her to have an immediate impact this year.

"Overall, we have more experience on the mound than anywhere else in our lineup, so I think the pitching staff has to be the key. Last year we had high expectations for our pitchers, and to a certain extent we got a lot out of them. This year we need to have more, because of their experience and seniority, especially from our two team captains. The rest of the team is so young, so they're going to look at that leadership, and it has to start on the mound."

The Defense

With the addition of nine new position players to the returning nucleus of starters and key contributors, Ole Miss should have much more depth in 2007, but it also will create some competitive races for playing time in the field.

"It's a nice change that we have 19 players that could take anybody's spot at any given time," Dickerson said. "That's always a nice option to have, even though finding the right lineup can become a difficult choice."

The coaching staff stresses versatility in all of the players, so many of the Rebels can play multiple positions in the infield and the outfield. The team has also added more speed with several of the newcomers, which should benefit both the defense and offense.

Sophomore Lisa Conchos and juniors Erin Faircloth and Lauren Rowe are returning from last year's starting infield. They will be pushed for starting positions and playing time by freshmen Ashley Dowdy, Lauren Grill, Alyssa McGovern, Aly Presswood and Emily Sarver, along with junior transfer Elizabeth Holbert.

The starting outfield will look at least two-thirds different in 2007, with the departures of team captain Stacy McCommon and Kayla Mosley. Senior Vanessa Gibbs was the other starter last season, while Ashley Hilton, Jessica Plemons and pitcher Mary Jane Callahan also return as outfielders. Joining the returnees are freshmen Alise Doubt, Courtnie Ghinaudo, Grill and Sarver.

Behind the plate are a pair of youngsters in sophomore Michelle May and freshman Amber Tramp. May started all 60 games, including 58 at catcher, last season. Tramp should push for playing time after a senior year of high school which saw her receive third team All-America honors as a member of the nationally renowned Keller High team.

"Our defense should be solid this year as compared to last year," Dickerson said. "We will have a lot of new faces on defense. Where they will all play, we don't know yet, but we have had solid practices that have indicated that they will be improved."

The Offense

The Rebels return their top six hitters from a year ago and look to build on the late-season success at the plate.

Mary Jane Callahan led Ole Miss with a .308 batting average and 25 runs scored, while Lauren Rowe has placed herself among the top power hitters in school history with 11 career home runs and 50 career RBI, including the school's second-best mark of 32 last season. Lisa Conchos was an SEC All-Freshman team pick at shortstop after ranking second on the team with a .290 average and leading the squad with 10 doubles.

The addition of Oregon Player of the Year and second team high school All-America pick Lauren Grill, as well as Keller High School product Aly Presswood, among others, should provide the Rebels with even more power and production at the plate in 2007.

"I think we're looking at a more well-rounded offensive lineup with more power and more speed this year," Dickerson said. "We have the addition of some left-handed slap hitters (Alise Doubt, Courtnie Ghinaudo, Alyssa McGovern and Emily Sarver) - people that can get on base for us, which will also lead to a tough decision when it comes to our offensive lineup."

The Schedule

A daunting slate of opponents faces the youthful Rebels in 2007. Ole Miss will square off with 10 teams that were ranked in one of the final top-25 polls of 2006, including top-10 squads in Tennessee (3), Arizona State (6), Alabama (7), LSU (10) and Michigan (10). In addition, 14 of this year's foes were NCAA Tournament teams a season ago.

Ole Miss will play many of those top-tier teams early in the non-conference season when they travel to the Wilson Demarini Invitational in Houston, Texas, the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational in Lafayette, La., and the Palm Springs Classic in Palm Springs, Calif.

"I've always had the philosophy that in order to be the best you need to play the best," Dickerson said. "I think that throwing them into the fire like we are doing this year is important for this team. I think it's vital for the new kids to be able to see how they fare, learn to trust in their abilities and be confident in the fact that they can compete with these other schools. That's only going to help us when we head into SEC play."

The Rebels tied the school record with 10 league wins last year and will look to better that mark despite the team's youth and the SEC slate dropping from 30 games to 28.

"It's not how you start the season, it's how you finish," Dickerson added. "I'd rather have them make the typical freshman mistakes early, instead of when we start conference play, where it's very important for us to make an impact. However, I think this group of newcomers has played at a high level, and I don't think those mistakes are going to be as costly as some might think."

The dream begins on Feb. 9 in Houston when the Rebels face the 2005 National Champion Michigan Wolverines.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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