Rebel Softball Caps Regular Season With Trip To Palmetto State

OXFORD, Miss. Playing for position in the Southeastern Conference Tournament standings, Ole Miss will close out its regular-season schedule with a trip to Columbia, S.C., to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks in a three-game series this Saturday and Sunday.

The Rebels and Gamecocks are tied for seventh place in the overall league standings with a conference record of 10-15. Depending on how they fare this weekend, the Rebels could finish anywhere from fifth to eighth. The top eight seeds advance to the SEC Tournament, which will be held in Auburn, Ala., May 10-12.

“This is a critical weekend for us,” said head coach Missy Dickerson, who has guided Ole Miss to an SEC Tournament berth in each of her first two seasons. “Even though we have clinched a spot, we are playing to improve our position. Anytime you can finish strong heading into your conference tournament, that’s beneficial. I hope we can come out and play like we did Tuesday.”

Ole Miss is coming off a strong mid-week performance at Birmingham-Southern with a doubleheader sweep by scores of 5-0 and 9-1 that improved its overall record to 23-31. The Rebels broke several school season records in the process, including runs, total bases and walks, while extending school records in home runs and RBI.

Leading the improved offensive attack is freshman third baseman Lauren Grill, who is now home run shy of tying the school season record of 15 set by DeDe Justice in 2003. Her 14 home runs, .677 slugging percentage and 107 total bases all rank among the top four in the SEC and are tops among SEC freshmen.

Freshman shortstop Ashley Dowdy tops the Rebels with a .284 average in league play and is tied with Grill for the lead in RBI in league play with 11. Splitting the pitching duties are freshman Becky Nye and junior Tara Willitt, with senior Mary Jane Callahan out with injuries.

South Carolina enters the weekend with an overall record of 32-21. The Gamecocks are led by a pitching staff that ranks among the SEC’s top five with a 1.78 ERA and 374 strikeouts in 365.0 innings. Kate Pouliot boasts a 14-6 record and 1.58 ERA in 141.2 innings, while Melissa Hendon has been the primary hurler and owns a 16-14 mark and 1.66 ERA with 220 strikeouts in 198.1 frames. Catcher McKenna Hughes is the leading SC hitter with a .321 average, eight home runs and 35 RBI.

"South Carolina began the season really well in non-conference,” Dickerson said. “Since then they have kind of been on a roller coaster like us. We know we will have to be at our best and come ready to play against them.”

Ole Miss trails the all-time series 18-6 and won one of three last year in Columbia. The Rebels’ come-from-behind 5-4 win in game three spurred them on to seven victories in their last eight league games and the program’s first-ever SEC Tournament appearance.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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