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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Travel South To FIU Tournament
2/25/2015 | Softball
OXFORD, Miss. - The Ole Miss softball team hits the road again for the fourth straight weekend as it travels to the FIU Invitational this weekend to play a combined five games against foes Bethune Cookman, FIU and Michigan State.
Ole Miss (8-4) will open the tournament with two games on Friday against Bethune Cookman and Florida International before returning to the field on Saturday to face Michigan State and Bethune Cookman. The Rebels will close out the tournament with a single game against Michigan State on Sunday morning.
The Rebels enter the weekend on a five-game winning streak after finishing in first place at the Battle at the Beach hosted by Coastal Carolina two weeks ago and picking up wins over Delaware and Memphis this past weekend.
Freshman outfielder Elantra Cox leads the Rebel offense with a .576 average on the season to rank third in the Southeastern Conference in batting average. She is also fourth in steals, going 11-for-13 at the top of the lineup for the Rebels and boasts a .606 on base percentage that is among the tops in the league.
Sophomore outfielder Miranda Strother also joins Cox in powering the lineup in the three-spot offensively, hitting at a .543 clip on the year and is second on the team in runs scored (8) and RBI (9). She is one of eight players on the squad to have hit a home run through the first 12 games of the season, with senior Allison Brown, junior Madi Osias and freshman Alex Schneider all tallying three home runs this season.
The Rebel pitching staff has been solid, helping the squad post a pair of run-rule wins this season by limiting scoring opportunities this year. Sophomore Emily Gaitan holds a 1.62 ERA with a 4-0 mark on the year in the circle, while senior Lauren Lindsey is 2-0 on the season with a save and a 2.39 ERA. Osias, who both hits and pitches, holds a holds a 3.66 ERA and a 2-4 record with a save on the year.
Bethune Cookman enters the weekend with an overall mark of 4-10 and is paced by a trio of players hitting above the .300 mark on the season. As a team, BCC is batting at a .260 clip with four home runs, 51 RBI and 55 runs scored to date.
FIU comes into the tournament with an overall record of 11-6 and with four regular starters hitting above .300 on the year. Stephanie Texeiara paces the squad with a .513 average to go along with five home runs, 20 RBI and has drawn 13 walks on the season.
Michigan State brings an 8-6 record into the weekend and is led offensively by Alyssa McBride. McBride is hitting at a .469 clip on the year with a .595 on base percentage and seven runs scored. She is one of three players hitting above the .300 mark for the Spartans. Kristina Zalewski leads MSU in the circle with 11 starts, a 5-3 record, two saves and holds a 1.23 ERA.
The weekend tournament will be the last non-conference tournament for the Rebels who jump into Southeastern Conference play next weekend after a home opener against Memphis on Tuesday night.
