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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Softball Hosts Central Arkansas Tuesday
3/14/2016 | Softball
Ole Miss Game Notes - Central Arkansas
Game 27
Ole Miss (21-5, 1-2 SEC) vs. Central Arkansas (16-8, 2-1 Southland)
Date: March 15, 2016
First Pitch: 6 p.m.
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Softball Complex
Capacity: 1,000
Dimensions: L-200, C-220, R-200
TV: SEC Network+
Will Kollmeyer, play-by-play
Brittany McKinney, analyst
Series: Ole Miss leads, 6-2
Last Meeting: Feb. 15, 2013
UCA won, 4-2
Mobile, Ala.
Live stats: OleMissSports.comTwitter Updates: @OleMissSoftball
PROMOTIONS
- $1 Hot Dogs
LEADING OFF
- Ole Miss hosts the first of its two midweek games Tuesday with a 6 p.m. matchup vs. Central Arkansas.
- The Rebels and Bears will be squaring off for the first time since the 2013 campaign, and will play in Oxford for the first time since 2010. After winning the first six games of the series, Ole Miss has dropped two straight to UCA. The last win over the Bears came on March 16, 2011, in a 7-5 result.
- A win would give head coach Mike Smith career win No. 800 in his 18-year career.
- Ole Miss is coming off the opening weekend of SEC play vs. No. 13 Missouri, where the Rebels put the wheels in motion in Sunday's series finale in a 9-5 to take one of three from the Tigers.
- Tuesday's game comes a day ahead of the first nationally-televised contest for the Rebels, set for Wednesday vs. ULM on SEC Network.
- The Rebels have been on a tear on the base paths this season, and have swiped 80 bags already through 26 games. Ole Miss is just 10 away from tying the school record of 90 set a season ago.
- Freshman Hailey Lunderman has been more than impressive for the Rebels this season as the everyday shortstop hitting from the No. 2 spot in the lineup. She struck out for the first time all season this past weekend, going 82 at-bats without a K. She's also the team leader in hitting with a .460 average and 40 hits.
- Sophomore leadoff hitter Elantra Cox had a big week at the plate, raising her batting average by 95 points to a clip of .436, second-best on the team. She also continues to inch up the career stolen base list, now with 42 in her career, just 10 away from the top three.
- Senior pitcher Madi Osias has won a school record 10-straight games in the circle dating back to Feb. 13. She's just one win off tying her career high for wins in a season, and five from tying the single-season school record.
- The Rebels have mastered small ball this season, leading the conference in sacrifice bunts with 23. Ole Miss also has 14 hits off bunts this season, led by four each from Lunderman and Cox. Kylan Becker and Miranda Strother lead the team in sacrifice bunts with four each.
- The fifth inning has been the difference maker for the Rebels this season, outscoring its opponents 30-7. Ole Miss has scored more in odd-numbered innings, outscoring opponents 23-11 in the first and 28-8 in the third.
SCOUTING REPORT
UCA heads into the midweek tilt through one weekend of conference play on the 2016 season. The Bears were picked to finish third in the Southland Conference, and landed four players on the Preseason Team including infielders Sarah Bigej and Sam Forrest who earned first team honors, and second team honorees Jessie Taylor and Briana Whisenhunt.
Central Arkansas heads into the midweek matchup winners of three of its last four contests after opening Southland Conference play last weekend in Corpus Christi, Texas. The Bears were winners of their first three games, picking up victories over Samford, Southern Miss and UAB, before splitting the final two games of the Sand Dollar Classic (Gulf Shores, Ala.) vs. No. 25 South Alabama and Southeast Missouri State. After going winless in the Louisiana Classic, the Bears returned home for a seven-game homestand, picking up victories in six of those contests. UCA fared 2-2 in the Bulldog Slamboree (Starkville, Miss.), before opening league play last weekend taking 2-of-3 over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
As a team the Bears are hitting .242 on the year led by a .316 clip from Bailey Reynolds. Taylor paces the way for UCA with four home runs and 21 RBI at .294, while Whisenhunt has chipped in with 11 RBI. As a team the Bears have only 19 stolen bases, led by eight from Whisenhunt.
The Bears have used four pitchers in the circle thus far this season with Shivaun Landeros getting a majority of the work thus far. She's 9-5 in 13 starts with a 2.84 ERA in 81.1 innings pitched, and has struck out 42 hitters with just 18 walks allowed. Kayla Gomness is 4-1 on the year with a 2.03 ERA in six starts, while Nicole Fullilove has four starts to her credit at 2-2 with a 5.25 ERA.
REBELS TAKE SERIES FINALE FROM NO. 13 MIZZOU
After weather played a role in the SEC opening weekend series vs. No. 13 Missouri, the Rebels headed into Sunday's doubleheader looking for a series win. After a 2-0 loss in game two, despite Elisha Jahnke allowing just two hits, the Rebels powered back for a 9-5 victory in the finale.
The win over the Tigers was the first in program history for the Rebels, and was also the first win over a ranked opponent since March 21, 2015 (14-8 over No. 24 Mississippi State). Ole Miss put together a nine-run third inning to salvage a win and pick up their first SEC win in the first weekend of play.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Rebels will have a quick turnaround and host ULM Wednesday on SEC Network at 6:30 p.m. with Melissa Lee (play-by-play) and Cheri Kempf (analyst) on the call.
For all Ole Miss Softball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSoftball, on Facebook at Ole Miss Softball and on Instagram at Instagram.com/olemisssoftball. Fans can also follow head coach Mike Smith on Twitter at @msmithsb16. Additionally fans can get a behind the scenes look at Ole Miss Athletics on Snapchat under the handle, @WeAreOleMiss.
