Rebel Softball Ends Home Stand with Midweek Tilt Against ULM

April 17, 2018

WEDNESDAY - 6 p.m.

Game 41
Date: Apr. 18, 2018
First Pitch: 6 p.m. CT
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Ole Miss Softball Complex
Series: ULM leads, 5-4
Last Meeting: Mar. 16, 2016
Ole Miss won, 2-1
Oxford, Miss.
TV: SEC Network +
Seth Austin (play-by-play)
Lindsey Goubeaux (analyst)
Live Stats: OleMissSports.com
Twitter Updates: @OleMissSoftball

PROMOTIONS
- As is the case with every midweek game at the Ole Miss Softball Complex, Wednesday's game will feature one dollar hot dogs for all fans.

LEADING OFF
- Ole Miss welcomes the Warhawks of ULM to the Ole Miss Softball Complex for a midweek non-conference bout. Following the game, the Rebels will head to UTEP for a pair of weekend road games during their SEC bye week.

- The contest will be streamed live on SEC Network +, with Seth Austin calling the play-by-play action and Lindsey Goubeaux serving as analyst.

- The game will be the 10th all-time meeting between the Rebels and Warhawks. While ULM holds a slim 5-4 advantage, neither team has won more than two-consecutive games against the other.

- In the most recent meeting in 2016, Ole Miss earned a 2-1 victory in Oxford behind a strong pitching performance from now-senior Elisha Jahnke.

- The Rebels are 17-5 in non-conference play this season, including 7-2 at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.

- In the most recent NCAA RPI report, Ole Miss was slotted at No. 35, one spot back from its No. 34 position the previous week.

- Ole Miss is coming off of a 2-1 series defeat to then No. 23 Mississippi State in Oxford this past weekend. The Bulldogs claimed the first two games of the series before Ole Miss bounced back with a 7-6 win in game three.

- The Rebels struggled to produce the clutch hit in the series, batting 2-for-28 with runners in scoring position.

- Senior Elantra Cox ran her way into the record books in the series finale, scoring her 141st career run in the first inning to break the all-time program record.

- The Warhawks come to Oxford following a 2-1 series loss on the road at South Alabama. Despite dropping 2-of-3 games, ULM outscored the Jaguars 15-10.

- ULM sits at fifth in the Sunbelt standings at 9-9, while being slotted 136th in the RPI.

- The Warhawks rank eighth in the nation at 6.59 runs per game, while sitting at 10th in batting average at .323.

- The Rebels and Warhawks share three common opponents in LSU, Memphis and Southeastern Louisiana. While ULM lost all three of its games against those opponents, Ole Miss registered a 2-3 record.

SCOUTING REPORT
- Corey Lyon is in his fourth season as the head coach of the ULM Warhawks, having guided the program to a 109-103 record during his stint in Monroe. During his first season at the school, ULM achieved its first 30-win campaign since 2001, going 30-22 on the year. That season, the Warhawks advanced to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Semifinals and achieved the program's highest-ever RPI ranking at No. 74. Prior to making the move to Monroe, Lyon was the head coach for three seasons at NCAA Division II Southern Arkansas.

- Prior to making their way east to Oxford, the Warhawks will play a non-conference game at home against Mississippi Valley State. ULM currently sits at 22-17 on the year, including 9-9 in Sun Belt action. The Warkhawks are 0-3 on the season against shared opponents with Ole Miss, dropping games to LSU, Memphis and Southeastern Louisiana. ULM is coming off of a 2-1 series defeat to South Alabama on the road in Mobile, Alabama.

- The Warhawks boast a dangerous offensive lineup, batting .323 as a team with 257 runs scored and 220 RBIs. ULM is a constant threat to steal when on the base path, successfully swiping in 65-of-79 attempts. Junior outfielder Sydney McKay leads the team with a .413 average, ranking tops on the team with 39 runs scored and 28 RBIs while going 14-of-18 on steals. Sophomore infielder Jayden Mount sits at .383 with nine doubles and four homers to go along with 35 runs and 26 RBIs, while senior outfielder Rochelle Roberts, an NFCA All-Region honoree, has posted a .375 average with 32 runs, 23 runs batted in and 20 steals. Senior outifelder Hunter Hogan is batting .354 with a team-best 10 doubles in addition to 32 runs and 25 RBIs, while junior catcher Brie Wrobel has registered a .316 average at the plate with 23 runs driven in. In all, ULM has seven players batting over .300 with at least 50 at-bats on the year.

- While the Warhawks have racked up the runs offensively, they've also doled out their fair share on defense as well. ULM maintains a 4.63 team ERA, while surrendering a .328 batting average to opponents. Senior Paige Murray has seen a bulk of the load with 127.1 innings of work, posting a 12-6 record in 16 starts with a 4.23 ERA, allowing 30 doubles and 21 home runs. Sophomore Jessie Watts is the only other Warhawks to break 50 innings, hitting that total exactly with a 5.74 ERA in 19 appearances, registering a 5-4 record.

COX RACES INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
After leading off with a triple to center field in game three against Magnolia State rival Mississippi State, Elantra Cox came home on a Kylan Becker ground out, scoring the 141st run of her career to break the all-time Ole Miss record. Cox, who leads the Rebels in scoring this season with 27 runs, set the single season school-record in 2017 with 51 trips across the plate. The senior capped her big night in the sixth inning with a 2-run single, driving in the winning run for Ole Miss.

BECK'S BAT HEATS UP
While the majority of the Ole Miss offense struggled in the series against Mississippi State, Kylan Becker continuously produced at the plate against the Bulldogs. The Miami native hit safely in three of her five official at-bats, while also drawing four walks for a .778 on-base percentage. Even Becker's two outs during the series were productive as both came on sacrifice bunts. The junior scored a pair of runs in the affair and was successful both times when attempting to steal.

FINNEY CONTINUE TO THRIVE
Junior Brittany Finney continues to bounce back from a slow start to the season. After spending a large chunk of the campaign below the .100 line, Finney has seen her batting average rise to .229, thanks in large part to an excellent stretch over the last seven games. In those contests, the native Kansan is batting .368 (7-for-19) with five walks for a .500 on-base percentage.

LATE INNING MAGIC
Kylan Becker and Kaylee Horton have both had solid seasons at the plate but the pair of slappers have been even more impressive with two outs in an inning. In that scenario, Becker is batting .467 (14-for-30), while Horton is hitting at a clip of .400 (12-of-30). As a team, 46 of Ole Miss' 127 total RBIs have come with two down in the frame.

ON DECK
After wrapping up its six-game home stand against ULM, Ole Miss will hit the road for a pair of non-conference games during its bye week from SEC play. The Rebels will travel to El Paso, Texas for a two-game series against UTEP Friday and Saturday. Both games will be streamed live on C-USA.TV. Access to the streams will require a subscription fee, with a 24-hour pass costing $6.95.

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 softball and all of Ole Miss athletics on Snapchat under the handle, @WeAreOleMiss.

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Players Mentioned

Kylan Becker

Elantra Cox

Brittany Finney

Kaylee Horton

Elisha Jahnke

The University of Mississippi Athletics