The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Battle UTEP in El Paso During SEC Bye Week
4/19/2018 | Softball
| FRIDAY - 8 p.m. CT | SATURDAY - 5 p.m. CT | |
Games 42-43
Date: Apr. 20-21, 2018
First Pitch: Fri.: 8 p.m. CT | Sat.: 5 p.m. CT
Location: El Paso, Texas
Venue: Helen of Troy Softball Complex
Series: Ole Miss leads, 1-0
Last Meeting: Mar. 6, 2011
Ole Miss won, 6-4
Denton, Texas
TV: C-USA.tv
Live Stats: OleMissSports.com
Twitter Updates: @OleMissSoftball
LEADING OFF
- During its SEC bye week, Ole Miss travels to El Paso, Texas for a two-game non-conference road series at UTEP.
- The contest will be streamed live on C-USA.tv. The stream will require a subscription fee, with a 24-hour pass costing $6.95.
- It is the Rebels' first-ever trip to El Paso, with the two programs having faced off just once previously.
- In the only previous meeting, Ole Miss defeated the Miners 6-4 in a neutral-site game in Denton, Texas.
- The Rebels are 18-5 in non-conference play this season, including 2-1 in true road matchups.
- 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 commanding 7-0 victory over ULM on Wednesday in Oxford. The Rebels outhit the Warhawks 11-to-1 in the game, smacking six extra-base hits, the most for Ole Miss in 2018.
- Prior to upending the Warhawks, Ole Miss took 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.
- Senior Elantra Cox ran her way into the record books in the series finale against MSU, scoring her 141st career run in the first inning to break the all-time program record.
- The Miners are riding a four-game winning streak after sweeping their home series against North Texas and following up with a 7-0 shutout victory over New Mexico earlier this week.
- UTEP is ninth in the Conference USA standings at 7-11, coming in at No. 191 in the RPI.
- The Rebels and Miners share three common opponents in Oregon, Rutgers and Southern Miss. UTEP lost its non-conference matchups against the Ducks and Scarlett Knights and were swept by Southern Miss in C-USA action. Meanwhile, Ole Miss took down both Oregon and Rutgers at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge and split a pair of non-conference meetings with USM.
SCOUTING REPORT
- The Miners are led by head coach Tobin Echo-Hawk, who is in her fifth season at the school. During her five seasons, UTEP has registered an 84-167 overall record, including a 44-70 mark in Conference USA action. Prior to making the move to UTEP, Echo-Hawk coached for five seasons at Portland State, leading the Vikings to four conference titles and four NCAA Regional appearances.
- UTEP currently sits at 18-26 on the year, posting a 7-11 mark to rank ninth in the C-USA standings. The Miners have been a fierce foe within the comforts of their home ballpark, going 12-4 on the year. UTEP has faced a pair of ranked teams, falling 14-0 to Oregon and 4-0 to Cal. The Miners are currently on a four-game winning streak, sweeping a C-USA series at home over North Texas and following up with a non-conference win in El Paso over New Mexico.
- One of the top offensive groups in Conference USA, UTEP ranks second in the league with a .288 team batting average, while coming in at third in home runs per game (0.68), third in slugging percentage (.432), third in triples per game (0.23) and fourth in scoring (4.41). Senior infielder Courtney Clayton is the top threat, ranking third in C-USA with a .406 average while also leading the Miners with 32 runs, 27 RBIs, seven homers, three triples and 13 doubles. Sophomore utility player Pamala Baber is next in line with a .347 average, scoring 26 runs and driving in 16. Senior utility player Kaitlin Ryder is the only other player batting over .300 at .315, notching three home runs, a triple, five doubles, 22 runs and 19 RBIs.
- While demonstrating plenty of offensive prowess, the Miners have had their struggles in the circle. Junior Julia Wright is the only pitcher allowing less than five earned runs per seven innings, sitting with a 4.85 ERA. Wright has accumulated a 5-14 record in her 108.1 innings, striking out 84 batters and walking another 75. Junior Kira McKechnie is approaching the century mark at 97.2 frames, posting a 5-7 record with a 5.66. McKechnie has tended to be erratic, walking 102 batters to 69 strikeouts and administering 16 wild pitches. Sophomore Devyn Cretz has also seen significant action at 47.1 frames, earning a 2-4 record with a 6.51 ERA. Surrendering 10 doubles and six home runs in her 23 appearances, Cretz is allowing a .370 average to opposing batters.
REBS ADD A PAIR
After losing a few games during the early part of the season due to weather, Ole Miss has added a pair of games to its 2018 schedule. The Rebels will host a doubleheader against Alcorn State on Tuesday, Apr. 24 at 4 and 6:30 p.m. The next day, the Rebels will take on UT Martin in Oxford for a second time this season.
COMING THROUGH IN A PINCH
It's said that one of the hardest tasks in sports is pinch hitting, coming off the bench cold and attempting to hit a round ball with a round bat. When called upon to come off the bench and swing her stick, senior Alex Schneider has been extremely proficient in 2018. Schneider has been inserted as a pinch hitter six times on the season, registering a hit in four of those scenarios for a .667 average.
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 CONTINUES 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 .219, thanks in large part to an excellent stretch over the last eight games. In those contests, the native Kansan is batting .318 (7-for-22) with five walks for a .444 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 .419 (13-of-31). As a team, 47 of Ole Miss' 132 total RBIs have come with two down in the frame.
DINGERS = DUBS
While power hitting may not be a calling card for Ole Miss this season, with the Rebels registering 13 home runs on the season, when the Rebs do go long it usually leads to a victory. Ole Miss is 8-1 this season when posting at least one home run. In the lone loss, Ole Miss battled back from down 8-1 at Texas A&M and brought the winning run to the plate in the seventh inning before ultimately falling 8-6.
CLUTCH AUDDY
In her first season in Oxford, UCF transfer catcher Autumn Gillespie has proven that she's got what it takes to come through when her team needs it the most. While batting .277 overall, Gillespie's average spikes to .366 with runners in scoring position. Possibly even more impressive, the Redlands, California native has cashed in on 9-of-14 RBI opportunities with a runner at third and less than two outs, including 7-of-9 in conference play.
PLAYING FROM AHEAD
It has become abundantly clear that a quick start is important for Ole Miss. The Rebels are 20-6 this season when scoring first and are 3-12 when playing from behind. In games in which Ole Miss has scored in the opening frame, the Rebs have accumulated a 12-3 record.
McKINNEY SHOWING HER POP
In three seasons at Ole Miss, senior shortstop Paige McKinney had registered just four extra-base hits in her collegiate career. This season, the DeSoto High School product has seen her power numbers rise, already tallying four extra-baggers with three doubles and a triple. If the season ended today, McKinney's .301 slugging percentage would easily be a career-high.
WARHAWKS GROUNDED
Entering the midweek non-conference matchup with a 4-5 all-time record against ULM, Ole Miss evened the all-time series in convincing fashion, outhitting the Warhawks 11-to-1 on the way to a 7-0 victory. Of the Rebels' 11 hits, six went for extra-bases, the most in 2018 for Ole Miss. The pitching may have been even more impressive. Facing a Warhawk lineup batting .328 collectively, Kaitlin Lee, Anna Borgen and Morgan Bruce combined to one-hit ULM, surrendering just two baserunners all game long.
ON DECK
After finishing up its bye weekend at UTEP, Ole Miss will host a trio of midweek games before hitting the road for a three-game series at Arkansas to resume SEC play. The Rebels will host Alcorn State in a doubleheader in Oxford on Tuesday, Apr. 24 before taking on UT Martin in a non-conference bout the following day.
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.
