Here’s a look at everything that happened in the world of sports on the Ole Miss campus April 14 – 20, 2014.
Men’s Tennis
Jorge Named SEC Freshman Of The Week
On the heels of a huge win by the Ole Miss men’s tennis team last Friday to close out the SEC home schedule, Ricardo Jorge was named the SEC Freshman of the Week, as announced by the league office Monday.
Jorge (Tavira, Portugal) went 5-1 in singles and doubles last week to help the Rebels to a perfect 6-0 week, including the win over No. 10 Texas A&M in Coach Chadwick’s last SEC home match of his career. It also marked the Rebels’ first top-10 win of the season.
After a loss at No. 2 doubles against the Aggies, Jorge rebounded to win his singles match in straight sets at No. 5 singles to give the Rebels a 2-0 lead. Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Jorge played No. 1 singles for the first time ever. He improved to 11-5 overall, 6-3 at No. 5 singles.
Ole Miss will be in Nashville, Tenn., this week for the SEC Tournament Championship. The Rebels will face sixth-seeded Tennessee in the second round Thursday at 9 a.m.
Follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissMTennis and on Facebook at OleMissMTennis.
– Ole Miss Media Relations
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Rebels Among Top Five In Attendance
The Ole Miss men’s tennis team ranked third in attendance during the month of March in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Attendance Race.
In March, Ole Miss played in front of 2,160 spectators in five home matches at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center. The Rebels average attendance of 432 fans also ranked third.
For the year, the Rebels rank fourth in overall attendance (3,177) and third in average attendance (353 per match).
“We are excited to be among the nation’s attendance leaders again,” head coach Billy Chadwick said. “Over the years since I’ve been here, we’ve developed a great following. We would like to thank our fans who came out this year and supported us, especially last Friday in helping us beat No. 10 Texas A&M.”
The ITA Attendance Race spans the entire season, with monthly winners being announced in April and May before overall winners are released in June.
Ole Miss has annually ranked among the nation’s attendance leaders, finishing third last year. The Rebels have been ranked among the top 10 in the nation in attendance six of the seven years the ITA has sponsored the attendance race.
The Rebels will head to Nashville, Tenn., this week for the SEC Tournament. They will face sixth-seeded Tennessee in the second round Thursday at 9 a.m.
Follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissMTennis and on Facebook at OleMissMTennis.
– Ole Miss Media Relations
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Women’s Tennis
Rebels Set For SEC Tournament
Following a 4-0 shutout of the Missouri Tigers, the Ole Miss Women’s Tennis team remained in Columbia, Mo., this week, as the SEC Tournament gets underway beginning Wednesday at the Greene Tennis Center. The ninth-seeded Rebels will take on eighth-seeded South Carolina Thursday at 2 p.m., in second round action.
The Rebels head into this year’s SEC Tournament ranked No. 33 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings. At 13-8 overall, the Rebels are looking to get revenge for a regular season loss to the Gamecocks as well as gain some momentum for the NCAA Championships.
Ole Miss faces the exact scenario it did a year ago. The Rebels lost to South Carolina during the regular season last year and then defeated the Gamecocks two weeks later in the second round of the SEC Tournament, 4-3.
The two teams met here in Oxford on April 4, and the Gamecocks won the doubles point on their way to a 4-2 victory.
“Obviously we did not play well the last time we played them at our place, so we hope to play a lot better match against them this time around,” head coach Mark Beyers said. “Since that match, we have played really well, and we are looking forward to the rematch.”
The Rebels are led by junior Julia Jones, who comes in with an 11-4 record at No. 3 singles. She has 25 wins on the year and has not dropped a set in any of those wins. Junior Erin Stephens boasts a nine-match winning streak, while Mai El Kamash is 13-4 at No. 4 singles.
The Gamecocks (15-9) enter the contest on a one-match losing streak after dropping a match to Vanderbilt, 4-2 last week at home.
The winner of Thursday’s match will face the No. 1 seed and SEC Champion, Alabama, who heads into the tournament ranked No. 3 in the nation.
– Ole Miss Sports Information
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Softball
Ole Miss Cruises to Doubleheader Sweep of Alcorn State
The Ole Miss softball team was red-hot Tuesday afternoon at the Ole Miss Softball Complex as it cruised to 18-5 (5) and 13-1 (5) victories in its doubleheader vs. Alcorn State.
The Rebels scored in each of the eight innings it came up to bat, and of the 15 outs recorded in game twoTuesday, 11 came by way of strikeout.
“I really like the way our hitters adjusted to their pitchers,” Ole Miss softball head coach Windy Thees said. “They did a good job of driving the ball to all fields with someone who’s kind of challenging with more off-speed pitches. That was tough in the beginning to get our foot down, but then we really came through and hit the ball hard.
“Carly Hummel obviously did a great job for three innings (in game two), then we put Shelby Jo Fenter in to get an inning of work. We’re trying to work on our pitches and get everybody ready for this weekend. Then Emily Gaitan came in and struck out the side. It was good for all of our pitchers to get some innings, face batters who aren’t ourselves, and I’m proud of them.”
Hummel got the win in game two, striking out six batters among the nine she faced in three innings of work.
Redshirt freshman Alyssa Invergo went 3-3 in game two Tuesday, with three RBIs, two runs scored and a two-run home run, her third of the season. Senior RT Cantillo went 2-3 with four RBIs and three runs scored, while junior Allison Brown went 3-4 with two RBIs.
After scoring one run in the bottom of the first in game two, Ole Miss (22-22) scored four runs on five hits in the second inning to take a 5-0 lead. The Rebels then added five runs on seven hits in the third inning and three more runs on two hits in the fourth inning to close out their scoring.
Of the 12 batters who stepped up to bat for Ole Miss, nine batters recorded at least one hit, including five batters who notched multi-hit games.
Ole Miss will now head north to Columbia, Mo., to take on No. 13 Missouri in a two-day, three-game series. It will mark the first time the Rebels have faced Missouri in Columbia. With Easter being Sunday, the two schools will play a doubleheader Friday at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. CT, followed by the series finale Saturday at 2 p.m.
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Ole Miss Wallops Alcorn State in Game One
Behind a season-high 18 hits, the Ole Miss softball team scored a season-high 18 runs and cruised to an 18-5 (5) victory in game one of Tuesday’s doubleheader against Alcorn State at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.
The Rebels’ 18 runs scored were their highest total since scoring 22 runs Feb. 13, 2008, which is the highest single-game total in program history.
Junior Londen Ladner and sophomore Madi Osias, among others, led Ole Miss offensively. Ladner finished 3-4 with four RBIs, four runs scored and one home run, her team-high seventh of the season. Osias went a perfect 3-3 at the plate with four RBIs, four runs, a home run, her fifth of the year, and a walk.
Senior Natalie Nimmo went 2-3 with two RBIs and a run, and freshman Miranda Strother went 2-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Redshirt freshman Emily Gaitan stepped up to the plate for the first time this season, and promptly hit a two-RBI double to the fence.
Ole Miss came out of the gates on fire in Tuesday’s opening game, plating six runs on five hits to take a commanding 6-0 lead after one inning of play.
After scoring two more runs in the second inning, Ole Miss scored five runs in each of the next two innings to reach its season-high total of 18 for the game.
Junior Lauren Lindsey picked up the win, her first of the year, striking out three in three innings of work, while walking one and allowing just one hit. Freshman Emily Boyd came in to start the fourth inning and closed out the game by pitching the final two innings.
For all Ole Miss softball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSoftball and on Facebook at Ole Miss Softball.
– Ole Miss Sports Information
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Men’s Golf
Morris Claims Second At Reunion Intercollegiate
Junior Blake Morris carded a 1-over 73 on the final day of the Reunion Intercollegiate to finish in a tie for second place at Reunion Golf and Country Club Tuesday.
The Waterbury, Conn., native posted a two-round score of even-par 144 and notched his fourth top-five finish of the season. Morris helped lead Ole Miss to a fourth-place finish as a team, which marked the second-straight tournament the Rebels have posted a top-five finish.
Mississippi State claimed the team title (588), while Central Arkansas’ Pep Angles took home the individual crown with a 3-under 141. The event was shortened to 36 holes after rain suspended playMonday.
“It was a challenging week,” said Ole Miss head coach Ernest Ross. “We had some of the toughest weather we have experienced in several years. With almost 5 inches of rain and 30-35 mph winds, the course played long and tough. Blake Morris continues his excellent season. His second place finish is his fourth top 3 of the season. He is close to another win. Our team fought hard in the tough conditions. I am proud of their effort and perseverance. We are improving at the right time of year.”
Senior Tom Brown finished the tournament in a tie for 15th, carding a two-round total of 5-over 149, while junior Joe Lewis finished with a score of 7-over par 151 and tied for 25th. Freshman Noah West notched a 3-over par 75 in the second round and tied for 29th place. Sophomore Forrest Gamble finished the tournament in a tie for 59th place.
The Rebels will be back in action April 25-27 at the SEC Championships in Sea Island, Ga. Fans can follow scoring by going to OleMissSports.com and clicking the link in the calendar. Follow the Rebels all season at @OleMissMGolf and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OleMissMGolf.
Ole Miss individuals:
- T2. Blake Morris 71-73—144
- T15. Tom Brown 74-75—149
- T25. Joe Lewis 77-74—151
- T29. Noah West 77-75—152
- T49. Forrest Gamble 80-80—160
Teams:
- 1. Mississippi State 296-292—588
- 2. No. 15 Vanderbilt 299-293—592
- 3. No. 10 Houston 294-299—593
- 4. Ole Miss 299-297—596
- 5. Western Kentucky 300-301—601
- 6. Austin Peay 293-310—603
- T7. Central Arkansas 296-308—604
- T7. Southern Mississippi 297-307—604
- 9. Louisiana 308-298—606
- T10. Middle Tennessee State 296-313—609
- T10. Troy 310-299—609
- T10. UNCG 296-313—609
- 13. Southeastern Louisiana 306-304—610
- 14. Missouri-Kansas City 310-313—623
- 15. Jackson State 338-327—665
– Ole Miss Sports Information
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Baseball
The No. 10 Rebels welcome the No. 7 LSU Tigers to Swayze for a three-game SEC series. The series will be Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with two games to be televised: ESPNU on Thursday and FSN on Saturday.
Last weekend in Starkville, the Rebels and Bulldogs set a NCAA on-campus attendance record of 15,586 fans at a college baseball game.
Game times are set for:
Thursday: 6:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Friday: 6:3 0p.m. (RebelVision)
Saturday: 1:00 p.m. (FSN)
– Adam Brown, HottyToddy.com sports editor, adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
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