HottyToddy.com’s Daily Ole Miss Sports Roundup

HottyToddy.com is giving readers a roundup of all the commentary and information about the Ole Miss Rebels from various publications around the Web.

Readers will be able to check out the latest information in a single post every day throughout the year. Here at HottyToddy.com, we are doing all the leg work to find the information that people may want to hear about Ole Miss sports.

Today’s roundup features Ole Miss Sports, The Rebel Walk, Saturday Down South and the Red Cup Rebellion.

BancorpSouth Rebel Road Trip Cranks Up Next Week

Ole Miss head football coach Hugh Freeze and baseball coach Mike Bianco headline the speakers on Friday, April 22, as the BancorpSouth Rebel Road Trip holds its Oxford meeting as part of a 12-stop tour of the region.

The event, which also features athletics director Ross Bjork and chancellor Jeffrey Vitter, will be held at the Oxford Conference Center from 7:30 to 9 a.m. CT, and breakfast will be served. Visit www.rebelroadtrip.com for tickets and full details.

The fifth-annual BancorpSouth Rebel Road Trip (#RRT16) features Ole Miss fan meeting across four states this year. The caravan includes stops in Atlanta, Mobile and the Golden Triangle among its 10 destinations next week, while the tour reaches Memphis and Jackson, Miss., in July.

In addition to the speakers, the meetings include autograph lines, photo booths, official merchandise, yellow football posters, an exciting video look at the university and information tables for the Athletics Foundation and the Alumni Association. There will also be photo opportunities with the Egg Bowl, Magnolia Bowl and Sugar Bowl trophies.

In its first four years, the BancorpSouth Rebel Road Trip has visited 32 different markets and more than 15,000 fans. The tour has touched seven states and such major metropolitan cities as Birmingham, Dallas, Houston, Little Rock, Nashville and New Orleans, among others.

2016 BancorpSouth Rebel Road Trip 

Sunday, April 17, 5:30-7:15 p.m. (ET) – Atlanta (College Football Hall of Fame)

Monday, April 18, 7:30-9 a.m. – Mobile (Athelstan Club)

Monday, April 18, 5:30-7:15 p.m. – Gulfport (Gulfport Yacht Club)

Tuesday, April 19, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. – Meridian (Central United Methodist Church)

Tuesday, April 19, 5:30-7:15 p.m. – West Point (Ritz Theater & Conference Center)

Wednesday, April 20, 5:30-7:15 p.m. – Corinth (Crossroads Arena)

Thursday, April 21, 7:30-9 a.m. – Cleveland (Grammy Museum)

Thursday, April 21, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. – Tupelo (BancorpSouth Conference Center)

Thursday, April 21, 5:30-7:15 p.m. – Ripley (First Baptist Church Life Center)

Friday, April 22, 7:30-9 a.m. – Oxford (Oxford Conference Center)

July 18 & 19 – Memphis & Jackson

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports 

Ole Miss inks New Mexico point guard Cullen Neal

Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

One of Ole Miss head basketball coach Andy Kennedy’s top priorities of late was to secure a point guard for next season–and he did so in a big way Wednesday as New Mexico’s Cullen Neal signed with the Rebels.

The 6-foot-5 guard, who played for his father, Craig, the past three seasons will become a member of the Rebels for the 2016-17 season and immediately becomes eligible as a graduate transfer. Neal will have two years remaining because he received a medical redshirt as a sophomore.

“They just made me feel like home,” Neal told ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

I just feel like it was the right place for me and I think they have a chance to be very good in the next few years.– Cullen Neal

Courtesy of Courtney Smith and the Rebel Walk.com

Ole Miss Falls to UT Martin

Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics
@olemisspix

The Ole Miss softball team fell behind early and couldn’t come back, falling to UT Martin, 9-6, Wednesday night at the Ole Miss Softball Complex.

The Skyhawks (23-18) plated seven in the second and one in the third taking a very early 8-0 lead to chase senior Madi Osias in the circle.

From there, the Rebels (28-14) went on to tally six runs thanks to three in the third, a single run in the fourth and a pair in the sixth, but the comeback fell short in the non-conference midweek matchup.

Courtney Syrett was responsible for three Rebel runs thanks to her team-leading fifth home run of the season in the third. She drove in Ashton Lampton and Elantra Cox, who both reached earlier on singles.

Lampton collected the first of her two RBI in the next inning when she drove in Alex Schneider cutting the lead to 8-4. The freshman then pushed across Schneider again two frames later off another RBI single up the middle, before Kylan Becker crossed home on a double steal attempt.

Lampton led the Rebel offense tying her career high in hits in a 3-for-3 day, while seven other Rebels tallied a hit each.

Sophomore Elisha Jahnke pitched the final 5.2 innings for Ole Miss and allowed two earned runs off six hits.

On Deck
Ole Miss jumps back into SEC play this weekend with a road test at South Carolina. The three-game set begins Friday night in Columbia at 5 p.m. CT, with game two on Saturday set for 2 p.m. Sunday’s series finale will be aired live on SEC Network at 2 p.m. ET/1 p.m. CT.

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.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics 

Big Weekend on Tap for Ole Miss Men’s Tennis

Photo courtesy of Kevin Bain

Two years ago, the Ole Miss men’s tennis team needed a big win to help its postseason chances, and they got it. The Rebels conclude the regular season this weekend hosting South Carolina and No. 6 Georgia looking to improve their resumé.

Friday, the Rebels will battle the Gamecocks at 5 p.m., at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center, weather permitting. Sunday, Ole Miss will celebrate seniors Stefan Lindmark and Vinod Gowda on Senior Day at 1 p.m., against the Bulldogs.

Promotions…
Fans coming to Friday’s match will enjoy free chicken tenders from Abner’s and the first 150 fans will receive a t-shirt of Stefan Lindmark. Sunday’s match includes free Ole Miss Tennis court towels.

Last time out…
Ole Miss defeated Vanderbilt 5-2 in Nashville on Sunday in their last match. The Rebels won the doubles point and then won three of four three-setters in singles to secure their fourth straight win against the Commodores. Gustav Hansson defeated then 37th-ranked Daniel Valent to clinch his fourth match this season. Zvonimir Babic and Fabian Fallert also earned singles wins to set up Hansson.

Scouting South Carolina…
South Carolina won two of three matches last weekend. The Gamecocks (12-13, 3-7) topped Auburn, 4-3, on Friday for their third conference win. Carolina then split a Sunday doubleheader, falling to No. 14 Florida before sweeping South Carolina State. Sophomore Gabriel Friedrich has won three of his last four singles matches and ranks a career-best No. 60.

Scouting Georgia…
Georgia has won 12-straight matches and has earned at least a share of the 2016 SEC regular season title. The Bulldogs are led by senior Austin Smith at the top spot. Smith, ranked No. 24, owns a 10-4 record at No. 1 singles. Sophomore Wayne Montgomery is ranked No. 34 with a 7-6 record at No. 2 singles. The Bulldogs boast the No. 7 team in doubles with Smith and Ben Wagland.

Rebels vs. Gamecocks and Bulldogs…
After playing both teams on the road two straight years, Ole Miss hosts the Gamecocks and Bulldogs for the first time since 2013.  The Rebels defeated South Carolina 4-2 last year in Columbia and lost to Georgia 4-0 in Athens and then again, 4-1, in a tight match in the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. The last time the Rebels beat Georgia came in 2013 in Oxford, 4-3.

National Rankings…
The Rebels are ranked No. 32 in the latest Oracle/ITA National Rankings. Sophomore Gustav Hansson moved up to No. 51 in singles with his seven-match win streak. Senior Stefan Lindmark is ranked No. 66. In doubles, Zvonimir Babic and Filip Kraljevic are up to No. 24.

Quoting Head Coach Toby Hansson…
“We are playing well right now and excited to host South Carolina and Georgia this weekend to close out the regular season. We have lots of fun giveaways planned and we are celebrating our seniors. The guys really enjoy playing in front of a big crowd, so we want to encourage everyone to come out support the team and help send the seniors off with two wins.”

For more information on Ole Miss Men’s Tennis, follow the Rebels on Twitter @OleMissMTennis, on Facebook at OleMissMTennis and on Instagram at OleMissMTennis, follow Coach Hansson on Twitter at @TennisToby.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics 

9 SEC Players to attend NFL Draft

There are 25 prospects expected to attend the 2016 NFL Draft, and nine of them are from the SEC, according to NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread.

Alabama and Ole Miss lead all SEC schools with three players apiece. Meanwhile, Florida has a pair and Mississippi State has one. Here’s a look at the SEC’s attendees who will be there to walk across the stage at Roosevelt University’s Auditorium Theatre in Chicago later this month:

Alabama LB Reggie Ragland
Alabama DT Jarran Reed
Alabama DT A’Shawn Robinson
Florida CB Vernon Hargreaves
Florida S Keanu Neal
Mississippi State DE Chris Jones
Ole Miss OT Laremy Tunsil
Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche
Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell

Courtesy of Tala Elmasry and Saturday Down South 

Titans trade 1st pick of NFL Draft to Rams, which likely means Laremy Tunsil won’t go No. 1

Photo courtesy of Joshua McCoy, Ole Miss Athletics

After several weeks of rumors about the Titans‘ intentions with the top pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, they’ve finally wrangled up a trade. The Titans have swapped places with the Rams in a blockbuster deal announced Thursday morning. Here’s what the trade looks like, according to the Titans:

The Titans get:

• 1st round pick (No. 15 overall)
• 2nd round pick (43)
• 2nd round pick (45)
• 3rd round pick (76)
• 1st round pick in 2017
• 3rd round pick in 2017

The Rams get:

• 1st round pick (No. 1 overall)
• 4th round pick (113)
• 6th round pick (177)

It had looked for all the world that star left tackle Laremy Tunsil was set to become the second Ole Miss player to ever go No. 1 overall (Eli did that, ya know), but this trade probably kills that dream. The Rams, who desperately need a quarterback, are probably moving up to grab North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz.

It seems likely that the Browns (picking No. 2) will also grab a QB. That shifts Tunsil’s most likely landing spot down to San Diego at No. 3.

Courtesy of Jeff Gray and the Red Cup Rebellion

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