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 and the Rebel Walk.com.

Ole Miss Women’s Golfers Newton and Hovatter Honored with SEC Accolades

Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics.

Ole Miss seniors Abby Newton (Katy, Texas) and Alison Hovatter (Meridianville, Alabama) picked up some more hardware as they both earned accolades from the SEC office on Tuesday. Newton was named co-SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year, while Hovatter was named to the SEC Community Service Team.

Newton becomes the first Ole Miss player to win SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year honors and shares the award with Tennessee’s Lucia Polo, while Hovatter was named to the Community Service Team for the second consecutive season.

Newton has had a very successful collegiate career both on and off the course. She’s appeared on both the Dean and Chancellor’s honor rolls at Ole Miss and is a three-time Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar. Additionally she’s a two-time SEC Spring Academic Honor Roll recipient and was a member of the SEC First Year Academic Honor Roll. This year, she was inducted into the 2015-16 Who’s Who of American Colleges and Universities and has been nominated for CoSIDA Academic All-District honors in three consecutive years.

On the course, Newton has had an impressive collegiate career. She became one of just 12 Rebels to earn medalist honors in their collegiate career by winning the Memphis FedEx Intercollegiate in the fall of 2014. Newton had a tremendous fall season in her senior campaign. She lead the Rebels with a 72.67 stroke average and tied the school record for single lowest round firing a 7-under par 65 at the CSU Fall Invitational. In that same tournament she set a new school record for two rounds with a two-round score of 135 (70-65—135) en route to her career low for 54 holes of 206. Over the course of her career, Newton has posted three top-5 finishes.  Newton qualified for the NCAA Regionals as an individual in 2014 where she fired a three-day score of 220 and was a member of the 2013 squad that participated in the NCAA Regionals.

Hovatter was named to the SEC Community Service team for the second straight year and joins members from each of the other 14 SEC institutions.

Hovatter, who is heavily involved with the Ole Miss chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), has been highly active in the Ole Miss and Oxford and Lafayette county communities since arriving at Ole Miss. Hovatter leads a weekly bible study with Ole Miss volleyball player Rachael Weathersby for high school girls at Oxford high school and through her participation in FCA, has helped to build a home for an elderly resident in Oxford, while also spending time visiting with residents at a local nursing home. Hovatter is very devout in her faith and most recently was featured in the June issue of the FCA Magazine sharing her testimony. Additionally, Hovatter shared her testimony during the 2015 Ole Miss Rebel Intercollegiate Easter Service, sharing her story of faith with all the teams in town for the women’s golf Rebel Intercollegiate golf tournament.

Additionally, Hovatter has given back though the game of golf by serving as a camp counselor at the Ole Miss golf camps each of the past four years while also serving as a participant each of the last four years at the Ole Miss National Women’s and Girls in Sports Day program.

Hovatter was also a consistent performer for the Rebels on the course with a 74.75 stroke average and two top-10 finishes on the year. Hovatter also fired a career-low 69 at the Lady Bulldog Invitational to open the spring – an event she finished tied for first place.

The SEC names a Community Service Team for each of its 21 league-sponsored sports, looking to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to his or her community through superior service efforts. All league-sponsored sports have had a community service team since 2004, with at-large teams for men and women’s sports being chosen from 1999-2003. The SEC began this concept with a football community service team in 1994.

For all Ole Miss women’s golf news and information, go to OleMissSports.com, and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWGolf and Facebook at Ole Miss Women’s Golf.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

Henri Lartigue Added to Johnny Bench Award Watch List

Ole Miss catcher Henri Lartigue
Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics@olemisspix

Putting together an impressive 2016 season at the plate, Ole Miss junior Henri Lartigue has been added to the watch list for the 2016 Johnny Bench Award presented by BaseballSavings.com, the Greater Wichita Area Sports Commission announced Wednesday morning. The Johnny Bench Award, named after the 14-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner, is presented annually to the nation’s top collegiate catcher as voted on by Division I coaches.

After spending most of last season as the team’s designated hitter and backup catcher, Lartigue has taken the reigns behind the plate in 2016. The Southaven, Mississippi native is the team’s top hitter at the plate with a .348 batting average, which is the best among catchers in the Southeastern Conference. Moreover, Lartigue is raking during conference play, hitting at a .383 clip. He has tallied eight games with at least three hits, pacing the Rebel bats. In a walk-off, come-from-behind victory over Auburn (April 24), Lartigue went 4-for-5, tying a career high in hits which included the game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth.

The tradition of great catchers at Ole Miss is well known, especially over recent history. Stuart Turner won the Johnny Bench Award in 2013. One year later, Will Allen was an All-American catcher as a 2014 Johnny Bench Award finalist. With a coaching staff filled with guys who played the position, expectations of Rebel catchers are always lofty. Head coach Mike Bianco was a catcher at LSU, while assistant coaches Carl Lafferty and Mike Clement also started behind the plate during their playing days.

The watch list will be narrowed down to a group of semifinalists, which will be announced May 18. From there, three finalists will be selected June 6; the winner will be presented with the award June 30 in Wichita, Kansas.

Lartigue and the Rebels return to the diamond tonight, hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the final home midweek game of the season. First pitch from Swayze Field is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on SECN+.

For the latest news and updates involving Ole Miss Baseball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Baseball and on Instagram at olemissbsb. Fans can also follow head coach Mike Bianco on Twitter at @CoachMikeBianco.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

Ole Miss Men’s Tennis Earns 23rd Straight NCAA Bid

Photo courtesy of Kevin Bain

For the 23rd straight year, the Ole Miss men’s tennis team will be playing tennis in May, as the 64-team field for the NCAA Championships was announced Tuesday.

The Rebels earned a No. 2 seed in the Cal regional, and will face Denver in the first round May 14 in Berkeley, California. Cal, the No. 13 seed overall, is hosting the first and second rounds and will face Army in the first round. The winners will meet on May 15 for a berth in the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

Notables…
• Ole Miss owns the fifth longest consecutive NCAA appearance streak in the nation with 23 straight. The Rebels earned their first ever NCAA bid in 1989 and then again in 1994. They have been every year since then.
• The Rebels will meet Denver for the first time in program history.
• It marks the Rebels second trip to California for the NCAA first round since the current format was instituted. The Rebels traveled to Los Angeles in 2011 for the UCLA region.
• If the Rebels get by Denver, they could face a familiar opponent for a few guys on the team. Cal has three Swedes on the team, while the Rebels have two in Stefan Lindmark and Gustav Hansson, along with head coach Toby Hansson.
• The Rebels are also familiar with another member of the Bears team in Florian Lakat, who transferred there from Mississippi State.

Quoting head coach Toby Hansson…
“It’s obviously one of our goals to make NCAAs every year. We have an opportunity to close out the season on a high note and it’s very exciting. The guys are looking forward to going to California. We know they have a nice facility and hopefully they’ll have a good crowd.”

On the first round match against Denver…
“We are not that familiar with Denver, since we don’t face them regularly, but they’ve had a good year. We’ll familiarize ourselves more with them in the coming days and get ready for a good match.”

On potential second round match vs. California…
“I am very familiar with the guys at Cal. They are a great group of players. It will be an interesting match-up if both teams make it through. It’s an exciting regional to be part of.”

Senior captain Stefan Lindmark…
“We’re very excited to be back in the NCAA Championships. We are going to a place where we feel that if we play well, we have a good chance to advance. I am super pumped. It’s my last year, and I am ready to make the most of this opportunity.”

On familiarity with opponents…
“I don’t know that much about Denver, but I know they’re a good team. We have to be ready to play well. It’s going to be a battle. I know four guys on the Cal team, and I’ve beaten three of them before. But first we have to take care of Denver.”

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.

J.B. Woodman recognized for his ‘super’ performance

Photo by Jack Olstad HottyToddy.com

J.B. Woodman’s two home runs Saturday afternoon against then-No. 8 LSU not only gave then-No. 9 Ole Miss the 8-2 win and 2-1 series win, but they also gave his teammates even more reason to refer to the center fielder as “Superman.”

Woodman’s superpowers were evident as he went 2-for-4 on the day, scored three runs, and had four RBI. For the series, he hit three home runs, drove in eight runs and threw three runners out at the plate.

For his efforts, Woodman was named SEC Player of the Week on Monday and National Hitter of the Week on Tuesday by the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association.

Freshman right-handed pitcher James McArthur praised Woodman’s stellar performance in Saturday’s game, calling Woodman “Superman.” Who could argue with that moniker?

As for Woodman, once he got word of his new “superpowers,” he just smiled and chuckled.

Courtesy of Courtney Smith and the Rebel Walk.com

Softball to Hold Four Summer Camps

Photo by Robert Jordan / University Communication

As the spring season winds down, Ole Miss Softball has opened registration for its various summer camps throughout the summer months.

Ole Miss will host two June camps and two sessions in August. The All Skills Camp, June 13-15, kicks off the summer slate and is open to players ages 9-18. The All-Skills camp is designed to instruct youth players in the progression of their technical and tactical skills of the game, and to become a better overall player.

The camp schedule continues June 20-22 with the Elite Prospect Camp open to players ages 12-18. The Elite Prospect Camp is designed for the advanced athlete looking to take their game to the next level. During this camp, players will get the opportunity to work with their position specific coaches and players from the 2016 team.

The Rebels’ summer instruction will conclude Aug. 27-28 with the Back to School Camp sessions, open to players in grades 6-12. Ole Miss will offer three separate sessions covering all parts of the game, including Mastery of Position Play, Becoming an Advanced Power Hitter, and Pitcher/Catcher Camp. All three are three-hour long sessions with discounts available.

Younger children (ages 5-11) will also have the chance to learn more about the game with the Little Rebs camp that will close the day on Aug. 28. The camp is designed for beginners wishing to learn fundamentals of the game.

Spots are limited in all sessions, so register soon by clicking here or in the link above. For more information regarding Rebel Softball Camps, please contact the softball office at 662-915-7186, or contact camp director Katie Rietkovich directly at katier@olemiss.edu.

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

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