Bulldogs Battle Ole Miss In M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic
May 25, 2016 | Softball
The Bulldogs (30-11, 4-5 SEC) will renew their rivalry with Ole Miss (13-25, 1-11) for the 32nd time in the first of a disjoined three-game series that will also see games in both Oxford (April 11) and Starkville (April 26). First pitch of Wednesday night's meeting at Ridgeland's Freedom Ridge Park has been set for 6:30 p.m.
Tickets for the fourth annual M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic can be purchased at all Starkville, Madison and Oxford area branches of M&F Bank. General admission tickets are $6, with children under 10 admitted free when accompanied by a parent or guardian.
The meeting will be broadcast live over the airwaves from the facility on WMSV 91.1 FM with Bart Gregory handling all the balls and strikes. The game can also be followed in progress via a live stats link at the official home of the MSU athletic department on the World Wide Web, www.MStateAthletics.com.
Although carrying a 20-11 lead in the series, the Maroon and White dropped two of three games to its rivals last season, including a 4-0 setback at Madison's Liberty Park. Ole Miss won the meeting in Starkville on a 2-0 shutout by the Rebels, but State returned the favor six days later by defeating the Rebels 4-0 in Oxford. It marked the first time in the history of the series that every season meeting had been won by virtue of shutout.
It's always a tough series when we play Ole Miss, said Mississippi State head coach Jay Miller. This is a great rivalry and I don't think this year will be any different. We are expecting great competition and a great crowd down there and, hopefully, a lot of support for the Bulldogs.
Having endured a rough start that saw them post victories in just two of its first 12 games of the season, Ole Miss rebounded to win nine games in a stretch from February 26 to March 16, including a pair of triumphs over Southern Miss. The Rebels have gotten a bulk of their run production from a pair of players - freshman Lisa Conchos and sophomore Lauren Rowe - who have combined for a .299 batting clip with 32 RBI and 29 runs scored. Conchos leads the team with a .308 batting average, while Rowe paces both the home runs (4) and RBI (21) columns.
From the circle, southpaw Mary Jane Callahan (6-13, 3.13 ERA) has grabbed a majority of the innings for the Rebels this season, striking out 98 in 127.1 innings of work while holding opponents to a .254 batting clip. Righthander Dana Brill (6-9, 2.64) averages nearly one strikeout per inning and holds opponents to a team-best .234 batting clip. Brill was the winning pitcher in last season's M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic.
Following Wednesday's tilt in the metro Jackson area, State will continue its stretch away from home this weekend when it travels to Athens, Ga., to lock horns with 10th-ranked Georgia (32-9, 12-3) in a three-game series at the Georgia Softball Stadium.
