Softball Hosts Ole Miss In Big SEC Showdown
May 25, 2016 | Softball
Mississippi State leads the all-time series with Ole Miss, 21-14. In Starkville, MSU leads 12-4, while in Oxford, the series is tied 8-8. Ole Miss holds a 2-1 advantage when played on a neutral field. MSU has outscored the Rebels, 150-89.
Earlier this year, Mississippi State defeated Ole Miss, 5-2, in the fifth annual M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic. It was State's first win at the Classic since 2004. With two outs in the seventh, Chelsea Bramlett singled, scoring Sammie Jo Bailey and Katie Johnson. Bramlett moved to third on a wild pitch, and came home on Nakita Boyce's single, giving Mississippi State the lead. State broke a scoreless tie in the third when Boyce doubled home Michelle Kinney. Ole Miss tied the game in the bottom half. Mary Jane Callahan singled to right field, knocking homeAlise Doubt. After the Rebels took a 2-1 lead in the fourth, MSU tiedthe game in the sixth when Becky Nye's throwing error allowed Bramlettto come home. Bramlett led Mississippi State, going 2-4 with two runsand two RBI, and Boyce was 2-3 with two RBI.
Freshman Chelsea Bramlett has had a strong year all season long, but none more so than this past week, when her performance in four games earned her SEC Freshman of the Week honors. The Cordova, Tenn. native hit .571 (8-14) with five runs, two RBI and a double. She also had a.643 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base percentage. Bramlett helped MSU to its first win at the M&F Bank Fastpitch Classic over Ole Miss, before leading the Bulldogs to a three-game sweep of South Carolina, its first home conference sweep since April 16-17, 2005 over Arkansas. Bramlett also set an MState record with four stolen bases in the series finale.
Kelli Miller leads the Bulldogs from the mound with a 10-6 record and a 1.60 ERA. In 87.2 innings of work, the senior has struck out 42 batters.Kelsey Nurnberg is 6-2 with a 2.25 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 71.2 innings of work.
Ole Miss enters this weekend's series with a 16-22 overall record, and7-7 in the SEC. The Rebels are coming off a weekend that saw them take two of three games from 19th-ranked Florida. As a team, Ole Miss is hitting .255 with 40 doubles and 25 home runs. UM has also stolen 17 bases in only 29 attempts. Offensively, the Rebels are led by Lauren Grill. The freshman is hitting .315 with 11 home runs, six doubles and21 RBI. She has also scored 24 runs. Mary Jane Callahan is hitting.318 with five doubles, 20 RBI and 12 runs.
From the pitching circle, Ole Miss is led by a trio of pitchers. Mary Jane Callahan leads the team with an 8-7 record and a 1.76 ERA. She also has eight complete games, while striking out 84 batters. Tara Willitt is 6-4 with a 2.66 ERA with 48 strikeouts. Becky Nye has struck out 69 batters, but is just 2-11 on the year. Opponents are hitting just.247 against Rebel pitching.
Following this weekend's action, the Bulldogs will host Southern Miss on Tuesday, April 10 at 6 p.m. (CT).
