Hotty Toddy Sports Round Up

Junior Shelby Jo Fenter struck out 12 and allowed just one hit in 5.2 innings of work at No. 23 Hawaii. Photo Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

The round up highlights sports on the Ole Miss campus ending the week of Sunday, February 10, 2013.

By: Adam Brown, HottyToddy.com Sports Editor

adam.brown@hottytoddy.com

Compiled from Ole Miss Sports Information reports

Softball

Ole Miss Splits Doubleheader to Start the Season

The Ole Miss softball team (1-1) split its season-opening doubleheader Thursday at the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic in Honolulu, defeating Saint Mary’s 10-2 before dropping a pitching duel to No. 23 Hawaii, 2-0.

Junior pitcher Shelby Jo Fenter pitched a gem of a game against tournament-host Hawaii, striking out 12 batters in 5.2 innings of work. Fenter and Hawaii pitcher Kaia Parnaby each carried no-hitters into the sixth inning, and each finished the game with one hit allowed.

“Shelby Jo pitched absolutely phenomenal,” Ole Miss softball head coach Windy Thees said. “She struck out 12 and gave up one hit, she just ran out of gas. I knew she was running out, but she hadn’t given up a hit, so do you pull a kid with a no-hitter? … She was great.

“We didn’t hit. We got one hit in the game and we need to make adjustments. (Hawaii pitcher Kaia) Parnaby is a great pitcher. It was just a classic pitcher’s duel and hopefully next time we’ll come out on top.”

Fenter, who transferred to Ole Miss from Vol State Community College, struck out the side in the third and fifth inning, and didn’t get into trouble until the sixth inning.

Three walks loaded the bases for the Rainbow Wahine in the bottom of the sixth, and Sharla Kleibenstein came through with a two-run, two-out double to left field to put Hawaii (1-0) in front and get the win.

“We expect to win,” Thees said. “That was really nice for our girls and for us as coaches to see our players play that hard and get after it. There was no doubt we were supposed to win that game, we just need to make some better adjustments at the plate.”

Ole Miss will continue play in the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic on Friday with a doubleheader against UAB at 3 p.m. CT and No. 16 Washington at 7 p.m. CT.

The Rebels got their 2013 season off to a great start with a convincing 10-2 victory over Saint Mary’s in the first game of the Rebels’ doubleheader Thursday at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium.

Ole Miss was led by a strong starting pitching performance from junior Carly Hummel, and a great game at the plate from senior left fielder Brittany Broome. Hummel went 6.1 innings, striking out seven batters and allowing just two runs on four hits. Broome went 3-5 at the plate, and stole a career-high four bases.

“We threw really well,” said Thees after the Rebels’ victory over Saint Mary’s. “Carly got out there on the mound and had quite a few strikeouts and worked on her locations. It was the first time in a year and a half that she had been on the mound (after injury) so I was excited to see her out there.

“That’s what we need out of Brittany this year. She’s got a lot of goals, and if she plays how she did today, she’s going to reach them. She was our catalyst. She got on base, and then when she got on base nobody was going to keep her from taking second and third. She can fly, and it’s fun when you have speed like that.”

The Rebels got on the board first with four runs in the top half of the third, keyed by three singles and four walks. Ole Miss tacked on one more run in the fourth and fifth inning, and closed the game with four runs in the seventh. Ole Miss finished the game with 14 hits and zero errors defensively.

“Our defense played lights out,” Thees said. “Having a game where you have no errors and making all the plays in the infield that we did was big.”

The top of the order was strong for Ole Miss, as Broome, freshman shortstop Haley Culley and sophomore third baseman Allison Brown each scored two runs. Broome and freshman Madi Osias each recorded three hits against the Gaels (0-2), and Brown had a team-high two RBI.

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.

Football

Coach Chris Kiffin Named 2013 Recruiter of the Year.

Chris Kiffin Photo Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

After helping Ole Miss haul in a consensus top-10 recruiting class that included several of the nation’s top prospects, Rebel assistant coach Chris Kiffin was named the 2013 Recruiter of the Year by Scout.com powered by FOX Sports NEXT.

Kiffin, who serves as the defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator for defense for head coach Hugh Freeze, was instrumental in Ole Miss bringing in a class that ranked as high as No. 2 nationally by 247Sports.com – an unprecedented level of recruiting success since rankings became a trend about a decade ago.

Kiffin was in on many of the Rebels’ top signees, but the one that surprised the most and that was most likely the most difficult pull was Laremy Tunsil, and Kiffin was the lead recruiter there. Blessed with an ability to relate to prospects well, he played a big role in Robert Nkemdiche’s decision along with fellow assistant Wesley McGriff, and he at some point communicated with many in this Rebel class.

Aside from Nkemdiche and Tunsil, rated the No. 1 overall prospect and No. 1 offensive tackle, respectively, the Rebels also signed Laquon Treadwell, the top-ranked receiver in this class, and Tony Conner, the second-ranked safety in the nation.

Men’s Tennis

Rebels Drop 4-2 Thriller in Mississippi Cup

In a nearly six-hour battle between two of the top teams in the nation, the No. 12 ranked Ole Miss men’s tennis team fell behind 3-0 to No. 10 Mississippi State in the 16th annual Mississippi Cup at River Hills Club, then saved seven match points to make it interesting, before the Bulldogs closed it out with a three-set win at four for the 4-2 victory.

The loss gives State their second straight win in the Mississippi Cup and their fourth in a row overall.   Ole Miss had won 26 straight in the series and 10 in a row in the Cup before State won the regular season meeting two years ago to begin the streak.

Four of the matches went three sets, and unfortunately for the Rebels, three of them went to State, including the clincher at No. 4, when Bulldog freshman Jordan Angus topped Rebel junior Johan Backstrom 4-6, 6-1, 6-3.

“It was a tough loss,” associate head coach Toby Hansson said.  “We felt like we had some chances in doubles, and then we didn’t get the point.  The No. 1 singles match could have gone either way, it just came down to a couple of points here or there.  At No. 2 singles we had some chances in the third set, had a couple of games we could have actually won and didn’t.  We had game points that we lost, and that made the difference.”

The match began with State taking the always important doubles point.  After the two teams split the top two matches, State’s Romain Bogaerts and Pedro Dumont edged Backstrom and Stefan Lindmark 8-6 at No. 3 for the point.

State went ahead 2-0 when senior Jonas Lutjen, ranked No. 5 in the nation, dropped his match to State’s 81st-ranked Malte Stropp 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 at No. 2 singles.

Sophomore Nik Scholtz, ranked No. 33, fell to Bulldog freshman Bogaerts, ranked No. 25, in three sets in their third meeting of the year.  Scholtz had won the first one, but Bogaerts won the second one in three sets.  This time, it would go three as well, with Bogaerts breaking Scholtz in the 12th game of the third set to win the match 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 and put State ahead 3-0.

William Kallberg kept the Rebels’ hopes alive by saving seven match points against James Chaudry at No. 3 singles, including four in the tiebreaker.   Chaudry won the first set 6-3 and served for the second up 5-4.  Kallberg broke and then held to go up 6-5.  In the tiebreaker he saved four match points from down 6-2 and won it 10-8 to make it 3-1.

“Three was an incredible comeback, a very high level from both players,” Hansson said. “Both No. 2 and 3 were played at a high level from both guys.  William showed incredible fighting spirit, never giving up.  He hung in there and kept his composure.”

Lindmark, a freshman who had only played one set in the first two matches of the season, defeated Bulldog freshman Pedro Dumont at No. 5 singles 6-4, 6-3 to put Ole Miss within one before Angus clinched it.

“We had two or three games where we could have won and really made a move in the third set at four, and we didn’t get them,” Hansson said.   “We were maybe a little tentative and tight. When Backy was down 1-5, he started playing a little looser and won a couple of games.  Stefan was extremely solid for his first big match.  He had great composure and I was very impressed. It’s really fun to watch Stefan play.”

When the match stopped, senior Adrian Forberg Skogeng was up 4-3 in the second and serving after having lost the first set 6-0 to MSU freshman Stefan Vinti.

The Rebels will now prepare for a match against Portland on Feb. 13 followed by the ITA National Team Indoor in Seattle, Wash., which begins Feb. 15.

“We have a quick turnaround.  We have some things to work on, we’re still improving on some things,” Hansson said.  “There are some areas we can get better. Hopefully we can use this opportunity to learn from it and get better and have a great tournament in Seattle.”

Follow the Rebels on Twitter, @OleMissMTennis and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OleMissMTennis.

#10 Mississippi State 4

#12 Ole Miss 2   

Doubles

1. Angus/Stropp (MSU) def. Scholtz/Lutjen (OM) 8-5

2. Kallberg/Forberg Skogeng (OM) def. White/Wilkinson (MSU) 8-3

3. Bogaerts/Dumont (MSU) def. Backstrom/Lindmark (OM) 8-6

Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3

Singles

1. No. 25 Romain Bogaerts (MSU) def. No. 33 Nik Scholtz (OM) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5

2. Malte Stropp (MSU) def. Jonas Lutjen (OM) 6-3, 3-6, 6-2

3. William Kallberg (OM) def. James Chaudry (MSU) 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(8)

4. Jordan Angus (MSU) def. Johan Backstrom (OM) 4-6, 6-1, 6-3

5. Stefan Lindmark (OM) def. Pedro Dumont 6-4, 6-3

6. Adrian Forberg Skogeng (OM) vs. Stefan Vinti (MSU) 0-6, 4-3, sus.

Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3, 5, 4

This Weekend:

Abby Newton (photo by Michele Drinkard)

Women’s Golf

Opens Spring Season at UCF

The Ole Miss women’s golf team opens its 2013 spring season at the UCF Challenge Sunday – Tuesday at the RedTrail Golf Club in Sorrento, Fla.

Ole Miss’ fivesome for the tournament is made up of Abby Newton, Ericka Schneider, Kathryn Fowler, Taelor Rubin and Stani Schiavone, who will be making her Rebel debut.

“For the last 90 days since our last fall tournament in North Carolina, the team has been training and preparing for the UCF Challenge,” head coach Michele Drinkard said.  “They have goals they want to accomplish this championship season and we are looking forward to getting underway with our goal this Sunday.  Our OARS are in the water now and we hold each other accountable to our process.”

Including Ole Miss, there will be 19 teams competing at the UCF Challenge including Augusta State, Costal Carolina, College of Charleston, East Carolina, Georgia State, Kennesaw State, Louisville, Miami (Fla.), Missouri, No.8 North Carolina, Oregon State, South Carolina, South Florida, No. 30 Texas State, No. 27 Tulane, UCF and No. 17 Virginia.

Live stats for the tournament will available by clicking here. Check out Ole Miss’ Tournament Central page which has links to previews, results, tee times and player blogs throughout the spring season by clicking here.

Riffle Team

Ole Miss Riffle Prepares To Take On Jacksonville State

The No. 10 ranked Ole Miss rifle team is gearing up to take on No. 6 Jacksonville State Saturday, in a makeup match at the Gamecock Rile Range.

The two teams were scheduled to compete against each other up at Army two weeks ago, but their equipment was delayed getting to West Point.

“The girls are excited for just a quick trip to Jacksonville to make up for the date we missed in New York,” head Coach Valerie Boothe said.  “This is just the opportunity that we need to improve our chances for qualifying for the NCAA Championship.”

The Rebels are coming off a win in a close match at No. 15 ranked Navy last weekend.  The Rebels are looking to finish strong against Jacksonville State and improve their ranking just before the NCAA qualifier next weekend in Lexington.

For updates throughout the match, follow @OleMissRifle on Twitter.

Men’s Basketball

Rebels look to Sweep the Missouri Tigers

Photo by Seph Anderson

Ole Miss gets set to take on the Missouri Tigers in Columbia at the Mizzou arena on Saturday at noon.

The Rebels (18-4, 7-2 SEC) are led by junior Marshall Henderson, who has been leading the SEC in scoring this season with 20 points per game He ranks third in the nation in 3-pointers made, averaging four a game.

Coach Kennedy’s squad comes into the match up against Missouri after a 93-75 win against in-state rival Mississippi State on Wednesday night. They are halfway to their postseason dreams of making it to an NCAA tournament berth.

Missouri (16-6, 5-4 SEC) looks to bounce back after a 74-72 heart breaking loss to the Texas A&M Aggies on Thursday night.

The last time the Rebels and the Tigers squared off was January 12, where a packed Tad Pad witnessed Ole Miss defeating No. 10 Missouri 64-49.  Senior Murphy Holloway scored a game high 22 points.

Fans can catch all the action between the Rebels and the Tigers on CBS.