Softball
Nimmo Named to SEC Community Service Team
Ole Miss senior outfielder Natalie Nimmo has been named to the Southeastern Conference Softball Community Service Team for her work in the Ole Miss and Oxford communities, the league office announced Monday.
The executive committee chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee at Ole Miss, Nimmo has worked hard and devoted countless hours of her time both on and off the diamond, including spending a lot of time in and around the Ole Miss and Oxford communities.
A journalism major, Nimmo visited the Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., during the preseason. There, she played games with the kids, drew pictures with them and visited with others. On Martin Luther King Jr., Day, Nimmo, along with her teammates, visited the National Civil Rights Museum where she helped with the flow of traffic throughout the museum, answered questions, helped with ticket booths and other needs around the museum.
She also participated in other projects around Oxford, including Be a Champion and Read, Adopt-A-Basket, Reading with the Rebels, Rebels Making a Difference and coached at softball clinics.
Nimmo finished her senior season with seven RBIs on seven hits in 21 games played.
The SEC sponsors community service teams for all 21 league-sponsored sports. The community service team looks to highlight an athlete from each school who gives back to their community in superior service efforts.
All league-sponsored sports have had a community service team since 2004, with at-large teams for men’s 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 softball news and information, go to OleMissSports.com and follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissSoftball and on Facebook at Ole Miss Softball.
2014 SEC Softball Community Service Team Jadyn Spencer, Alabama Megan Pearson, Arkansas Hilary Mavromat, Auburn Niaja Griffin, Georgia Ginny Carroll, Kentucky Simone Heyward, LSU Natalie Nimmo, Ole Miss Jessica Offutt, Mississippi State Mackenzie Sykes, Missouri Chelsea Hawkins, South Carolina Melissa Davin, Tennessee Allison Garrett, Texas A&M –Ole Miss Sports Information
Women’s Tennis
Rebels Bolster Future
The Ole Miss women’s tennis team bolstered its future with the signing of Arianne Hartono of the Netherlands and Sweden’s Caroline Kallberg, head coach Mark Beyers announced Monday.
“Arianne and Caroline are two very experienced players, with extensive junior careers,” Beyers said. “They’ve played a lot of international tournaments and are very experienced playing tennis at a high level. Both of them are going to make an immediate impact.”
Hartono, a native of Meppel, Netherlands, achieved a career-high ITF Junior World Ranking of No. 214 and is presently ranked No. 30 in the Dutch Senior Rankings.
In the summer of 2013, Hartono was the runner-up at the Dutch Under-18 National Championships and this past winter, won the National Under-18 Indoor Championship. She has played numerous ITF junior tournaments all across the world.
“Any time you win a national championship of any country, that’s a big accomplishment,” Beyers said. “By winning the indoor national championship in Holland it shows that she’s playing at a level where she will be able to make an impact in college tennis right away. She is a great student, and someone I know the fans are really going to enjoy watching play.”
Beyers talked about Hartono’s game, which makes up for her small size at 5-5. “She’s an aggressive baseliner who gets a lot of racquet head speed and is able to dictate play from the baseline. She’s also comfortable coming in to the net. I know her coach very well, and she does a great job getting the players up to speed technically and tactically. I enjoyed watching Arianne play when I was recruiting her and we are looking forward to having her wear the Red and Blue.”
Kallberg hails from Stockholm, Sweden and is the sister of William Kallberg, a junior on the Ole Miss men’s tennis team.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had that where we had a brother and sister here at the same time,” Beyers said. “Obviously William has one more year, so it’s special that they get to play alongside each other for one year.”
Caroline achieved a career-best ranking of No. 120 in the ITF World Junior Rankings, and No. 1 in Sweden. She has won six ITF titles in doubles and one in singles and reached numerous finals.
“Caroline has an extensive record on the ITF circuit,” Beyers said. “She has won a lot of matches and with her experienced background, will also make an immediate impact.”
In addition, Kallberg has won the Swedish Championship six times in doubles and three times in singles.
“She’s a good baseliner, very smart player. She’s maybe not as powerful as some of the other players, but she counters and moves extremely well. With Caroline and Arianne I think this is one of our best recruiting classes,” Beyers closed.
Softball
Cantillo Named Second Team All-SEC
Senior outfielder RT Cantillo was named All-SEC second team Tuesday by the SEC head coaches.
Ole Miss softball senior outfielder RT Cantillo was recognized for her fantastic play during the 2014 season Tuesday as she was named to the All-Southeastern Conference second team by the league’s coaches, the conference office announced.
This marks the second time Cantillo has been named to the All-SEC second team in her career. The Santa Ana, Calif., native was also named to the All-SEC second team as a sophomore in 2012. Cantillo becomes the third Rebel in program history to be named All-SEC multiple times, and the first since All-American Lauren Grill was named All-SEC three times from 2008-2010.
“RT has had a tremendous year and a tremendous career, and we’re really excited to see her make All-SEC again,” Ole Miss head coach Windy Thees said. “She’s an offensive leader on our team.”
Cantillo finished the 2014 season with the second best single-season batting average in program history (.424), the fourth most hits (61), tied the fifth most runs scored (35), tied the fourth most walks (30), tied the 10th best slugging percentage (.556) and logged the third best on-base percentage (.522).
For her career, Cantillo finished with a .481 on-base percentage, the highest mark in program history, and the second highest batting average (.354) in program history. In all, Cantillo finished her career ranking in the top 10 in 14 different statistical categories at Ole Miss, including batting average, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, runs, walks, total bases, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, stolen bases, hit by pitch and fielding percentage.
On March 31, Cantillo was drafted in the fifth round (20th overall) of the National Pro Fastpitch College Draft by the Chicago Bandits.
The All-SEC teams consist of 28 total student-athletes, along with a 14-member All-Freshman team and a nine-member All-Defensive team. No ties were broken.
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.
The complete 2014 SEC softball postseason awards follow.
First Team All-SEC
P – Jaclyn Traina, Alabama
P – Chelsea Wilkinson, Georgia
P – Tori Finucane, Missouri
IF – Kelsey Stewart, Florida
IF –Alex Hugo, Georgia
IF – Paige Wilson, Georgia
IF – Corrin Genovese, Missouri
IF – Madison Shipman, Tennessee
OF – Haylie McCleney, Alabama
OF – Branndi Melero, Auburn
OF – Taylor Gadbois, Missouri
OF – Melissa Davin, Tennessee
C – Annie Aldrete, Tennessee
DP/U – Sahvanna Jaquish, LSU
Second Team All-SEC
P – Hannah Rogers, Florida
P – Kelsey Nunley, Kentucky
P – Ellen Renfroe, Tennessee
IF – Kasey Cooper, Auburn
IF – Kaila Hunt, Alabama
IF –Emily Carosone, Auburn
IF – Stephanie Tofft, Florida
IF – Nikki Sagermann, Kentucky
OF – A.J. Andrews, LSU
OF – RT Cantillo, Ole Miss
OF – Emily Albus, Texas A&M
OF – Cassie Tysarczyk, Texas A&M
C – Molly Fichtner, Alabama
DP/U – Devon Wallace, Arkansas
Freshman All-SEC
P – Baylee Corbello, LSU
P – Alexis Silkwood, Mississippi State
P – Tori Finucane, Missouri
P – Nickie Blue, South Carolina
IF – Kasey Cooper, Auburn
IF – Caroline Seitz, Mississippi State
IF – Kaylea Snaer, South Carolina
IF – Megan Geer, Tennessee
IF –Taylor Koening, Tennessee
OF – Justine McLean, Florida
OF – Bailey Landry, LSU
OF – Shaliyah Geathers, Tennessee
C – Annie Aldrete, Tennessee
DP/U – Sahvanna Jaquish, LSU
SEC All-Defensive
P – Hannah Rogers, Florida
C – Griffin Joiner, Kentucky
1B – Taylor Schwarz, Florida
2B – Kelsey Stewart, Florida
SS – Madison Shipman, Tennessee
3B – Stephanie Tofft, Florida
LF – Mackenzie Sykes, Missouri
CF – Haylie McCleney, Alabama
RF – Cassie Tysarczyk, Texas A&M
Player of the Year: Madison Shipman, Tennessee
Pitcher of the Year: Jaclyn Traina, Alabama
Freshman of the Year: Tori Finucane, Missouri
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Ellen Renfroe, Tennessee
Coach of the Year: Patrick Murphy, Alabama
Track and Field
Ole Miss’ Robert Domanic Named SEC Freshman Of The Week
After a standout performance in Baton Rouge last weekend, Ole Miss distance runner Robert Domanic was named Southeastern Conference Men’s Freshman of the Week by the league office Tuesday.
Domanic was the top collegiate finisher in the LSU Invitational 1,500 meters, running a lifetime-best 3:44.78 to place second overall. His time ranks him third in school history and second-best ever by an Ole Miss freshman.
The Lewisville, Texas native now ranks 10th among all freshmen in the nation and second among SEC freshmen in the 1,500 behind teammate Sean Tobin.
The future of head coach Brian O’Neal’s program appears to be in good hands. This is the fourth time this outdoor season a Rebel has been named SEC freshman of the week. Previous winners were Jalen Miller (March 25), Tobin (April 22) and Mary Alex England (April 29). Tobin was named the SEC Indoor Men’s Freshman Runner of the Year, while Miller was an indoor All-American. Domanic received All-Region honors in cross country, while Trevor Gilley made the SEC All-Freshman team.
Volleyball
Volleyball Announces 2014 Schedule
Ole Miss fans will have plenty of opportunities to see the Rebel volleyball team in action under first-year head coach Steven McRoberts, with a tournament in Memphis, two home tournaments and nine home SEC matches on the 2014 schedule, released Tuesday.
The Rebels will begin the season in a New York state of mind, traveling to Buffalo Aug. 29-31 to face Canisius, Siena, Lehigh and Buffalo.
Following their opening trip, the Rebels will stay close to or at home for almost the entire month of September. Alumni in the Memphis area will get a chance to check out the Rebels, as they participate in the Memphis Invitational Sept. 5-6 with matches against host Memphis, UT-Martin and Arkansas State.
Rebel fans coming to Oxford for the Sept. 13 Louisiana-Lafayette football game will want to make plans to be at the Gillom Sports Center, as the volleyball team will kick off the weekend with the Magnolia Invitational. The Rebels will face UAB Thursday, Sept. 11 in their first home match of the season. Friday before the Saturday football game, the Rebels will play Mercer and Jacksonville State.
The following weekend (Sept. 18-20), the Rebels are back in the Gillom Sports Center for the Rebel Classic, which includes Louisiana Tech, Lamar, Jackson State and Samford.
“The early season schedule allows our fans a lot of opportunities to see us play,” McRoberts said. “Even one of our away tournaments is just up the road in Memphis, so alumni in that area can come watch us play. Our first home tournament is on a football weekend, and we were able to set up our home tournaments with a Thursday match to begin with.”
McRoberts likes the mix of teams in the non-conference schedule. “We are still a really young team, and part of our job is to try and build confidence within our team. We wanted to put ourselves in a position to have quality matches with a chance to be successful. As we build our program, then we can start looking at our non-conference scheduling from an RPI standpoint.”
The Rebels will open SEC play with five of their first seven matches on the road, beginning with matches at South Carolina (Sept. 26) and perennial power Florida (Sept. 28).
October begins with a home match against 2013 NCAA Tournament team, Missouri (Oct. 1) and includes home matches with arch-rival Mississippi State (Oct. 12) and LSU (Oct. 22). Road matches in October include Arkansas (Oct. 8), Auburn (Oct. 17), Alabama (Oct. 19) and Tennessee (Oct. 26).
Six of the Rebels’ final nine regular season matches will be in the friendly confines of the Gillom Sports Center, beginning with South Carolina on Nov. 2. Following that match, the Rebels will hit the road for matches at Mississippi State (Nov. 5) and Texas A&M (Nov. 9).
The Rebels will split the following weekend, hosting Kentucky on Nov. 14 before traveling to Missouri on Nov. 16.
Thanksgiving week will be a busy one for Rebel fans, as the team hosts Florida (Nov. 21), Alabama (Nov. 23), Georgia (Nov. 26) and Texas A&M (Nov. 29) to conclude the regular season.
“With this league, it doesn’t matter whether you play so many at home to start or vice-versa, it’s going to be tough. Having played a few of the teams at my previous stops, I know how difficult this conference is. Where we are at this point, there is not an easy one on the schedule. What we have to convince our team to do from day one, is not worry about where we are going to finish in the SEC. We need to be worried about our first match at Buffalo. Everything we do as coaches and players has to be to make sure we figure out the right rotation and go into that match energized and ready for the season. Then we work our way from there.”
Stay tuned for a preview of the Rebels’ upcoming trip to Italy. The team will leave on May 25 for 10 days, landing in Prague, Czech Republic, before heading to Italy where they will play several matches.
Basketball
Ole Miss To Host TCU In SEC/Big 12 Challenge
Ole Miss will host Big 12 foe TCU next season, as the matchups for the SEC/Big 12 Challenge were announced Wednesday.
The Rebels will welcome the Horned Frogs to Oxford on Dec. 4 as part of the four-day event. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will combine to televise all 10 games of the event with times and specific networks to be determined at a later date. Each of the games will also be available via WatchESPN.
TCU posted a 9-22 overall record and a 0-18 mark in conference play last season under second-year head coach Trent Johnson. The Frogs lose one of their top three scorers off last season’s squad, but will add three transfers in Devonta Abron (Arkansas), Chris Washburn (TCU) and Try Zeigler (Pitt) next season.
Ole Miss and TCU have met four times on the hardwood with the Rebels holding a 3-1 advantage, including an 80-69 win at the Paradise Jam Classic in the Virgin Islands in 2011.
2014 Big 12/SEC Challenge schedule:
(times and networks to be determined)
Wed., Dec. 3
Auburn at Texas Tech
Thurs., Dec. 4
Arkansas at Iowa State
LSU at West Virginia
TCU at Ole Miss
Baylor at Vanderbilt
Fri., Dec. 5
Florida at Kansas
Texas at Kentucky
Missouri at Oklahoma
Sat., Dec. 6
Oklahoma State at South Carolina
Kansas State at Tennessee
–Ole Miss Sports Information
