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, OleMiss.247Sports.com and the RebelWalk.com.

Rebels Bring the Fight, but Drop Match to No. 6 Georgia

Photo courtesy of Kevin Bain

In a match that was much closer than the final score, the Ole Miss men’s tennis team battled No. 6 Georgia all the way to the end, but the Bulldogs were able to win the doubles point and take the top two courts on their way to a 4-0 win on senior day at the Palmer/Salloum Tennis Center, Sunday.

Doubles came down to a few points. Georgia won the match on court three 6-3. Filip Kraljevic and Zvonimir Babic were leading 6-5 at one, but on court two, Georgia broke Grey Hamilton and Fabian Fallert and held serve for 6-4 to clinch the point.

Georgia took a 2-0 lead when freshman Walker Duncan beat Hamilton 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4 singles.

The Rebels won three first sets, and had a chance to win five. Gustav Hansson, ranked No. 51 in the singles came in with an eight-match win streak. He had set points at 5-4, 40-15 against 24th-ranked Austin Smith, but the Bulldog came back and won the set 7-5. Smith cruised in the second set 6-1 to give Georgia a 3-0 lead.

With Ole Miss leading on court three and battling in third sets on five and six, Georgia’s 34th-ranked Wayne Montgomery closed out senior Stefan Lindmark 7-6(2), 6-2 on court two for the win.

Play was stopped with Kraljevic serving 4-5, 30-30 in the second set after having won the first one 7-6. Fallert was serving 0-1, 30-30 in the third set at five and Babic was serving 2-3 in the third set at six.

Notables…
• Ole Miss is now 14-9 overall and finished the regular season 5-7 in the SEC.
• Gustav Hansson finished 9-3 in the SEC and 14-6 for the past two years. He had his eight-match win streak snapped.
• The Rebels finished 9-4 at home.

Quoting Head Coach Toby Hansson…
“The doubles point came down to few points as it almost always does. We were definitely good enough to get that point. We are playing good doubles. I am confident that we are going to continue to get the doubles point in the future with the way we are playing.”

On Singles…
“We got off to a tough start at five and Fabi bounced back to win the first set against a really good player. Zvonimir did a great job getting the first set and competing hard. Gus having a couple of set points in the first set and doesn’t get it. We’re playing good tennis and we played a good team today. We know we are capable of beating this team there is no question about that. If we handle the situation right I am confident we can make a run at the tournament.”

Up next…
The Rebels head to Columbia, South Carolina this week for the SEC Tournament. They earned the No. 9 seed and will face No. 8 seed Alabama in the second round Thursday at 1 p.m. CT.

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.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports 

Ole Miss Boasts Top-10 Finish at SEC Championship

Photo courtesy UM Communications

Year one of the Kory Henkes era at Ole Miss has come to a close with the Ole Miss women’s golf team finishing in seventh place at the 2016 SEC Women’s Golf Championship at the Greystone Legacy Course in Hoover, Alabama.

Behind an even par round from junior Maria Toennessen (Grimstad, Norway) the Rebels logged their best finish in the SEC Championship since 2010 when they finished eighth with a three-round score of 876.

“This was unbelievable this week,” head coach Kory Henkes said. “If you would have told me at the beginning of the week to take a 900, I would have called it a day and said absolutely. These girls played great. Today we shot a 293 and had a lot of help from our freshmen who stepped up a lot this week.”

Ole Miss posted a three-round total of 894, breaking 900 for the second straight outing as a team. Toennessen dropped a season-high six birdies on her way to a even-par 72 on championship Sunday. Henkes was excited for everyone’s results in the final round of the year.

“It was a lot of fun out there today,” Toennessen said. “I didn’t play well (on Saturday) so I knew I had to step it up today. I made a lot of birdies and it was fun to finish the way I did and the way we did as a team.”

“It was a team event for us,” Henkes added. “We counted everyone’s scores multiple times during the week, and it was a great tournament.”

Two seniors, Alison Hovatter (Meridianville, Ala.) and Abby Newton (Katy, Texas), were both donning the Red and Blue for the final time and recorded solid scores on their final day of their college careers.

“I really didn’t have my best stuff today, but I hung in there and had a great attitude I felt like,” Hovatter said. “I really just enjoyed the walk, and enjoyed each shot. I didn’t accomplish everything I wanted to here, but I hope when people look at my career here they see how big our God is.”

“I knew today was going to be my last (collegiate) round and my last SEC Championship so I really wanted to finish strong,” Newton added. “I’m not really happy with how I played her entirely, but I’m happy with my last two rounds.”

Hovatter posted a 1-over par 73 in her final round with two birdies and a near-perfect front nine. Newton carded a 2-over par 74 with three birdies including an even-par front nine.

“Having those two has been huge for us,” Henkes said. “They are both great leaders not only on the course but in life in general. They’re both great students and work really hard each and every day doing everything we ask them to do.”

Hovatter and Newton have helped to lay the groundwork for the turning around of the Ole Miss women’s golf program, and their leadership helped move the program forward in year one of the new coaching staff.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Henkes added. “It was great seeing them finish with low numbers today, and we’re happy for them and they’re families and everything they’ve done for our program.”

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. Fans can also follow head coach Kory Henkes on Twitter at @KoryThompson1.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

Rebels Rally, Come Up Short in Finale at South Carolina

Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss softball battled in what turned out to be a back-and-forth day offensively, but the effort came up short as South Carolina took the final game of the series, 7-5, Sunday at Carolina Stadium at Beckham Field.

The two teams posted a combined 22 hits on the day, as neither starting pitcher lasted a full three innings. After the Gamecocks (32-12, 5-10 SEC) chased Rebel starter Kayla Landwehrmier before she could record an out, Ole Miss showed fight plating five in the third to reset the table.

Landwehrmier, who was dominant in a 67-pitch effort Saturday versus the Gamecocks, got the start again Sunday, but South Carolina plated three runs off two home runs in the first bringing in early relief by way of Madi Osias.

Osias went four frames in relief work and gave up five hits, three earned runs, and walked four getting the loss, while Elisha Jahnke limited the Gamecocks to just three hits and one unearned run.

After South Carolina took what looked to be a comfortable lead, Ole Miss threatened in the second when the Rebels put runners on the corners, But, Grayce Majam was called out at second stealing on a very close play that stranded two of the Rebels’ eight runners on the day.

But, in the next opportunity at the plate, Ole Miss exploded for five runs, the seventh time this season plating five or more in a frame, to go up 5-4 thwarting the early momentum.

Elantra Cox led it off with an infield single, before Hailey Lunderman reached on a sacrifice bunt and throwing error. After a fielders choice that resulted in Cox being out at the third base bag, Ashton Lampton roped a 2-RBI double into right center making it a 4-2 contest. Alex Schneider then drove in her lone run on the day after an infield RBI single, before Dakota Matiko drilled another 2-RBI double in the same spot as Lampton, pushing the Rebels in front 5-4.

The Gamecocks responded in the bottom half after a sacrifice fly scored the tying run, but Osias worked out of a potential jam getting a strikeout and groundout to limit the damage.

From there, the Gamecocks went on to post single runs in the fourth and fifth off a sacrifice fly and error, in what would be the final tally on the day.

Matiko led the offensive effort, tying her career high with a 3-for-3 day driving in two. Schneider went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, while Cox also finished 2-for-3 from the leadoff spot. Lampton was responsible for two of the Rebels’ runs off her 2-RBI double, while Lunderman, Becker and Sarah Van Schaik all added one hit each.

On Deck
Ole Miss returns home to the Ole Miss Softball Complex Tuesday for a midweek tilt against Memphis at 6 p.m.

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 Sports 

Ole Miss Volleyball Concludes Spring Competition

Aubrey Edie
Photo courtesy of Joshua McCoy /Ole Miss Athletics

After the Ole Miss Volleyball team’s final spring competition Saturdayafternoon at home against Missouri State, Rebels’ head coach Steven McRoberts pointed out one thing he wants to see more of in the fall: consistency.

Ole Miss lost the first set, 32-30, then lost the next three out of four to the Bears. After the fifth set – which Missouri State won 15-9 – McRoberts had a long talk with his team and explained that he hopes they will use the next three months to work hard and set the tone for the six incoming freshmen who will be arriving in July.

Bright future ahead for Ole Miss volleyball

With a mixture of star returnees and highly-touted incoming freshmen, the future is indeed bright for the Rebels.

Ole Miss lost three players from last year’s team that finished 22-11, overall, and 8-10 in league play. In addition to the six newcomers, the Rebels have 11 returning members on a team that posted consecutive 20-win seasons for the first time in three decades—and notched a school-record 13 home wins.

We know what we have to work on, and that’s what you want when you go through the spring—to figure out what your strengths are, where your weaknesses are and know what your game plan is going into the fall.— Ole Miss head coach Steven McRoberts 

Courtesy of Courtney Smith and The RebelWalk.com

Thornberry Finishes 12th At SEC Championships

Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics.

Freshman Braden Thornberry captured his sixth top-20 finish of the season to lead Ole Miss at the SEC Men’s Golf Championships Sunday.

Thornberry chipped in a birdie on the 425-yard par 4 No. 10 and added two birdies on his final nine holes to finish with a total score of 216. His performance at the SEC Championships marks his fifth tournament in-a-row to finish in the top-20.

“Braden had another great tournament and has really continued to show that he is one of the best freshmen in the country,” said head coach Chris Malloy. “He didn’t have his best stuff and still found a way to finish in 11th place in an extremely tough tournament.

Seniors Forrest Gamble highlighted his tournament in the final round, posting three birdies en route to an even-par 70. The Vestavia Hills, Alabama native finished with a tournament score of 295 to finish tied for 52nd. Fellow senior Connor Davis carded two birdies on the day, including on the 204-yar par 3 No. 3 to bring his final round score to 5-over 75. Davis finished the  tournament with a three-round total of 227 to finish tied for 56th place.

“It was great for Forrest to go out on a high note and help lead us today,” said Malloy. “Connor and Forrest are two very special young men and we have been blessed to have them as a part of our program. We are building something very special here and while they may not be holding up an SEC or national championship trophy, they will be a large part of it when we are.”

Junior Ben Wolcott finished in a tie for 49th place after posting a tournament score of 224. The Dickson, Tennessee native posted a birdie on hole No. 1 to finish the final round at 4-over par 74. Fellow junior Noah West post a tournament score of 232 to finish tied for 69th place.

For all Ole Miss Men’s golf news and information, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissMGolf, on Instagram atOleMissMGolf and on Facebook facebook.com/OleMissMGolf. Fans can also follow head coach Chris Malloy on Twitter @CoachMalloy12.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

Post Spring Futurecast: Offense

Courtesy of Joshua McCoy and Ole Miss Athletics

The book has been closed on spring practice for almost a week now. How did things shake out? Who might be starting and where? Who might be ready to make major contributions? We try to answer these questions on the offensive side of the football…

Quarterbacks 

Contenders 
Chad Kelly | Senior
Shea Patterson | True Freshman
Jason Pellerin | Redshirt Freshman

The Skinny: There is no quarterback controversy in Oxford. Chad Kelly is a preseason Heisman candidate and the hands down starter. Kelly missed the backside of spring practice after undergoing sports hernia surgery but should be back throwing the football and working out in full capacity in a matter of a few short weeks. His absence allowed Shea Patterson and Jason Pellerin more work with the first unit, and it appeared Patterson made the most of the opportunity. Predictably, there was no clear word from Hugh Freeze on whether or not he planned to redshirt Patterson (we don’t he does).

Prediction: Kelly leads the offense with Patterson and Pellerin both earning mop-up duty. We won’t know who the No. 2 QB is until a situation arises to force the hand. We believe, however, it would be Patterson.

Courtesy of David Johnson and OleMiss.247Sports.com

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