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 feature stories from Ole Miss Sports and the Rebel Walk.com.

Thirteen Rebels at NCAA Outdoor Championships This Week

Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics
@olemisspix

Connie Price-Smith’s track & field squad will look to complete the 2015-16 Ole Miss athletics year in strong fashion as the Rebels compete at this week’s NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Seven members of the 18th-ranked Ole Miss men’s team and six Rebel women will line up against the best of the best Wednesday–Saturday at historic Hayward Field in Track Town USA. The men will compete on Wednesday and Friday, while the women will be in action Thursday and Saturday.

Live coverage of the championships is as follows:
– Wednesday, June 8 – 2:30-10:30 p.m. CT – ESPN3/WatchESPN
– Wednesday, June 8 – 6:30-7:30 p.m. CT – ESPNU or ESPN2
– Wednesday, June 8 – 7:30-10 p.m. CT – ESPN2 or ESPN
– Thursday, June 9 – 12:30-10:30 p.m. CT – ESPN3/WatchESPN
– Thursday, June 9 – 6:30-7 p.m. CT – ESPNU
– Thursday, June 9 – 7-9:30 p.m. CT – ESPN
– Friday, June 10 – 2:30-10 p.m. CT – ESPN3/WatchESPN
– Friday, June 10 – 7:30-10 p.m. CT – ESPN
– Saturday, June 11 – 1:30-8 p.m. CT – ESPN3/WatchESPN
– Saturday, June 11 – 5:30-8 p.m. CT – ESPN

Highlighting the Ole Miss contingent are defending women’s national shot put champion Raven Saunders and Craig Engels, who ranks third among NCAA men in the 1500 meters this year. Complete schedule of Ole Miss athletes in the national semifinals and finals is below.

Wednesday
4:00 p.m. CT – M Hammer Throw – Flight 2: Dempsey McGuigan
6:46 p.m. CT – M 1500m Semifinals – Heat 1: Robert Domanic, Craig Engels
7:02 p.m. CT – M 3000m Steeple Semifinals – Heat 1: MJ Erb
8:14 p.m. CT – M 800m Semifinals – Heat 1: Holland Sherrer

Thursday
6:32 p.m. CT – W 4×100 Semifinals – Heat 3: Ole Miss (Nicole Henderson, Shannon Ray, Breanna Tate, Khadijah Suleman)
7:00 p.m. CT – W Pole Vault – Lindsey Murray
8:30 p.m. CT – W Shot Put – Flight 2: Raven Saunders

Friday
7:00 p.m. CT – M High Jump – Branden Greene
7:42 p.m. CT – M 1500m Final (if qualified) – Robert Domanic, Craig Engels
7:54 p.m. CT – M 3000m Steeple Final (if qualified) – MJ Erb
8:47 p.m. CT – M 800m Final (if qualified) – Holland Sherrer
9:25 p.m. CT – M 5000m Final – Ryan Walling

Saturday
5:32 p.m. CT – W 4x100m Relay Final (if qualified) – Ole Miss (Henderson, Ray, Tate, Suleman)

Head Coach Connie Price-Smith Says:
“We’re excited to be here, and I look forward to watching all of the athletes compete. It should be a good four days!”

Notables:
• This is the inaugural season of the Connie Price-Smith era at Ole Miss … Price-Smith was a four-time U.S. Olympian in the throws (shot put, discus) and will coach the U.S. women at this summer’s Rio Olympics.
• The totals of 13 Ole Miss athletes and 10 entries in Eugene both rank fourth-most in program history.
• The Rebels are represented by seven men and six women at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
• The Ole Miss men are 18th in the current USTFCCCA Men’s National Rankings.
• Athletes who finish 1-8 at the championships are crowned USTFCCCA first team All-Americans, while those who finish 9-16 are second team All-Americans.
• Repeat NCAA Outdoor Championship participants are Robert Domanic, Craig Engels, Branden Greene, Holland Sherrer, Nicole Henderson, Shannon Ray, Khadijah Suleman and Raven Saunders (won the NCAA outdoor shot put title while at Southern Illinois last year).
• First-time NCAA Outdoor participants are MJ Erb, Dempsey McGuigan, Ryan Walling, Lindsey Murray and Breanna Tate.
• Of the 13 Rebels in Eugene, there are four seniors, two juniors and seven sophomores.
• McGuigan is the first man in school history to qualify for NCAAs in the hammer throw.
• Saunders is the first woman in school history to qualify for NCAAs in the shot put.
• The Rebels’ 33 entries and 32 athletes at the 2016 NCAA East Preliminary were the most in program history since the NCAA adopted the current regional format in 2010.
• Saunders is the 2016 SEC indoor and outdoor shot put champion and won both NCAA shot put titles last year.
• Saunders has set school records in the shot (18.75m/61-6.25 – No. 1 in NCAA) and discus (56.85m/186-6).
• Saunders has the best indoor and outdoor shot put marks ever by an SEC woman.
• This is the second straight year that Ole Miss has sent two men’s 1500m runners to Eugene … Last year it was Domanic and Trevor Gilley.
• Rebels in Eugene who have broken school records in 2016 include Engels (men’s 1500m – 3:38.82), McGuigan (men’s hammer – 69.90m/229-4), Murray (women’s pole vault – 4.34m/14-2.75) and Saunders (women’s shot and discus).
• Last year, Ole Miss produced school records with 14 qualifiers and 17 athletes making it to Eugene, which led to a school-record nine outdoor All-Americans.
• Three Ole Miss Rebels were crowned SEC outdoor champions in Tuscaloosa: Engels (men’s 1500m), Greene (men’s high jump) and Saunders (women’s shot put).

For more information on Ole Miss Track & Field, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissTrack, as well as Facebook and Instagram.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

Softball Head Coach Mike Smith Receives Contract Extension

Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics

On the heels of leading Ole Miss softball to its best season in school history, head coach Mike Smith has received a contract extension, Director of Athletics Ross Bjork announced Tuesday.

“We couldn’t be more pleased with Mike Smith leading our softball program, and we are excited to announce our renewed commitment and that’s he’s our coach for a long time to come,” Bjork said. “Under his guidance, Ole Miss Softball has reached unprecedented levels and we now have the ability to compete on a national scale. His teams have not only given us something to cheer for on the field, but they’ve also shown how strong they are in the classroom and in the community. We can’t wait to see where this program is headed, and we look forward to the great future of Ole Miss Softball under his guidance. The best is yet to come.”

In just two years at the helm of the program, Smith has not only given the Rebels a competitive edge, but helped lead the group to recognition that resonates throughout the softball community. After what looked to be one of the best season’s ever in Smith’s first year in 2015 (30 wins – tied school record), the 2016 Rebels shattered that and every other win record this past spring.

The first NCAA Tournament appearance, first SEC Tournament win, first team to reach 40 wins, a school record 12-game win streak earlier in the year, school record 20-3 start, and a myriad of huge victories for the program all came in 2016 under Smith’s watch.

“I’m very thankful for receiving this new contract and extension,” Smith said. “I love coaching at the University of Mississippi and living in Oxford, where the community has been wonderful to my family and me. We love it here in Oxford and this is our home, and we are invested in Ole Miss and this great community. I feel we are building something very special here and this commitment by the university is another great step towards ensuring we continue to compete in the SEC and across the country at the highest level.”

After going a combined 83-133 overall, and 16-86 in SEC play in the last four years, Smith and his staff have completed the turnaround leading the Rebels to 71 wins overall and 17 in league play, becoming the first team in program history to record back-to-back winning seasons.

Ole Miss achieved its highest RPI mark of the year at No. 27 in the final RPI before postseason play, and finished the year with 11 wins against top-50 RPI teams, six of which came away from home. Of the 22 losses on the year, 15 were against top-25 RPI teams.

The Rebels finished strong down the stretch with five top-20 RPI wins over the final month of the season, falling in the Norman Regional final to No. 3 Oklahoma, a team that’s playing for a national title this week at the Women’s College World Series.

Smith helped lead freshman superstar Hailey Lunderman to a record year on the diamond, as she was a top-10 finalist for National Freshman of the Year, and also garnered All-SEC Freshman honors. Three Rebels – Elantra Cox (first team), Lunderman (second team), and Madi Osias (third team) – all earned a place on the NFCA All-Region Team, marking the first time in school history with multiple players to earn the honor.

“I want to thank Ross and Lynnette (Johnson) for believing and trusting in me to lead this program,” Smith added. “We all share the same vision for excellence in our softball program. I appreciate their support of our mission to build Ole Miss Softball into a nationally ranked and respected both on the field and in the classroom.”

Off the field, the Rebels were just as successful, as 21 student-athletes achieved a 3.0 or higher GPA in either the fall or spring semester. Five achieved a GPA of 3.75 or higher earning a place on the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, while the team posted a 3.14 cumulative GPA, contributing to Ole Miss’ record-breaking academic campaign in the 2015-16 year that saw 52 percent of its student-athletes earn a 3.0 or better.

“I’m so proud of the foundation that has been laid and my softball staff that has been part of the entire transformation,” Smith said. “Ole Miss Softball is in a great place and so am I.”

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

ESPN Slates 30 SEC Football Games Across Networks

ESPN and the Southeastern Conference released the game times and network designation of 30 SEC football games during The Paul Finebaum Show on SEC Network. The schedule includes ESPN’s selections for the first three weeks of the season, in addition to a week 13 matchup of LSU at Texas A&M, slated for Thanksgiving, November 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. All 30 games will air on either ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or SEC Network. Additional selections will be made as the season progresses.

The schedule opens up with Appalachian State at Tennessee (SEC Network, 7:30) and South Carolina at Vanderbilt (ESPN, 8 p.m.), both previously announced. ABC, ESPN, ESPNU and SEC Network will carry 11 SEC games kickoff weekend including four neutral site games: LSU vs. Wisconsin in Green Bay, Wis. (ABC, 3:30 p.m.), the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta featuring North Carolina vs. Georgia (ESPN, 5:30 p.m.) and USC vs. Alabama in Arlington, Texas (ABC, 8 p.m.)  on Saturday, Sept. 3. The 2016 Camping World Kickoff game of Ole Miss vs. Florida State (ESPN, 8 p.m.) in Orlando, Fla., closes out the weekend’s games on Labor Day, Monday, Sept 5.

An additional neutral site game highlights the schedule in week 2 with the Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol: Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech airing on ABC at 8 p.m.

In weeks 2 and 3 SEC Network will air an expanded schedule, utilizing the SEC Network Alternate Channel to carry three additional games on Saturday, Sept. 10 and two additional games on Saturday, Sept. 17. In total, SEC Network will air over 45 football games again this season with a noon, 4 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. kick most Saturdays following week 3.  The companion channel, SEC Network Alternate, will be used only on occasions when live games overlap. All SEC Network and SEC Network Alternate games are available to stream on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.

ESPN’s 2016 SEC Football Schedule to date (subject to change):

Courtesy of ESPN

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