April 3, 2009
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky’s softball team continues its home stand in the month of April with a three-game SEC series with Ole Miss this weekend. UK and Ole Miss (15-18, 4-12) will meet for a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday. First pitch for both days is slated for 1 p.m.
Kentucky (22-12, 5-7) is undefeated at home in league play having swept Auburn in the middle of March. Junior Molly Johnson continues to be a force at the plate as she currently has the best batting average among SEC players in conference action. Johnson is hitting at a rate of .486 and has a pair of home runs to go along with her average. Johnson and sophomore Meagan Aull have each stole six bases in conference play.
Freshman Brittany Cervantes has also enjoyed a number of successes in SEC play as she paces the squad with 11 RBI and three home runs while hitting at a .321 clip.
The Wildcats will also lean heavily on their pitching staff this weekend. Freshman pitcher Chanda Bell ranks second among league hurlers with 72 strikeouts. She and junior Amber Matousek combined for a shutout of Auburn in that series sweep.
Defensively, UK has performed well as the Wildcats lead their opponents in fielding percentage. Kentucky has committed three less errors than their SEC foes. As a team UK is batting nearly .300 against SEC opponents while posting five wins.
Kentucky and Ole Miss have met 34 times in the series history with the Rebels holding a 24-10 overall record. However, the Wildcats have dominated the series as of late taking the series in each of the last two seasons. Kentucky met Ole Miss in the first-ever varsity softball game on Feb. 15, 1997.
Ole Miss comes to Kentucky with a 15-18 overall record. The two teams have faced four similar opponents thus far into the season–Louisiana-Lafayette and SEC opponents Auburn, Arkansas and LSU. UK’s record against the similar opponents stands at 5-5, while Ole Miss holds a 5-6 record against the teams.
Corrine Doornberg and Lauren Grill lead the Rebels at the plate. Doornberg holds a team best .282 batting average, while Grill has driven in 21 RBI. Becky Nye is the ace of the pitching staff with a 2.50 ERA and 85 strikeouts on the season.
Fans can find live stats and complete coverage of the series with the Rebels on UKathletics.com.
Promotions for the Weekend
Saturday:
Free UK luggage tags to the first 50 UK fans
Face painting
Inflatable games (weather permitting)
Sunday:
Free UK Softball trading cards for the first 50 UK fans
Camper Reunion Day-free admission for campers and one guest with printed e-mail
Face painting
Inflatable games (weather permitting)
