Lady'Backs continue SEC play at home with Ole Miss

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas softball team faces the Ole Miss Rebels in a three game Southeastern Conference series this weekend at Lady’Back Yard. Saturday’s doubleheader and Sunday’s single game are both set for 1 p.m. The Lady Razorbacks (32-30, 5-14 SEC) come into the series in ninth place in the league, while Ole Miss (20-25, 4-18 SEC) is right behind in 10th. Both teams are looking for conference wins to make the SEC Tournament in Baton Rouge, La., May 8-10. “We have to come in and play solid ball against Ole Miss like we did in Kentucky,” said head coach Jamie Pinkerton. “It’s a big series for us and we don’t really have a lot of wiggle room. We’re both vying for the seven and eight seeds in the conference. We made some ground this past weekend. We’re a couple games out and we have to continue to play well.” Arkansas won its last nine of 10 games before dropping two contests to top-ranked Alabama on Thursday. The Crimson Tide held the Lady’Backs scoreless, but Arkansas managed four hits and moved each of those runners into scoring position. Ole Miss collected all of its conference wins in April. The Rebels took a game from Kentucky, won a series against then No. 12 LSU last weekend and split with No. 9 Tennessee on Wednesday. Ole Miss also defeated No. 24 Mississippi State in a non-conference game on April 8. The Lady’Backs boast sophomore Miranda Dixon as their SEC Pitcher of the Week, while the Rebels’ Lauren Grill received player of the week honors. Grill leads her team with a .370 average, 47 hits, 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 38 RBI and 27 runs. Junior Kayla Johnson has Arkansas’ top batting average at .359. She also has team highs in hits (60) and runs (45). Arkansas leads the all-time series 25-12 against Ole Miss. The Rebels won the series 2-1 last year in Oxford, Miss. Live stats and live audio for this weekend’s games are available on LADYBACKS.COM. A live radio broadcast is also available on KXUA 88.3 FM Fayetteville. For tickets or more information please call the Razorback Ticket Office at 57-LBACK or log on to LADYBACKS.COM.