May 4, 2007

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Gamecocks (32-21) will host the Ole Miss Rebels (23-31) this weekend, May 5-6. First pitch for Saturday’s doubleheader is set for 2:30 p.m. (ET) and Sunday’s single game is 1 p.m. (ET). This marks the final series of the season for the Gamecocks, who still need at least one win to secure a berth to the SEC Tournament. This weekend, the Gamecocks will also host Alumni Weekend and Senior Weekend with special recognitions to former Gamecock greats.

South Carolina (10-15) enters the series tied with Ole Miss (10-15) for seventh in the SEC; however, Auburn is waiting in the wings to see if they will be able to move up. Auburn is ninth and has completed its season with a 10-18 conference record. Since the Tigers swept South Carolina over the weekend, Auburn holds the tiebreaker against the Gamecocks, and an Ole Miss sweep would knock the Garnet and Black out of the tournament.

South Carolina leads the overall series against Ole Miss 18-6 and won the series last year, 2-1, in Columbia. The last series the Rebels took from the Gamecocks was a 2-1 decision in 2004.

The Gamecocks will also honor senior McKenna Hughes as she plays in her final three games at Beckham Field. A Lexington, S.C. native, Hughes is South Carolina’s all-time career home run leader and has led the Gamecocks in RBI for all four years, the only Gamecock to ever accomplish this feat. Hughes leads the team in hitting in both overall and SEC play and ranks in the top five in fielding percentage among catchers in the conference. Kate Pouliot and Melissa Hendon continue to work together in the circle for the Gamecocks. Pouliot has a 1.58 ERA with a 14-6 record, while Hendon is 16-14 with a 1.66 ERA.

Mary Jane Callahan leads the Rebels in the circle in ERA with an 8-8 record, while Tara Willitt leads in victories with a 10-7 record. Callahan has earned victories against No. 1 Tennessee and No. 4 LSU, while Willitt recorded the win against No. 20 Florida. Callahan is also a solid producer behind the plate for the Rebels with a batting average of .314 and 23 RBI. She is second on the team in hits with 44 and has three home runs. Lauren Grill leads the team overall in hitting with a .342 average, 14 home runs and 31 RBI.

The 2007 SEC Tournament will be held May 10-12 at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Ala. The tournament is single-elimination and the winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

All three games of the series can be followed live via audio internet broadcast or Gametracker livestats at www.uscsports.com.