Rebs face Gamecocks in big yard
By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
May 26, 2004
Ole Miss' preparation for the Southeastern Conference tournament got a little more predictable on Tuesday.
A day after South Carolina coach Ray Tanner said he hadn't decided on a starter, the No. 12 (Baseball America) Gamecocks announced that junior leftie Matt Campbell will start today's 5 p.m. game against the No. 13 Rebels.
Ole Miss will counter with sophomore right-hander Mark Holliman in the first round of the SEC tournament in Hoover, Ala.
Both Holliman and Campbell lost decisions during South Carolina's two-out-of-three series win against Ole Miss from April 30-May 2. Holliman gave up four runs over five innings in the Rebels' 7-3 loss in the series opener. The next day, Campbell gave up six runs and 11 hits in a 6-1 Ole Miss win.
But Holliman and Campbell will be in different surroundings than when the two teams last faced each other nearly a month ago. Sarge Frye Field in Columbia, S.C. is one of the smallest ballparks in the conference 390 feet to straight-away center field and 325 feet down the foul lines. Hoover Metropolitan Stadium is noticeably larger at 405 feet to center field and 340 on the lines.
A bigger park could mean a decline in offense for the Gamecocks, who led the conference during the regular season with 86 home runs. For the Rebels, who had the SEC's third-lowest ERA at 3.28, the more distant fences could turn into an advantage.
South Carolina, the tournament's fifth seed, enters today's contest at 41-15 overall and 17-13 in league games after avoiding a sweep against East Division champ Georgia on Sunday. Prior to the Georgia series, the Gamecocks won nine of 10.
The fourth-seeded Rebels are 39-17 overall and 18-12 in the SEC. Ole Miss lost two of three to then-No. 4 LSU less than a week ago, but took two of three from SEC West champ Arkansas and swept Florida the two weekends before.
The winner of the Ole Miss-South Carolina game will play the Arkansas-Tennessee winner on Thursday. The losers of the two contests will also play Thursday in an elimination game.
