Softball’s big fifth inning helps secure 6-0 victory over Memphis

Auburn team this weekend.

Right-handed pitcher

Brooks and Broeker. It’s worth noting that the Giants led the offensive line position drills.

-A Colts scout singled out and talked to Finley. Cowboys coaches led the DB position drills.

-A Seahawks scout singled out and talked to Brown.

-A Saints scout singled out and talked to Evans.

The Ole Miss softball team (20-14) defeated Memphis (5-27) 6-0 Tuesday, March, 28, on a night where the pitching and offense performed well for the Rebels.

After losing the previous weekend’s series against No. 10 LSU, it was important for Ole Miss to win this game to generate some momentum before they face a stingy

Getting the start on the mound for the Rebels was righthander Makenna Kliethermes, and she pitched an absolute gem against Memphis.

The transfer from Oregon pitched five shutout innings, allowed just three hits, two walks and had four strikeouts.

Kliethermes has been solid all season for the Rebels. This season, she has a 4-3 record with a 2.29 ERA and 43 strikeouts. Opposing batters are hitting just .184 against her this year.

Brooke Vestal took over in the sixth inning and finished the game for Ole Miss. Vestal looked great as well, pitching in two hitless innings while collecting a couple of strikeouts.

The Rebels scored their first runs of the game during the second inning. With runners on second and third base with no outs, second baseman Keila Kamoku hit an RBI-sac fly to give Ole Miss a 1-0 lead. Then during the next at-bat, first baseman Paige Smith hit an RBI-dou- ble to give the Rebels another run and an early 2-0 lead.

Heading into the fifth inning, the Rebels still kept their 2-0 lead. But that didn’t hold for long as designated player Mya Stevenson hit a two-run home run over the left field wall to give Ole Miss 4-0 lead. That was Stevenson’s team-leading 10th home run of the season.

Still in the fifth inning, catcher Jamie Mckay hit a tworun single to extend the Rebels’ lead to 6-0 and eventually secure the victory over Memphis.

Although the offense did play well, they could’ve easily put more runs on the board if they capitalized with runners on base. The Rebels left nine runners on base during the game. Nonetheless, it was a much-needed victory for the Rebels and they hope to carry this success into this weekend.

Ole Miss goes on the road to Auburn for a threegame weekend series. Game

1 is on Friday, March 31, at 6 p.m. CDT on SEC Network+.

North Texas defensive back Deshawn Gaddie celebrates after making a defensive play during a game against University of Alabama-Birmingham on Nov. 12, 2022.

Weaknesses:

“Checking the Tape” is a weekly series that highlights the Ole Miss football team’s offseason acquisitions. Whether it’s coaches, transfers or recruits, sports writer Owen Pustell goes in-depth and analyzes each individual. This week, Pustell takes a look at transfer defensive back Deshawn Gaddie.

Height/Weight/Position: 6’1/188/CB

2022 Stats: 62 Tackles, 13 pass breakups, first team all-conference USA (per Pro Football Focus)

Strengths:

The first thing you notice about Gaddie is his fluidity. He is able to change directions well, brake downhill on in-breaking routes and react in zone coverage.

At North Texas, he played almost exclusively off-coverage, so his length was never fully put to the test in press, but the potential is clearly there. Pairing his hips with his height and (unverified) length is are and gives him the prototype to be a very good cover corner in the SEC next season. Assuming the Ole Miss staff can hammer out some minor flaws, Gaddie should transition well.

Gaddie is very fluid in coverage but has a bad habit of stopping his feet at the collision point when receivers are running past him. Gaddie usually likes to give a two-handed shove to disrupt the route, but that sometimes leaves him behind the WR if they happen to run a goroute. This is a pretty minor technical thing that was likely a result of North Texas coaching. I would not look too far into this next season.

Tackling is not a strong point for Gaddie. I would not label him as scared of contact by any means, but he had some issues wrapping up and taking good angels.

There are times he gets caught behind the line of pursuit and is put into compromising situations. There are other instances where Gaddie makes good contact but fails to really drive the ball carrier back.

There are legitimate concerns about Gaddie being able to make tackles on SEC running backs, but he will certainly not hesitate to get involved.

The most glaring issue with Gaddie stat-wise is a lack of interceptions. Gaddie has recorded just two career interceptions and both came in 2020. This does not necessarily mean that he struggles with ball production. In fact, Gaddie recorded 12 pass breakups last season alone and often finds himself disrupting passes. In foot-

SUDOKU©

Puzzles by KrazyDad

ball, stats are able to tell some of the story, but the true measure of talent lies only on tape. The other issue that keeps popping up with transfers is talent level change. Yes, Gaddie played at North Texas. No, that does not mean he will drown in the SEC. Plenty of lower-level transfers have success at big schools. Trust the evaluations and skill set you see on film.

2023 Projections:

With Davison Igbinosun and Myles Battle both leaving in the portal, there was a void at cornerback. The staff reacted accordingly and brought in a trio of intriguing experienced starters to compete with Deantre Prince for a starting spot on the outside.

Gaddie is the first of the transfers I have reviewed, but he shows legitimate upside with his hips and ability to disrupt passes. It’s too early to pencil in starters, but if Gaddie can clean up some of his issues, his raw traits could make him a starter.

Fun Fact:

In 2021, Gaddie played both cornerback and safety for the Mean Green. Additionally, Gaddie faced off against fellow Ole Miss commit Tre Harris in 2022.

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