By
Brian Penso
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Arizona faces Ole Miss, Southern Miss and St. Francis in weekend series
Arizona's baseball team - who had the luxury of playing 18 straight home games to open the 2001 season - will travel to Mississippi this weekend to take part in the Rebels' spring tournament.
The Wildcats (13-8) have won eight of their last nine games and will try to continue their winning ways against three teams.
"Right now, everything is coming together for us," junior right fielder Shelley Duncan said. "We just need to continue to play well each and every game."
The featured game of the weekend for the Wildcats will be today's against No. 25 Southern Mississippi.
"Any time we go on the road and play tough competition it will help us greatly for (Pacific 10 Conference) play," UA pitching coach Bill Kinneberg said. "This tournament is neat because we will get to play three different teams. Hopefully this weekend will prepare us for our trip to Los Angeles (to take on UCLA) and will help us."
This is the first time the Wildcats and Golden Eagles have faced each other.
UA head coach Jerry Stitt will send freshman pitcher Marc Kaiser (4-1, 5.01 ERA) to the mound.
The Golden Eagles will counter with senior Chad Rogers (2-0, 2.38 ERA).
"Southern Miss is a very good team and it will be a very good game," Kinneberg said. "Hopefully this game as well as the tournament will lead to challenges that our team will have to overcome in order to improve."
Tomorrow, Arizona will take on host school Ole Miss.
The Rebels and UA last met in 1956, with the Wildcats winning.
UA coaches will start another freshman, Sean Rierson (1-2 4.09 ERA) while Ole Miss will counter with junior pitcher Mike Gray (1-0, 2.25).
Sunday, Arizona will take on St. Francis from Brooklyn, N.Y., a team that has yet to play a game this season.
UA leads the all-time series, 3-0.
UA first baseman Ernie Durazo looks to extend his 24-game hitting streak in the series. Should the senior get hits in all three games, he will tie former Wildcat Jack Daugherty for the school record.
