Bittle Wins Ferris Trophy

(UMAA)OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss junior right-hander Scott Bittle claimed the 2008 Cellular South Ferriss Award honoring the top collegiate baseball player in the state of Mississippi, it was announced at Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum on Monday.Bittle is the third Rebel player to receive the award in its five year history. He joins former Rebels Stephen Head and Brian Pettway in earning the distinction.“We are very proud of Scott and proud for Ole Miss,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “Certainly it’s a great honor, but one that is very well deserved. He’s a kid who has been dominant from the first game to the last game. We all know as Ole Miss fans what he’s meant to our team and our program.”“It’s a tremendous honor to win this award because it’s named after “Boo” Ferriss and because of who he is,” Bittle said. “Any of the three of us who were finalists for this award would have been deserving winners.”Bittle has been a force on the mound for the Rebels this season as he has posted a 6-1 record on the season and picked up seven saves on the season. His wins include victories over Mississippi State, No. 6 Vanderbilt, at No. 8 Georgia and most recently at No. 20 Kentucky where he pitched a career-long 7.1 innings in relief and struck out a career-high 10 batters.