The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 15 Rebels Set To Host Kentucky In Weekend Series
4/2/2009 | Baseball
#15 Ole Miss (19-8, 5-4 SEC) vs Kentucky (18-9, 4-5 SEC)
Oxford, Miss. Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field
April 3-5 6:30 p.m./4:00 p.m./1:30 p.m.
Radio: Full Network coverage on the Ole Miss Radio Network
Announcers: David Kellum (play-by-play) and Gary Darby (color)
Television: None
XM Radio: None
Live Internet Stats/Broadcasts: www.OleMissSports.com
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UPS:
FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M.
UK - Alex Meyer, Fr., RHP
OM - Drew Pomeranz, Soph., LHP
NOTING POMERANZ: Sophomore Drew Pomeranz has been solid for the Rebels since taking over the Friday starter position. Ole Miss is 5-0 in games started by the southpaw this season while Pomeranz is 2-0 on the year. He has worked at least 7.0 innings his last two outings and struck out at least five in his last four starts of the season.
SATURDAY, 4:00 P.M.
UK - Chris Rusin, Sr., LHP
OM - Phillip Irwin, Jr., RHP
NOTING IRWIN: Phillip Irwin suffered his first loss of the season last weekend at No. 2 LSU, but has been tremendous on the season with 24 strikeouts and only six walks on the season. He leads the team with 35.0 innings pitched and has started every weekend for the Rebels this year. In his time on the mound, he has allowed only 11 earned runs on 35 hits.
SUNDAY, 1:30 P.M.
UK - James Paxton, Jr., LHP
OM - Scott Bittle, Sr., RHP
NOTING BITTLE: Scott Bittle makes his second start of the season after posting a stellar outing against No. 2 last weekend. Bittle worked 7.0 scoreless innings and held the Tigers to one hit as he walked two and struck out 10. To date, Bittle has posted 29 strikeouts and walked 13 on the year. He has allowed only 11 hits and six earned runs in 17.2 innings of work in 2009.
REBELS VS. RANKED FOES IN 2009:
When the Rebels and TCU faced-off on February 28, it was the first ranked foe of the season for Ole Miss. The Rebels by a score 19-13. Ole Miss picked up its first win over a top 25 foe with an 8-7 win over Alabama in the Friday night game and is 3-4 against ranked foes this season.
REBELS IN THE RANKINGS:
For the sixth straight season Ole Miss opened the year ranked in the preseason polls. Currently, the Rebels are ranked as high as 15th (Baseball America) and appear in the top 20 of all five of the major collegiate baseball polls.
LAST TIME OUT VS. KENTUCKY:
The Rebels closed out the regular season on the road at Kentucky and dropped the first two games of the series before rallying on Sunday to claim the win and clinch the eight-seed in the SEC Tournament with the win.
The Rebels claimed the win behind a stellar relief outing from Scott Bittle, who pitched a career-long 7.1 innings of relie and struck out 10 batters as the Rebels scored two runs in the 11th to pick up the win. The two teams then met in the second round of the SEC Tournament with the Rebels claiming the win on a two-run walk-off home run from Michael Guerrero to send the Rebels into the semi-finals of the SEC Tournament.
OLE MISS VS. UK UNDER BIANCO:
The Rebels have a winning record against Kentucky under the direction of head coach Mike Bianco as Ole Miss has gone 10-9 against the Wildcats over the last eight seasons. Kentucky has posted three-straight series wins over the Rebels. The two-teams have played six series with the Wildcats winnings four of the six played. The two Rebel wins in the series were sweeps in 2002 and 2003.
THE REBELS VS. KENTUCKY:
Ole Miss holds the lead in the all-time series with the Wildcats 33-25. Kentucky is one of several teams the Rebels hold a winning record against all-time. The two teams first met in 1925 with the Rebels claiming both wins that year.
A LOOK AT KENTUCKY:
The Wildcats enter the weekend coming off a pair of midweek wins over Marshall and Wright State. In their last SEC action, Kentucky dropped the series with South Carolina at home in wild fashion with a 20-19 loss, before winning 5-4 and then falling 4-2 in the rubber match. Kentucky is hitting .306 as a team and is led at the plate by Chris Bisson, who is hitting at a .387 clip and has posted a team-leaidng 27 RBI. As a pitching staff, the Wildcats hold a team ERA of 4.54 and are led by Rusin who has posted a 3.21 ERA and holds a 4-1 record. Rusin has struck out 55 and walked only eight in his time on the mound.
