The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 14 Rebels Host Gamecocks In Weekend Series
4/9/2009 | Baseball
#14 Ole Miss (24-8, 8-4 SEC) vs South Carolina (21-11, 5-7 SEC)
Oxford, Miss. Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field
April 10-12 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.
SC - Sam Dyson, Soph., RHP
OM - Drew Pomeranz, Soph., LHP
NOTING POMERANZ: Sophomore left-hander Drew Pomeranz returns to the Friday night role after pitching on Saturday against Kentucky due to illness on Friday night. Against the Wildcats, Pomeranz picked up his third win of the season with 6.2 innings of work and allowed one run on seven hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. On the year, the Rebels are undefeated in games started by Pomeranz. The left-hander has struck out 32 and walked 16 while allowing 11 earned runs on 27 hits.
SATURDAY, 4:00 P.M.
SC - Nolan Belcher, Fr., LHP
OM - Phillip Irwin, Jr., RHP
NOTING IRWIN: Phillip Irwin picked up his fifth win of the season last week when he slid into the Friday role at the last minute in place of an ailing Pomeranz. Irwin worked a career-long 8.0 innings and held the Wildcats to three runs while striking out seven and walking none. Irwin has struck out 31 batters and walked only six on the season. Opponents have scored only 14 earned runs in his 43.0 innings pitched this season.
SUNDAY, 1:30 P.M.
SC - Blake Cooper, Jr., RHP
OM - Scott Bittle, Sr., RHP
NOTING BITTLE: Scott Bittle will make his third start of the season and sixth of his career on Sunday against the Gamecocks. In the win over Kentucky last Sunday, Bittle struck out a career-high 13 as he pitched a complete-game shutout and walked none. He also held the Wildcats to only three hits. For the season, Bittle was struck out 42 and walked 13 while allowing only six earned runs. He holds a team-best .152 opponents batting average and has a team-loeading 2.03 ERA.
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 14th (Baseball America) and appear in the top 20 of all five of the major collegiate baseball polls.
LAST TIME OUT VS. SOUTH CAROLINA:
The Rebels last faced in a three-game series on the road in Columbia during the 2008 season. The Gamecocks claimed the series 2-1 as Ole Miss picked up the Saturday win 5-2 behind the pitching of Drew Pomeranz and Scott Bittle. Ole Miss fell 6-2 on Friday and 4-1 on Sunday to drop the series against the then 10th-ranked Gamecocks. In the win, Cody Overbeck was 2-for-4 with three RBI and a home run.
OLE MISS VS. USC UNDER BIANCO:
The Rebels trail South Carolina in the all-time series by a record of 10-12 with the Gamecocks winning the last series 2-1 in Columbia. Ole Miss has never been swept by the Gamecocks under Bianco, but conversely have never posted a sweep of USC. The home team has one each series 2-1. The Gamecocks claimed the only meeting in the SEC Tournament 7-6 in the 2004 season.
THE REBELS VS. SOUTH CAROLINA:
Ole Miss and South Carolina have faced-off a total of 14 times with the Gamecocks holding a 25-16 lead in the all-time series, although the series has been much more tightly contested in the Bianco era. The two teams first met in the 1994 season with the Rebels claiming a 2-1 victory in the weekend series.
A LOOK AT SOUTH CAROLINA:
The Gamecocks enter the weekend with an overall record of 21-11 and 5-7 in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina is coming off a mid-week split with Clemson that saw the Gamecocks take the home game on Tuesday night before dropping the Wednesday night contest at Clemson. As a team, South Carolina is batting .299 and is led at the plate by DeAngelo Mack with a .361 average and a team-leading 36 RBI. Nick Ebert is the top power hitter with 11 home runs on the year and a .348 average. The Carolina pitching staff holds a team ERA of 5.04 with 264 strikeouts.
