The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Hit The Road For Weekend Series At Alabama
5/13/2010 | Baseball
#14 Ole Miss (35-15, 15-9) at Alabama (29-20, 10-14)
Tuscaloosa, Ala. • Sewell-Thomas Stadium
May 14-16 • 6:30 p.m./3:00 p.m./2:00 p.m.
Radio: Full Ole Miss Baseball Radio Network
Announcers: David Kellum & Gary Darby
Television: ESPN2 (Saturday)
Announcers: Eric Collins and Kyle Peterson
Live Video: RebelVision (Friday & Sunday)
Live Audio: RebelVision
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCH-UPS:
FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M.
UA - Adam Morgan, Soph., LHP
OM - Drew Pomeranz, Jr., LHP
NOTING POMERANZ: Pomeranz enters the weekend contest leading the Southeastern Conference in strikeouts with 112 and is second nationally behind Florida Gulf Coast's Chris Sale (114). The southpaw leads the SEC in ERA (2.17) while also leading the league by holding opposing batters to a .183 batting average against. Pomeranz holds a 6-1 record on the year, coming off his only loss of the season against No. 9 Arkansas a week ago in Oxford. In his 12 starts this year, Pomeranz has allowed only 18 earned runs while holding almost a 4:1 strikeout to walk ratio.
SATURDAY, 3:00 P.M. (ESPN2)
UA - Jimmy Nelson, Jr., RHP
OM - Aaron Barrett, Sr., RHP
NOTING BARRETT: Barrett enters the weekend coming off a win over ninth-ranked Arkansas last weekend that pushed the senior to a 7-2 record on the year. The right-hander is second in the SEC in strikeouts (82) behind teammate Drew Pomeranz and holds a 3.44 ERA on the season. He has also held opponents to a .225 batting average against this season and has turned in nine quality starts in his 12 mound apperances this year. Barrett worked a career-long 8.0 innings a week ago against the Razorbacks and held Arkansas to only one run on a solo shot from the league's top hitter, Zack Cox.
SUNDAY, 2:00 P.M.
UA - TBA
OM - TBA
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 rankings of all of five of the major college baseball polls. The Rebels were ranked 11th nationally the week of March 28-April 4 before dropping a weekend series to Tennessee - the highest ranking of the season for the Rebels. Ole Miss matched that ranking the week of May 3 before falling to ninth-ranked Arkansas in a weekend series.
A LOOK AT ALABAMA:
The Crimson Tide enter the weekend with an overall record of 29-20 and are coming off a midweek loss to Samford and a series loss at the hands of Florida just last weekend. As a team, Alabama is batting .305 and have tallied 49 home runs while scoring 357 runs through 49 games. Taylor Dugas leads the Crimson Tide at the plate with a .419 batting average, while Clay Jones has hit a team-leading 14 home runs and has 50 RBI this season. The Crimson Tide pitchers hold a 5.32 ERA as a staff and are led by Saturday starter Jimmy Nelson with a 4.59 ERA and a 5-2 record in 12 starts. Nelson has struck out 62 batters and walked 21 while hitters are hitting at a .272 clip against the right-hander.
REBELS VS. ALABAMA:
Ole Miss and Alabama have faced off 324 times in the history of the rivalry with the Rebels trailing 138-184-2 in the all-time series. Under head coach Mike Bianco, the Rebels lead the Crimson Tide 18-12 and won last year's series in Oxford.
REBELS ON THE ROAD:
Ole Miss has done something that's tough to do, and that's win more than they lose on the road under head coach Mike Bianco. The Rebels are 104-96 in road contests under Bianco for a .520 winning percentage in games played on an opponent's field.
HIT STREAKS ON THE LINE:
Ole Miss enters the weekend with only one player holding to a multiple-game hit streak in Tanner Mathis (2). The season's longest hit streak belongs to Matt Smith who saw a career-long 18 game hit streak snapped on April 16 at South Carolina.
MOVING UP THE STRIKEOUT LIST:
Junior pitcher Drew Pomeranz is quickly moving up the list for strikeouts in a career. With 112 strikeouts in 2010, the junior now has 317 strikeouts for his career putting him at second all time in program history. The top spot on the list is held by Lance Lynn with 332. Pomeranz needs 16 strikeouts to take first place on the strikeout list, passing Lynn's 332 strikeouts.
NEXT WEEK FOR THE REBELS:
Ole Miss will return home to close out the regular season with a three-game series in Oxford against the Auburn Tigers. The weekend series will be played Thursday through Saturday at O-U Stadium/Swayze Field with 6:30 game times on Friday and Saturday and a 4 p.m. start time on Saturday in the regular season finale.
