The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Ready for Wright State Friday
2/18/2015 | Baseball
Weekend Series: No. 18 Ole Miss vs. Wright State
Date: Feb. 20-22, 2015
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Oxford-University Stadium
Capacity: 10,323
Television: SEC Network+
Will Kollmeyer/Richard Cross, play-by-play
David Dellucci, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
David Kellum, play-by-play
Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Ole Miss leads 4-2
Last Meeting: Feb. 20, 2011
Ole Miss won 6-5
Oxford, Miss.
PROMOTIONS
- The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a free Ole Miss baseball rally towel
QUICK HITS
- The Rebels and Raiders will square off for the first time since Ole Miss swept Wright State to begin the 2011 season
- On Friday, Ole Miss and Wright State will be matching up exactly four years to the day of their last meeting
- Friday also begins a stretch where Ole Miss will play eight games over a span of 10 days
- Ole Miss started the season winning two out of three against William & Mary, improving to 14-1 in season openers under head coach Mike Bianco
- The Rebels have now won 11 season-opening weekend series during the Bianco era
- Ole Miss is in the midst of an eight-game homestand to begin the 2015 season
- Ole Miss ranks second in the nation in attendance in 2015 after bringing in an average of 8,489 fans in three games over the weekend for a total attendance of 25,469
- All home games this season will be televised on an ESPN channel or SEC Network+
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Friday, 3 P.M.
Wright State - Robby Sexton, Jr., LHP, 0-0, 8.44 ERA
Ole Miss - Christian Trent, Jr., LHP, 1-0, 1.80 ERA
NOTING TRENT:
- Picked up a victory in the season opener, going 5.0 innings and allowing one run on six hits
- Holds a 10-0 career record as a Rebel
- Named to the 50-player preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list
- Returned to the weekend rotation as the Friday starter after starting 17 games for the Rebels as the regular Saturday starter in 2014
- Posted a 9-0 record in 2014 with a 2.05 ERA and held opponents to a .233 batting average
Saturday 1:30 P.M.
Wright State- Jesse Scholtens, Jr., RHP, 1-0, 1.29 ERA
Ole Miss - Brady Bramlett, Soph., RHP, 1-0, 3.00 ERA
NOTING Bramlett:
- Returned to the mound on Saturday for the first time since missing the end of the 2013 season and the entire 2014 season due to injury
- Sealed the William & Mary series with a victory in the rubber match, going six innings and surrendering just two runs on four hits
- Struck out eight batters in the win over William & Mary without allowing a walk
- Saturday was his first career weekend start, having previously started four midweek games in his career
Sunday 1:30 P.M.
Wright State - Trevor Swaney, R-So., RHP, 0-0, 2.57 ERA
Ole Miss - Sam Smith, Sr., RHP, 0-1, 12.00 ERA
NOTING Smith:
- After pitching on Saturday last weekend, returns to his comfort zone as the Sunday starter, where he made 18 appearances during the 2014 season
- Is the most experienced starting pitcher in the SEC, making 37 career starts on the mound
- Posted a 5-4 record in 2014 with a 3.61 ERA and held opponents to a .286 batting average.
- Turned in nine quality starts, including a stretch of eight consecutive quality starts from March 2 through April 19
A LOOK AT WRIGHT STATE
The Raiders of Wright State enter this weekend's series with a record of 3-0 after defeating Belmont and taking a pair of games from Toledo to open the season. Wright State is led by junior Ryan Fucci and sophomore Mitch Roman, who each hit .500 during opening weekend. Fucci belted two home runs and paces the team with 7 RBI; in addition, five of his six hits went for extra bases, leading to a 1.250 slugging percentage. Adding to the power in the lineup, Derreck Garcia added a pinch-hit grand slam in the win over Belmont. Wright State plans to stick with the same rotation as it did to begin the season as lefty Robby Sexton will start on Friday evening, while Jesse Scholtens and Trevor Swaney will close out the weekend with starts on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
REBEL-RAIDER HISTORY
The Rebels and Raiders have a young history with one another, only meeting in two series, starting with the 2007 season. Ole Miss leads the all-time series, 4-2, including a sweep over WSU to kick off the 2011 campaign. The Rebels cruised to a 15-6 victory in the season opener before earning two hard-fought wins in a pair of one-run games. The three-game sweep helped Ole Miss to a 6-0 start that season before improving to 10-1 through the first 11 games of 2011.
PURSUIT OF PERFECTION
After going 9-0 last season in his first season as a Rebel, junior starting pitcher Christian Trent wanted to keep his perfect record intact to start the 2015 season. Pitching out of multiple jams along with help from his offense, the southpaw picked up the 10th victory of his Ole Miss career in a 9-4 victory over William & Mary. Trent lasted five innings, allowing just one run on six hits and recording six strikeouts as well. As a Rebel, Trent now boasts a career record of 10-0 in 18 starts with 92 strikeouts over 115 innings of work. His pursuit of perfection will continue on Friday night as he gets the ball against Wright State.
INTO THE SWING OF THINGS
If the weather permits, Ole Miss will waste no time getting into the swing of the 2015 season. The Rebels' busy schedule has them playing eight games over a span of 10 days beginning Friday with the opening tilt versus Wright State. The first five games will take place inside the friendly confines of Oxford-University Stadium with three games against Wright State as well as one contest each versus Arkansas State and Central Arkansas. At the conclusion of the eight-game homestand to begin the season, the Rebels hit the road for the first time in 2015, traveling to the University of Central Florida for a slate of weekend games.
REBELS VS. RED WOLVES RESCHEDULED
Due to inclement weather, Tuesday's baseball game between Ole Miss and Arkansas State at Swayze Field was postponed and moved to Tuesday, Feb. 24, starting at 3:00 p.m. Tickets originally intended for the Feb. 17 game will be granted for the makeup date on Tuesday. Also, all kids 12 and under can get in free to the game with an accompanying adult who purchases a ticket. The contest will still be broadcast live on SEC Network+ and can be heard on the Ole Miss Sports Radio Network.
DOUBLES IN THE DOUBLEHEADER
It was only fitting that the Rebels busted out nine two-base hits in the Saturday doubleheader versus William & Mary. Combined with the two from the season opener on Friday evening, Ole Miss is tied for the SEC lead with 11 doubles through the first weekend of the 2015 season. The Rebels smacked six doubles in the series finale against the Tribe, including three from sophomore centerfielder J.B. Woodman. With his three two-baggers in one game, Woodman became the first Rebel to accomplish that feat since Alex Yarbrough did it against Arkansas, April 20, 2012.
BRADY'S BACK
After sitting out all of 2014 due to injury, Ole Miss sophomore right hander Brady Bramlett made his first start since 2013 and did not disappoint in the series finale versus William & Mary. He faced 22 batters in six innings of work, both career highs. The Barlett, Tenn. native held opposing hitters to just a .182 average, while giving up just two runs on four hits. Bramlett nearly recorded a career-high in strikeouts, punching out eight to fall just one shy of his personal best. To go along with his eight strikeouts, Bramlett also did not surrender a walk in his victory over William & Mary.
SOPHOMORE SLUGGERS
With the series tied heading into the finale, three sophomores made sure that Ole Miss would continue it's success in series openers over the years. Third baseman Colby Bortles, shortstop Errol Robinson and center fielder J.B. Woodman combined to go 10-for-14 at the dish to lead the Rebels to a 16-2 victory. The trio also combined for nine RBI and seven runs in the contest. Woodman had three doubles, while Robinson added two of his own. Capping off the Ole Miss scoring, Bortles drove a ball to deep left-center field in the bottom of the seventh that cleared the fence for the Rebels first home run of the season.
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
Ole Miss has enjoyed success in season-opening games under head coach Mike Bianco, posting a 14-1 record in games to open the season over the past 15 years. That trend continued with a 9-4 victory in the season opener Friday night, Feb. 13. The Rebels proceeded to take down William & Mary in two of the three contests to capture its 11th season-opening weekend series in the 15 years of the Bianco era.
