The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Wrap Up Homestand With Pair of Midweek Games
2/23/2015 | Baseball
No. 18 OLE MISS vs. ARKANSAS STATE
MIDWEEK GAME
Date: Feb. 24, 2015
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Oxford-University Stadium
Capacity: 10,323
Television: SEC Network+
Will Kollmeyer, play-by-play
TBA, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
David Kellum, play-by-play
Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Ole Miss leads 69-21
Last Meeting: May 13, 2014
Ole Miss won 16-9
Jonesboro, Ark.
No. 18 OLE MISS vs. CENTRAL ARKANSAS
MIDWEEK GAME
Date: Feb. 25, 2015
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Oxford-University Stadium
Capacity: 10,323
Television: SEC Network+
Richard Cross, play-by-play
TBA, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
David Kellum, play-by-play
Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Ole Miss leads 4-1
Last Meeting: April 10, 2012
Ole Miss won 4-0, 2-1 (DH)
Oxford, Miss.
QUICK HITS
- Last season, the Rebels won both games against the Red Wolves by scores of 4-3 and 16-9.
- Under head coach Mike Bianco, the Rebels are 21-8 against ASU and have won 10 of the last 11.
- Ole Miss has won seven straight contests against Arkansas State in Oxford dating back to the 2008 season.
- The last time Ole Miss and Central Arkansas met on the diamond, the Rebels swept the Bears, 2-1 and 4-0, in a doubleheader at Swayze Field, April 10, 2012
- Ole Miss is wrapping up an eight-game homestand to begin the 2015 season
- Beginning Tuesday, Ole Miss will play five games in six days, including its first road trip at UCF
- Ole Miss ranks third in the nation in attendance in 2015, averaging 7,604 fans per game for a total attendance of 38,023
- All home games this season will be televised on an ESPN channel or SEC Network+
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
Tuesday, 3 P.M.
Arkansas State - Chandler Hawkins, Sr., LHP, 1-1, 11.12 ERA
Ole Miss - Evan Anderson, So., LHP, 0-0, 10.80 ERA
NOTING ANDERSON:
- Ranks second among Ole Miss relievers with seven strikeouts
- Made a relief appearance in the season opener, lasting 1.1 innings and recording four strikeouts
- Totaled 10 appearance as a freshman, starting five of them
- Posted a 2-0 record with a 2.11 ERA in 2014
- Held opponents to a .134 average as a freshman
Wednesday 4 P.M.
Central Arkansas - TBA
Ole Miss - Jacob Waguespack, Jr., RHP, 0-0, 0.00 ERA
NOTING WAGUESPACK:
- Allowed no earned runs in a career-high five innings in his only appearance of the season versus William & Mary
- Held Tribe hitters to just a .071 average at the plate, surrendering just one hit
- Will be making the fifth start of his career
- 12 of his 16 career appearances have come out of the bullpen
- Made two starts as a junior and a pair of starts as a sophomore
INTO THE SWING OF THINGS
Ole Miss has wasted no time getting into the swing of the 2015 season. The Rebels' busy schedule put them in the midst of playing eight games over a span of 10 days that started with a series against Wright State over the weekend. Following the three games against the Raiders, Ole Miss is set to face off versus Arkansas State and Central Arkansas for a pair of mid-week contests. 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.
A LOOK AT ARKANSAS STATE
Coming off a 2014 season where it went 32-27, including 18-12 in Sun Belt play, the Red Wolves of Arkansas State enter Tuesday afternoon's contest with a record of 4-2 in 2015 after a series win over No. 7 Louisville this past weekend. Senior Zach George leads ASU with a .409 average at the plate, while junior Ty White paces the team with 7 RBI to go along with a batting average of .368. Arkansas State pitching ranks third in the Sun Belt in strikeouts with 53. Senior southpaw Chandler Hawkins has five of those strikeouts, and he will get the start against the Rebels. Hawkins has earned a decision in each of his two appearances, one start and one in relief, to post a 1-1 record with a 11.12 ERA.
REBELS vs. RED WOLVES
The Rebels and Red Wolves have faced off on the diamond 90 times in the history of the two programs with Ole Miss leading the series 69-21 all-time. The two teams first met in the 1951 season with the Rebels splitting the two games with ASU. Last season, the Rebels won both games against the Red Wolves by scores of 4-3 and 16-9. Under head coach Mike Bianco, the Rebels are 21-8 against ASU, winning 10 of the last 11 meetings on the diamond. Also, Ole Miss won seven straight contests against Arkansas State in Oxford dating back to the 2008 season.
SCOUTING CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Ole Miss and Central Arkansas will be meeting for just the sixth time in history on Wednesday. The Rebels hold a 4-1 advantage in the series, including a doubleheader sweep during the 2012 campaign. Junior college transfer Braxton Phillips has made his presence known in his short time with the Bears, leading the team at the plate with 10 hits, 7 RBI and a .625 average. Classmate Logan Preston adds plenty of pop for Central Arkansas as three of his six hits on the season have left the ballpark for home runs. Preston is batting at a .462 clip to go along with a 1.154 slugging percentage. On the rubber, UCA posts a team ERA of 3.50 and holds opposing hitters to a .233 average
FEBRUARY SUCCESS
This week, the Rebels will wrap up play in February, a month where they have found a ton of success under head coach Mike Bianco. Throughout the past 15 seasons under Bianco, Ole Miss is 93-25 during the second month of the calendar year, leading to a .788 winning percentage. During this decade, the Rebels have been even better in February, posting a mark of 41-7 (.854) over the past six seasons.
HERE COMES SIKES
Senior first baseman Sikes Orvis brought his powerful bat to the yard in the weekend series versus Wright State. The Preseason All-SEC First Teamer went 2-for-4 at the plate, which included the 19th homer of his career, while also recording a season-high 4 RBI in the Rebels' 10-3 victory over Wright State. Orvis followed that game with another multi-hit performance, smacking his first two doubles of the season in game one of Sunday's doubleheader. Orvis led Ole Miss in RBI and extra-base hits over the weekend, while also tying for the team lead in hits and runs.
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.
Bramlett was fantastic once again in his weekend start versus Wright State. Although he had to settle for the no decision, the sophomore allowed just one hit and one walk, while striking out a career-high 11 hitters over six innings of work. Bramlett became the first Rebel to record double digits in strikeouts since Bobby Wahl struck out 10 batters, March 9, 2012. He limited opposing hitters to just a .056 average at the dish. Through two starts this season, Bramlett leads the SEC with 19 strikeous, while also surrendering just one walk in 12 innings.
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. He followed that up with a nearly identical performance versus Wright State, giving up on run on five hits over six innings. He added nine strikeouts on the night to improve to 2-0 this year. As a Rebel, Trent now boasts a career record of 11-0 in 19 starts with 101 strikeouts over 121 innings of work.
FIRST ROAD TRIP ON THE HORIZON
Opening up the 2015 season with eight-straight games at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field, the Rebels will get a taste of life on the road for the first time as they travel to Orlando, Fla. for a weekend series against the University of Central Florida. The road trip will be an early test for Ole Miss, facing a nationally-ranked UCF team that is 7-0 this season. The series will begin Friday night, Feb. 27, under the lights of Jay Bergman Field. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
