The University of Mississippi Athletics
No. 18 Ole Miss Baseball Travels to No. 15 UCF
2/26/2015 | Baseball
WEEKEND SERIES
Date: Feb. 27-March 1, 2015
Location: Orlando, Fla.
Venue: Jay Bergman Field
Capacity: 3,600
Television: None
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Richard Cross, play-by-play
Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Live Video: OleMissSports.com
Series: Ole Miss leads 4-1
Last Series: Feb. 28-March 2, 2014
Ole Miss won series 3-0
Oxford, Miss.
QUICK HITS
- The Rebels hit the road for the first time after opening up the season with a seven-game homestand.
- Ole Miss finished the homestand with a 5-2 record, winning two series as well as a midweek game versus Arkansas State.
- The Rebels lead the all-time series against UCF, 4-1, including a three-game sweep over the Knights last season at Swayze Field.
- Ole Miss won the first two games over UCF in walk-off fashion, 4-3 in 13 innings and 5-4 in 10 innings, before cruising to a 9-2 victory in the season finale.
- The Rebels are 6-0 in their first series on the road over the past two seasons.
- The last time Ole Miss faced a nationally-ranked team on the road during the regular season, the Rebels swept No. 12 TCU in three games to begin the 2013 season.
- Orlando, Fla. natives Sikes Orvis and J.B. Woodman return to their hometown for this weekend's series. Orvis played high school ball at Freedom High School, and Woodman starred at Edgewater High School.
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY, 5:30 P.M.
UCF - Zach Rodgers, Sr., RHP, 1-0, 3.00 ERA
Ole Miss - Christian Trent, Jr., LHP, 2-0, 1.64 ERA
NOTING TRENT:
- Holds a 11-0 career record as a Rebel, believed to have the best start to a career by any pitcher in Ole Miss baseball history
- Tied for fifth in the SEC with 15 strikeouts in two starts
- Earned a win against Wright State, striking out nine over six innings and surrendering one run on five hits
- Picked up a victory in the season opener, going 5.0 innings and allowing one run on six hits
- Named to the 50-player preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list
- Posted a 9-0 record in 2014 with a 2.05 ERA and held opponents to a .233 batting average
SATURDAY 3:00 P.M.
UCF - Cre Finfrock, Fr., RHP, 2-0, 1.54 ERA
Ole Miss - Brady Bramlett, So., RHP, 1-0, 1.50 ERA
NOTING Bramlett:
- Leads the SEC in strikeouts with 19, including a career-high 11 against Wright State in his last outing
- Became the first Rebel to record double digit strikeouts in one game since Bobby Wahl in 2012
- 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
- Returned to the mound this season after missing the end of the 2013 season and the entire 2014 season due to injury
SUNDAY 10:30 A.M.
UCF - Robby Howell, So., RHP, 2-0, 2.31 ERA
Ole Miss - Sam Smith, Sr., RHP, 0-1, 8.10 ERA
NOTING Smith:
- Is the most experienced starting pitcher in the SEC, making 38 career starts on the mound
- After pitching on Saturday to start the season, returned to his comfort zone as the Sunday starter, where he made 18 appearances during the 2014 season
- Posted a 5-4 record in 2014 with a 3.61 ERA and held opponents to a .286 batting average.
- Made three starts during the Rebels' run to the 2014 College World Series
A LOOK AT UCF
After starting the season off with an 8-0 record, the Knights have found themselves in the national rankings as high as No. 15 in the country. UCF has been successful at the plate, averaging .351 as a team, including four hitters over .400. Sophomore Matt Diorio boasts a team-best .517 average, while Kyle Marsh follows closely behind with an average of .483 as well as a team-high 15 RBI. On the mound, the UCF weekend rotation is a combined 5-0 led by freshman Cre Finfrock, who is 2-0 with a low 1.54 ERA. Zach Rodgers, who will start Friday night, and Robby Howell, the Sunday starter, round off the Knights' rotation consisting of three right-handers.
REBELS vs. KNIGHTS
The Rebels and Knights met nearly one year ago at this time, and it was Ole Miss who pulled off a sweep at Swayze Field in dramatic fashion. The Rebels won the first two games with walk-off hits as John Gatlin knocked in the winning run in the 13-inning series opener. The next day, Will Allen delivered a solo homer to deep center field in the bottom of the 10th, lifting Ole Miss to another walk-off victory. Allen's heroics marked the fourth-straight walk-off win for the Rebels before Ole Miss cruised to a 9-2 victory in the series finale to complete the sweep. In the all-time series between the two teams, Ole Miss leads 4-1.
FIRST ROAD TRIP
The trip to Orlando, Fla. will be the first road test for Ole Miss, but the Rebels have been successful in their opening road series during the Mike Bianco era. Ole Miss is 24-11 over the past 14 seasons in its first true road series of each season. Along with that success, the Ole Miss is even better in its opening road game of the season. During Bianco's tenure, the Diamond Rebels are a combined 11-3 in each season's first game away from the friendly confines of Swayze Field, currently holding an eight-game winning streak in those games. The last opening road loss occurred to UCLA, March 10, 2006.
1-2 PUNCH
Junior Christian Trent and sophomore Brady Bramlett have combined to make a dynamic duo in front of the Ole Miss pitching staff. The two Rebels combine for 34 strikeouts, more than any two teammates in the SEC. Bramlett leads the SEC with 19 punchouts, while Trent has 15 to his credit as both Rebels have made two starts on the mound this season. The pair has also limited walking hitters, surrendering just three passes in 23 combined innings. Bramlett posts a 1.50 ERA, but Trent is close behind with a 1.64 ERA of his own.
A START FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
It's hard to put into words the kind of start to a career that Christian Trent has had at Ole Miss. In 19 starts over the past two seasons, the junior southpaw has posted an 11-0 record with a 2.01 ERA over 121.0 innings. With 11 straight victories, Trent is believed to have the best start to a career out of any pitcher is Ole Miss Baseball history. Diving deep into the archives, Buddy Wittichen started off his historic career with 10 consecutive wins before falling to Florida in the 1956 SEC Championship series. Wittichen finished his career with seven more victories and boasts the best winning percentage in program history with a career record of 17-1 (.941).
MIDWEEK MOMENTUM
Gaining some momentum heading into the weekend road trip, the Rebels wrapped up their seven-game homestand with a 2-1 victory over the Arkansas State Red Wolves Tuesday afternoon, Feb. 24, at Swayze Field. Two seniors provided the production at the plate for Ole Miss as a Sikes Orvis home run and a RBI single by Austin Knight brought in the only two runs Ole Miss needed to defeat the Red Wolves. Orvis recorded his second homer of the season, the 20th of his career, in the bottom of the first before Knight's single through the left side in the third ended up bringing in the winning run. The two upperclassmen provided four of the Rebels' five hits with two base-knocks apiece. Orvis crossed home plate twice to account for both Ole Miss runs in the contest.
Rebel pitching was outstanding all day long, surrendering just four hits and striking out a combined seven batters. Sophomore left-hander Evan Anderson (1-0) picked up the victory on the mound. After a pair of walks and hit batter in the first that led to ASU's only run of the ballgame, Anderson was nearly unhittable. He lasted five innings, allowing just one run on one hit and two walks while also adding four strikeouts to his stat line.
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 94-25 during the second month of the calendar year, leading to a .790 winning percentage. During this decade, the Rebels have been even better in February, posting a mark of 41-7 (.857) over the past six seasons.
HERE COMES SIKES
Senior first baseman Sikes Orvis led the Rebels to victory in their first midweek game of the year, defeating Arkansas State, 2-1, Feb. 24. The Orlando, Fla. native scored both Ole Miss runs, knocking in himself on a solo homer to right field for his second of the season before crossing the plate in the fourth inning that ended up being the game-winning run. Orvis also 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 strikeouts, 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.
IN-STATE BATTLE ON DECK
Once Ole Miss returns from its weekend series in the Sunshine State, the Diamond Rebels will still remain on the road for their next contest, but it will take place in the state of Mississippi. Ole Miss will make the 249-mile trip south to Hattiesburg, Miss. to square off against the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss. The in-state battle will be a midweek game with a first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. from Pete Taylor Park.
