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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Diamond Rebels Host No. 1 Florida This Weekend
3/19/2015 | Baseball
WEEKEND SERIES
Matchup: Ole Miss vs. No. 1 Florida
Date: March 20-22, 2015
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Swayze Field
Capacity: 10,323
Television: SEC Network+ (Fri./Sat.)
Will Kollmeyer, play-by-play
David Dellucci, analyst
Television: ESPNU (Sun.)
Tom Hart, play-by-play
Ben McDonald, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network (Fri. & Sat./Sun.)
Richard Cross/David Kellum, play-by-play
Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Ole Miss leads 46-40
Last Series: March 29-31, 2013
Florida won, 2-1
Gainesville, Fla.
QUICK HITS
- Ole Miss began its six-game homestand with a 7-6 comeback victory over UAPB on Wednesday
- Freshman Tate Blackman doubled his season RBI output with three RBI on a career-high three hits, including the game-winner, in the come-from-behind win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff
- The midweek victory was the second time in the past three games that Ole Miss has rallied from behind in the ninth inning
- The Rebels are in a stretch of playing six-of-seven games against a team that is ranked No. 1 in a national poll
- Ole Miss has played eight games against top-15 teams this season, sporting a 3-5 record in those games
- Ole Miss ranks third in the nation in attendance in 2015, bringing in an average of 7,102 fans for a total attendance of 78,119
- The first two games of this series will be broadcast on SEC Network+, while the series finale on Sunday will be broadcast on ESPNU
- Fans can enjoy a free fireworks show following all Friday night, SEC home games
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M.
Florida - Logan Shore, So., RHP, 3-1, 1.78 ERA
Ole Miss - Christian Trent, Jr., LHP, 3-1, 3.45 ERA
NOTING TRENT:
- Won his first 12 games as a Rebel, the best start to a career by any pitcher in Ole Miss baseball history
- Has made 22 career starts, recording 112 strikeouts over 141.1 innings
- Suffered the first loss of his career last outing vs. No. 1 LSU
- 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
SATURDAY, 1:30 P.M.
Florida - A.J. Puk, So., LHP, 4-1, 3.70 ERA
Ole Miss - Brady Bramlett, So., RHP, 2-1, 1.55 ERA
NOTING Bramlett:
- Pitched a career-high seven innings, without allowing an earned run, at No. 1 LSU
- Went six scoreless innings against the Hatters, giving up just three hits and one walk to go along with his 12 strikeouts
- Only Rebel to record 12 strikeouts in one game as well as double digit strikeouts in two or more starts since Drew Pomeranz in 2010
- 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, 1:30 P.M.
Florida - TBA
Ole Miss - TBA
A LOOK AT FLORIDA
As the nation's top-ranked team according to D1Baseball.com, Florida enters the weekend with a 19-3 record after defeating in-state rival Florida State, 14-8, on Tuesday. The Gators began SEC play by taking two out of three against Tennessee, falling in the opener before claiming the series with wins in the final two games of the series. When UF comes to Oxford this weekend, it will be the Gators' first weekend road trip of the season; up to this point, Florida has only played three midweek games on the road as 19 of its 22 games were at home, including all five weekend series. The Gators are led by junior Harrison Bader, a 2014 Second Team All-SEC selection, who is hitting at a .419 clip with 27 RBI as well as seven home runs that rank second in the country. As a team, Florida leads the SEC in doubles (53) and fielding percentage (.985), second and third in the nation, respectively.
GOLDEN LIONS TAMED
The Ole Miss Baseball team scored three runs in the ninth to rally from a two-run deficit and defeat the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions in walk-off fashion, 7-6, Wednesday afternoon, March 18, at Swayze Field. The victory maintained the Rebels perfection against the Golden Lions in the all-time series between the two programs. Prior to the midweek contest, Ole Miss won all four of the previous contests, outscoring Arkansas Pine-Bluff by a combined 57-6 in those games. The Rebels won the first ever meeting, 22-2, in 2009. Last season's matchup saw the Ole Miss offense explode for 11 runs en route to a 11-1 victory over the Golden Lions, April 2, 2014.
A FRESH TRIO
With three freshmen and three sophomores in the everyday lineup, the Rebels are an extremely young team. It was the youthful freshmen that led Ole Miss to a comeback victory against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Wednesday. The three freshmen combined for seven of the Rebels' 10 hits on the evening. Tate Blackman drove in the game-winning hit as part of a career day for the young Rebel. The Ole Miss second baseman tallied three hits and drove in three runs, both career highs. Two other freshmen came up big as well as Kyle Watson and Will Golsan both went 2-for-5, scoring two and three runs, respectively. Golsan also added two RBI to his stat line. For the season, Watson leads the team with seven doubles and a .339 average at the plate.
RALLY REBELS
The Diamond Rebels have become the Rally Rebels as of late; their last two victories have occurred with coming back from deficits in the ninth inning. Against No. 1 LSU in a nationally-televised game, Ole Miss gave the nation's leader in saves, Jesse Stallings, his first blown save of the season thanks to a double by Sikes Orvis in the top of the ninth. Five innings later, the senior knocked in the game winning run as the Rebels went on to win, 5-3, in 14 innings. On Wednesday, Ole Miss trailed by two with their last chance at the dish against UAPB. The Rebels put on the rally caps as Cameron Dishon singled and Kyle Watson nearly left the yard before settling for a double off the left field wall. Golsan kept the momentum going, driving a base hit past the diving second baseman, scoring Dishon along with Watson after a throwing error. Following a J.B. Woodman sacrifice bunt and an Orvis intentional walk, Blackman drilled the second pitch he saw into the left-center gap to score Golsan before being mobbed by his teammates rounding first.
TATE THE GREAT
Tabbed as D1Baseball's Preseason SEC Freshman of the Year, Ole Miss second baseman Tate Blackman has started to live up to the lofty expectations after struggling at the beginning of the season. Over the last 10 games, Blackman has recorded a hit in nine of them, while also scoring runs in six games during that stretch. In the midweek win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Blackman produced career highs with three hits and three RBI, including the game-winning base hit in the bottom of the ninth. After intentionally walking Sikes Orvis, Blackman made the Golden Lions pay with a drive into the left-center field gap to score the winning run and lift the Rebels to victory.
GOING THROUGH THE GAUNTLET
The Rebels are currently in a stretch of playing eight-of-nine games against opponents ranked in the nation's top-10 according to multiple polls. Ole Miss split a pair of games with No. 8 Louisville during the middle of the week last week. Following the midweek matchups, the Rebels opened up the SEC schedule with a trip to No. 1 LSU. After Wednesday's game against Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Ole Miss welcomes No. 1 Florida to Swayze Field for a three-game set, March 20-22.
FEAR THE STACHE
Senior Sikes Orvis had the Twitter world buzzing as he and his March mustache came through in clutch situations against No. 1 LSU in front of a national television audience. The first baseman delivered the game-tying RBI in the top of the ninth before doubling in the game-winning run in the top of the 14th to lift Ole Miss baseball to a 5-3 victory the top-ranked Tigers. The Orlando, Fla. native recorded three of the Rebels' seven hits, including two doubles and his two big RBI. Orvis proved why he is a team captain and senior leader in the Ole Miss victory, driving in runs at the dish while also making plays with his glove at first base. He also snagged a line drive in the bottom of the 10th and caught the go-ahead run off of third for a game-saving double play. In the series finale, Orvis belted a three-run homer that traveled an estimated 431 feet over the bleachers in right field, drawing a standing ovation from even the hometown LSU fans.
STOKES SAVES
Ole Miss freshman Will Stokes picked up two saves against a pair of top 10 teams last week. The right-hander pitched a season-high five innings, allowing just one run on two hits to go along with a career-high four strikeouts, collecting the save against No. 8 Louisville. Stokes followed that performance by entering the game vs. No. 1 LSU in a pressure-packed situation on national television. In the bottom of the 14th, the Rebels held a two-run lead, but LSU had the tying run on base and the winning run at the plate with one out. However, Stokes was able to bear down and get a key strikeout before forcing a flyout to left field to end the thrilling ballgame. This season, the Meridian, Miss. native leads the Rebels with three saves while holding opponents to a .227 average at the plate.
AN INSTANT CLASSIC
The Rebels delivered a thrilling victory in their first appearance on national television this season, taking down No. 1 LSU, 5-3, in 14 innings on SEC Network. Senior Sikes Orvis tied the game in the top of the ninth before his opposite field double in the 14th brought J.B. Woodman around to score from first in what would be the game-winning run. The two conference foes battled it out for four hours and 15 minutes before freshman Will Stokes got LSU's Jake Fraley to fly out to fellow classmate Kyle Watson with the bases full of Tigers. The 14-inning affair was not only the first extra-inning game of the season for Ole Miss, but it was also the longest game the Diamond Rebels have played since going 17 innings against Mississippi State, April 29, 2007. The 14-inning game also tied for the fifth-longest game in Ole Miss Baseball history.
DISHON DOING HIS JOB
Coming off the bench primarily as a pinch runner during the 2014 season, junior Cameron Dishon has comfortably filled his new role as the Diamond Rebels' starting right fielder. Still aggressive on the base path, Dishon is tied for the team lead in steals with seven swipes, while he's third on the team with a batting average of .273, bolstering the bottom of the Ole Miss lineup. The Beaumont, Texas native has also stepped up for his club when called upon to advance the runner; Dishon is second in the SEC with five sacrifice bunts, a number that also ranks 17th in the nation. In the Rebels' series against No. 8 Louisville, Dishon led Ole Miss at the plate, going 4-for-9 with two runs and one RBI. The successful series included the first home run of his career on a solo blast to left field. Dishon was busy in the field during the victory over the Cardinals, catching nine flyballs to account for one-third of Louisville's outs. This season, he has made 45 putouts without an error in right field, the only Rebel in the everyday lineup that has not had a miscue.
ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END
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. The southpaw went 3-0 through his first four starts of the year to improve to 12-0 for this career. However, the pursuit of perfection ended Friday night, March 13, as Ole Miss opened up SEC play at No. 1 LSU. Trent tied his season long with a seven-inning outing, but he dealt with some hard luck and suffered the loss against the nation's best team according to Baseball America. As a Rebel, Trent now boasts a career record of 12-1 in 22 starts with 112 strikeouts over 141.1 innings of work.
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 his first 21 starts over the past two seasons, the junior southpaw posted a 12-0 record with a 2.21 ERA over 134.1 innings. With 12 straight victories to start his career, Trent is believed to have had 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).
DIAMOND REBELS LAND ON SPORTSCENTER
In the first road game of the 2015 season, Ole Miss shortstop Errol Robinson flashed the leather to prevent a big inning for No. 15 UCF. With one out and the bases full of Knights, Robinson fully extended to his left to catch a hard-hit line drive. From the ground, the sophomore flipped the ball to freshman Tate Blackman at second to catch the runner leading off the bag and complete the inning-ending double play. The incredible play was recognized by ESPN, and Robinson's highlight was No. 2 on Sportscenter's Top 10 Plays for Friday, Feb. 27. Three weeks later, sophomore J.B. Woodman made the highlight reel by robbing a home run in deep center field at Swayze Field. Facing Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the Ole Miss center fielder raced back to the wall and perfectly timed his jump to make an incredible catch. The play proved to be vital as the Rebels rallied in the ninth to defeat UAPB, 7-6.
ANOTHER DOUBLEHEADER
Ole Miss will close out its six-game homestand with a midweek doubleheader against the UAB Blazers, March 24. The Rebels' fifth doubleheader of the season is scheduled to begin at 11:00 a.m. CT. Both games will be seven innings, and the second contest will begin approximately 35 minutes following the conclusion of game one.
