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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Diamond Rebels Take Winning Ways to Auburn
4/16/2015 | Baseball
WEEKEND SERIES
Matchup: Ole Miss (19-18, 7-8 SEC) at Auburn (23-15, 5-10)
Date: April 17-19, 2015
Location: Auburn, Ala.
Venue: Plainsman Park
Capacity: 4,096
Television: SEC Network+
   Andy Burcham, play-by-play
   Mark Fuller, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Series tied 80-80-1
Last Series: April 4-5, 2013
      Ole Miss won, 3-0
      Oxford, Miss.
QUICK HITS
- Ole Miss enters the weekend after a convincing 11-1 win over UT Martin on Wednesday
- Ole Miss hit three home runs in Wednesday's victory over UT Martin, the most hit by the Rebels in one game since blasting four homers against Kentucky, April 26, 2014
- The Rebels swept Auburn in last season's three-game series at Swayze Field
- The Ole Miss bullpen has not allowed a run to score over the last 21.0 innings of relief
- Sophomore Colby Bortles has hit the last three Ole Miss grand slams
- Bortles has hit two grand slams in the past three games, including the one that tied the game in the ninth against No. 1 Vanderbilt Friday night
- Junior Cameron Dishon leads the SEC with eight sacrifice bunts
- Senior Scott Weathersby was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week after his performance vs. No. 1 Vandy
- Ole Miss is 5-4 against the nation's No. 1 team in 2015, including two series victories (Florida, Vanderbilt)
- The Rebels are currently 28th in RPI with the nation's sixth-toughest schedule
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
FRIDAY, 6:00 P.M.
Auburn - Cole Lipscomb, R-So., RHP, 4-1, 2.44 ERA
Ole Miss - Christian Trent, Jr., LHP, 5-3, 4.20 ERA
NOTING TRENT:
- Earned the win against Tennessee, lasting six innings and striking out five
- Pitched 6.1 innings and allowed one run on three hits to defeat No. 1 Florida, going 4.1 innings without giving up a hit
- Has made 25 career starts, recording 121 strikeouts over 159.1 innings for a record of 14-2
- Won his first 12 games as a Rebel, the best start to a career by any pitcher in Ole Miss baseball history
- Named to the 50-player preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list
SATURDAY, 3:00 P.M.
Auburn - Keegan Thompson, So., RHP, 7-2, 2.84 ERA
Ole Miss - Brady Bramlett, So., RHP, 4-2, 2.49 ERA
NOTING BRAMLETT:
- Holding opponents to just a .225 average at the plate
- Pitched a career-high seven innings, without allowing an earned run, at No. 1 LSU
- Went six scoreless innings against Stetson, 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
- Returned to the mound this season after missing the end of the 2013 season and the entire 2014 season due to injury
SUNDAY, 1:00 P.M.
Auburn - TBA
Ole Miss - Will Stokes, Fr., RHP, 0-3, 5.40 ERA
NOTING STOKES:
- Earned his first career win, lasting six innings against No. 1 Vanderbilt
- Has made his first three career three starts over the last three SEC series finales
- Appeared out of the bullpen eight times before filling in as the third starter in the rotation
- Second on the team with three saves this season, including two against a pair of top-10 teams
- Got the Rebels out of a jam and saved the 14-inning game against No. 1 LSU
A LOOK AT AUBURN
Auburn enters the weekend with a 23-15 record after a doubleheader sweep over Alabama A&M Wednesday. In their last SEC weekend series, the Tigers dropped two-of-three at LSU to fall to 5-10 at the halfway point of the conference season. A bright spot out of the weekend was a complete-game by starting pitcher Keegan Thompson, who limited LSU to one run on six hits to earn a share of SEC Pitcher of the Week honors with Ole Miss senior reliever Scott Weathersby. In 2015, Thompson is a team-best 7-2 with a 2.84 ERA as a leader in the AU pitching staff. At the plate, sophomore Anfernee Grier is hitting at a .397 clip to rank second in the SEC. He also leads the conference with 62 hits and 19 doubles. Like the Rebels, Auburn has played a brutal schedule that currently ranks as the toughest in the nation; Auburn and Ole Miss have had the toughest schedules out of SEC teams as the Rebels' strength of schedule currently sits in sixth.
REBELS POWER PAST UT MARTIN
Sophomore Colby Bortles hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and senior Sikes Orvis added another as the Ole Miss baseball team soared past UT Martin 11-1, Wednesday afternoon, April 15. Bortles hit a grand slam in the fourth innings and Orvis followed with his eighth of the season to give Ole Miss back-to-back homers. The senior first baseman reached base four times on the afternoon by drawing three walks at the dish. Sophomore J.B. Woodman added a pair of hits as Ole Miss smacked 10 total on the afternoon. Senior Sam Smith earned the victory on the mound, going six innings and allowing just one run on four hits. The start was Smith's 50th of his career, tying Kenny Carlyle for second in program history. Once again, the Rebel relievers were fantastic; the trio of Scott Ashford, Drake Robison and Matt Denny combined for three scoreless innings without allowing a hit.
COLBY JACK
Ole Miss has had a third baseman with a hot bat as of late in sophomore Colby Bortles. Not only does Bortles have a six-game hitting streak and a reached base streak of 15 games, but he has also provided power at the plate to the tune of three home runs in the past three games. Against UT Martni on Wednesday, Bortles left the yard twice for his first multi-homer game of his Ole Miss career. With his grand slam and solo home run, Bortles became the first Rebel to record a multi-homer game since his teammate Sikes Orvis accomplished the feat against Missouri, March 22, 2014. The Oviedo, Fla. native has hit two grand slams over the past three games, increasing his season home run total to six. Bortles now has three career grand slams, and they have all been the last three hit by the Rebels. He also earned his second five-RBI game of the year, notching his career-high total against William & Mary in the opening series finale.
BRILLIANT BULLPEN
The Ole Miss bullpen has currently thrown 21.0 consecutive innings without allowing a run. In the past four games, the Rebels' bullpen has kept opponents off the scoreboard, while also holding Southern Miss scoreless in the final 2.1 innings of that contest to total the streak over a five-game stretch. Facing No. 1 Vanderbilt in a tough environment on the road, five different Rebel relievers combined to hold the defending national champions scoreless for 15.2 innings through the three-game series. The quintet struck out 18 hitters and allowed just six hits to help Ole Miss claim another series against a No. 1 team. Junior Mitchel Babb started the streak on Thursday night by tossing 1.2 scoreless innings. On Friday, the trio of Jacob Waguespack, Wyatt Short and Scott Weathersby kept Vanderbilt from scoring in 11 consecutive innings as Ole Miss went on to come back and win in the 16th. Short pitched the 10th before Weathersby finished the contest by going a career-long six innings and recording a career-high 10 strikeouts to earn the win. The senior even pitched himself out of a bases-loaded jam with zero outs in the 11th. In the rubber match Saturday, fellow senior Sam Smith went two innings without allowing a run, and Waguespack returned to close out the game in the ninth, notching the first save of his Ole Miss career.
BORTLES REACHES BASE
Sophomore Colby Bortles currently has reached base in the past 15 games, the second time this season he has reached that streak, tying his season high. Earlier this season, Bortles reached base in 15 consecutive games. While he recorded hits in 12 of the past 15 games, including four multi-hit contests, Bortles found other ways to get on base to keep his streak alive. With the streak in jeopardy Friday night, going without a hit into the ninth, Bortles delivered a clutch game-tying grand slam to push the game into extra innings. Two games later, the third baseman added two more home runs, including another grand slam, in the Rebels' 11-1 victory over UT Martin. Bortles has hit the last three grand slams for the Rebels as he hit his first one against Arkansas State, May 13, 2014.
WEATHERSBY NAMED SEC CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Senior Scott Weathersby was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week, the conference office announced Monday, April 13. The right-handed reliever earns the accolade for the first time in his career after a brilliant performance against No. 1 Vanderbilt. Weathersby tossed a career-long six innings of relief to pick up the win, striking out a career-high 10 batters to help Ole Miss knock off the top-ranked Commodores in 16 innings. He retired 18 of the 21 batters he faced, giving up just two hits and issuing one walk to keep Vanderbilt off the scoreboard in extra innings. The senior captain pitched out of a bases-loaded jam with nobody out in the bottom of the 11th to keep the Rebels alive, striking out two and forcing a flyout to send the game to the 12th. After Ole Miss got the go-ahead run in the top of the 16th, Weathersby sent the final two batters of the game down on strikes to cap off the come-from-behind victory. As a senior captain, Weathersby led an Ole Miss bullpen that did not allow a run over the weekend in 15.2 innings of work, holding one of the nation's top offensive teams at bay. In his final season as a Rebel, he has posted a 2.11 ERA with two saves, 35 strikeouts and just six walks over 29.1 innings. Weathersby has also limited opponents to a .150 batting average in his 11 appearances.
BEATING THE BEST
Ole Miss has brought its A-game when facing the No. 1 team in the country. The Rebels have faced three different No. 1 teams this season for a total of nine games, posting a record of 5-4 against the top-ranked foes. SEC play opened up with Ole Miss facing No. 1 LSU on the road, where the Tigers took the series, 2-1. The following week, the Rebels hosted No. 1 Florida and claimed the series by winning the first two games of the three-game set. Finally, this past weekend, Ole Miss hit the road to face another No. 1 team, Vanderbilt. After rallying in the ninth and winning in 16 innings Friday night, tying the series at one game apiece, the Rebels maintained momentum to emerge victorious in the rubber match on Saturday, 5-4.
EXTRA, EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT
This season, Ole Miss has played in two extra-inning games and has been victorious in both of them. Not only were both contests on the road, but they were also against a pair of No. 1 teams. The Rebels defeated No. 1 LSU, 5-3, on March 14 in a 14-inning thriller. The game, lasting four hours and 15 minutes, only held its ground as the longest Ole Miss game of the season for a few weeks. On Friday night at No. 1 Vanderbilt, April 10, Ole Miss scored four runs in the ninth on a Colby Bortles grand slam to send the game into extra innings before scoring the winning run in the 16th. Along with the duration of five hours and 29 minutes, the 16-inning matchup marked the third-longest game in Ole Miss history, falling one inning short of a pair of 17-inning contests. The two extra-inning victories also marked the first time in program history that the Rebels have played two games in a season that have lasted at least 14 innings.
RALLY REBELS
Ole Miss has rallied back in the ninth inning three times this year, including twice against the nation's top-ranked teams. Against No. 1 LSU, March 14, senior Sikes Orvis doubled to send the game into extra innings before knocking in the game-winning run in the top of the 14th. In a midweek game versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff, March 18, Ole Miss trailed by two with their last chance at the dish. However, the Rebels put on the rally caps with three straight hits to pull within one. After Orvis was intentionally walked, freshman Tate Blackman drilled the second pitch he saw into the left-center gap to score classmate Will Golsan before being mobbed by his teammates rounding first.
   While those two comebacks were memorable, they were not as big as what happened Friday night against No. 1 Vanderbilt. Trailing by four entering the top of the ninth, the Rebels worked the bases loaded to set the scene for sophomore Colby Bortles, stepping up to the plate as the tying run. The Ole Miss third baseman delivered on a 1-1 count, blasting a grand slam over the left field wall to knot the game at five runs apiece. Ole Miss kept Vanderbilt off the scoreboard and ended up winning, 6-5, in 16 innings. The four-run deficit was the largest Ole Miss ninth-inning comeback since the Rebels rallied from five runs down in 2002, coincidentally against Vanderbilt. In that game, April 7, 2002, Ole Miss trailed 9-1 entering the eighth inning before scoring three and five runs, respectively, over the final two innings of regulation. The Rebels kept the momentum going into the 10th inning, scoring the game-winning run for a 10-9 victory. Â
SHORT'S STUFF
Sophomore southpaw Wyatt Short has been a shutdown reliever out of the Ole Miss bullpen this season. In 14 appearances, Short has a 3-1 record, five saves, an impressive 0.74 ERA, 27 strikeouts, only 10 walks and just two earned runs over 24.1 innings. His win total and number of saves are team highs out of Rebel relievers as he had held opposing hitters to a low .186 average at the plate. Against Tennessee, the Southaven, Miss. native entered the game with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate, but he pitched out of the jam, allowing just one of the inherited runners to score. Over his last 19 innings spanning 11 appearances, Short has surrendered just one run. When the game is on the line and the Rebels need to get out of the inning, Short has been the primary guy called upon by head coach Mike Bianco.
WEATHERING THE STORM
One of two captains, senior Scott Weathersby has been a leader to a youthful Ole Miss baseball team. On the mound this season, Weathersby has posted a 2.15 ERA in 11 appearances. Through 29.1innings of work, he has struck out 35 batters, while only walking six. Perhaps the most impressive statistic of all by the Hattiesburg, Miss. native is that he is holding opposing hitters to just a .150 average at the plate. Weathersby's veteran presence on the mound showed against No. 1 Vanderbilt, April 10, as he retired 18 of the 21 batters he faced over a career-long six-inning outing. The senior right-hander struck out a career-high 10 hitters and got out of a bases-loaded jam, all while keeping the nation's top-ranked team off the scoreboard. Behind Weathersby, the Rebels stayed alive in the extra-inning contest before winning in the 16th. Weathersby shut the door to collect the win on the road.
THE GAUNTLET
The Rebels have gone through the gauntlet thus far with a difficult non-conference schedule as well as facing three teams ranked No. 1 in the country. According to NCAA statistics, Ole Miss has had the nation's sixth-toughest schedule to this point as the Rebels' opponents are a combined 320-203-1 (.612) this season. Through 37 games, 14 of those contests came against top-15 teams, including nine against No. 1 teams. The Rebels are 7-7 in games against ranked teams, but recently took two-of-three from No. 1 Vanderbilt. Ole Miss went through a stretch of playing 8-of-11 games against teams ranked in the top 10, posting an even 4-4 record in those matchups that included a series victory over then-No. 1 Florida. The brutal schedule has forced a young Ole Miss team grow up fast, and the Rebels could benefit from the pressure as the season rolls along.
ON THE HORIZON
After the weekend series at Auburn, Ole Miss returns to the friendly confines of Swayze Field for a busy week of baseball. The Rebels will play five home games in a span of six games, starting with a make-up contest against Central Arkansas, April 21. The next day, Memphis comes to Oxford for a midweek matchup as the two squads will square off for the second time this season. Wrapping up the week, Ole Miss will host Alabama in a three-game set, April 24-26.
