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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Meets Southern Miss in the Mississippi College Series
4/6/2015 | Baseball
MIDWEEK GAME
Matchup: Ole Miss (16-16) vs. Southern Miss (17-11-1)
Date: April 7, 2015
Location: Pearl, Miss.
Venue: Trustmark Park
Capacity: 8,480
Television: None
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Ole Miss leads 71-48
QUICK HITS
- The Rebels and Golden Eagles will face off in the second game of the Mississippi College Series at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss.
- Ole Miss will play in the third game of the series later this season, battling Mississippi State for the Governor's Cup, April 28
- Southern Miss claimed the first matchup between the two teams this season, 5-1, in Hattiesburg
- Ole Miss will be the designated home team for Tuesday's game
- Tuesday's game in the only contest against a team not from the state of Tennessee during a current nine-game stretch
- Sophomore Wyatt Short has allowed just on run over his last 10 appearances, spanning 17 innings
- Junior Cameron Dishon is tied for the SEC lead with seven sacrifice bunts
- Sophomore J.B. Woodman and freshman Will Golsan hit .467 and .412, respectively, throughout the four games last week
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
TUESDAY, 6:30 P.M.
Southern Miss - Cord Cockrell, Jr., RHP, 2-0, 3.38 ERA
Ole Miss - Evan Anderson, So., LHP, 1-3, 6.43 ERA
NOTING ANDERSON:
- Has pitched in nine games this season, including six midweeks starts
- Started in the previous matchup against USM, giving up three runs on three hits and three walks over five innings
- Played first base for two innings against No. 1 Florida, while also drawing the second at-bat of his career
- Picked up the win versus Arkansas State, allowing just one run on two hits over five innings of work
- Made a relief appearance in the season opener, lasting 1.1 innings and recording four strikeouts
A LOOK AT SOUTHERN MISS
Southern Miss is currently 17-11-1 on the 2015 campaign after taking two-of-three games from UAB in conference play this past weekend. Freshman Taylor Braley is hitting at a .394 clip to lead the Golden Eagles at the plate. Senior Matt Durst boasts a .321 batting average to go along with five doubles, two triples and a pair of home runs. As a team, Southern Miss is hitting .270. The Southern Miss pitching staff posts a team ERA of 2.48 led by senior James McMahon with a 1.22 ERA and three complete games. Junior Cord Cockrell will get the nod on the mound to face the Rebels once again. Cockrell, who has a 2-0 record with a 3.38 ERA, picked up the win in the rivalry matchup earlier this year. The right-hander went seven innings and surrendered one run on five hits.
LAST TIME WE MET
The Rebels and Golden Eagles have been meeting on the diamond since 1916 as the teams will face off for the 120th time on Tuesday. Ole Miss leads the all-time series, 71-48, but Southern Miss won the earlier matchup this year, 5-1. The Golden Eagles used a four-run sixth inning to help propel them past the Rebels. Ole Miss out-hit USM, 5-4, with five different Rebels recording base hits. Designated hitter Holt Perdzock's single knocked in a run, and Will Golsan went opposite field for a base knock in his first career start as a Rebel. Sophomore Evan Anderson allowed three runs on three hits and three walks over five innings. Finishing the game, a pair of Rebels made their Ole Miss debuts and they did not disappoint. Junior college transfer Mitchel Babb pitched a scoreless seventh inning, while freshman John Wesley Ray retired the side in the eighth. As a staff, six different Rebels combined to hold Southern Miss to just four hits throughout the contest.
LEADOFF HITTER LEADS THE WAY
The Rebels' leadoff hitter happens to lead the team in batting average, and he is just a freshman. Will Golsan is hitting at a .313 clip in the 28 games he's played in this season, including 20 starts between second base, third base and and designated hitter. The Columbus, Miss. native is also second on the team in runs batted in with 18 of them. Golsan led Ole Miss at the plate in two victories last week, tying his career high with three hits in both wins. He reached base four times against Memphis to help spark a comeback victory and continued his hot hitting to open up the series versus Tennessee. In the win over the Volunteers, Golsan went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a career-high four RBI to help Ole Miss record its highest hit and run output of SEC play.
MLB REBELS
The 2015 Major League Baseball season is now underway, and six former Rebels earned spots on Opening Day rosters. Chris Coghlan (Chicago Cubs), Zack Cozart (Cincinnati Reds) and Seth Smith (Seattle Mariners) either started or are slated to start on opening day for their respective teams. Lance Lynn (St. Louis Cardinals) and Drew Pomeranz (Oakland Athletics) will begin the season in the starting rotation for their respective teams, while Aaron Barrett will play a key role in the bullpen for the Washington Nationals. For a more in-depth look at former Rebels in MLB, click here.
TENNESSEE SWING
The Rebels are currently in a stretch of playing eight-of-nine games against teams from the state of Tennessee. Following the midweek victory over Memphis, Ole Miss hosted the University of Tennessee for three games. Tuesday's game against Southern Mississippi serves as a buffer between another school from the Volunteer State as Ole Miss travels to Vanderbilt for a SEC weekend series, April 9-11. Rounding out the Tennessee swing, the Rebels welcome UT-Martin to Swayze Field for a non-conference affair, April 15.
TIMELY HITTING
Ole Miss had clutch at-bats by several Rebels to lift the team past Memphis. The Rebels went 6-for-17 at the dish with runners on base, good for a .353 clip. With two outs, Ole Miss went 7-for-15 (.467) throughout the game. The timely hitting continued into Friday night's win over Tennessee. As a team, the Rebels were 6-for-14 with two outs, 7-for-20 with runners on and 4-for-11 with runners in scoring position, scoring five of their 10 runs with two outs in the inning.
SHORT'S STUFF
Sophomore southpaw Wyatt Short has been a shutdown reliever out of the Ole Miss bullpen this season. In 13 appearances, Short has a 3-1 record, five saves, an impressive 0.81 ERA, 27 strikeouts, only seven walks and just two earned runs over 22.1 innings. His win total and number of saves are team highs out of Rebel relievers as he had held opposing hitters to a low .190 average at the plate. Short has earned the save in each of the Rebels' last three victories. 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 17 innings spanning 10 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.
NEW BALL, NEW ERA
When the NCAA decided to modify the baseball going into the 2015 season, opting for a flat-seamed baseball, over the raised-seamed baseball that has been used in the past, changes were expected. The NCAA has conducted a midseason statistical analysis to determine difference in stats this season compared to last year. According to the report, runs scored in a game are up five percent, and the batting average is basically flat from .268 in 2014 to .269 in 2015. However, this season, strikeouts have risen from 6.64 per nine innings in 2014 to 7.34 per nine innings in 2015, an increase of 10.5 percent. The biggest statistical change from 2014 to 2015 is an increase in home runs that is up more than 39 percent from 0.36 per game in 2014 to 0.50 per game in 2015.
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 2.70 ERA in 10 appearances. Through 23.1innings of work, he has struck out 25 batters, while only walking five. Perhaps the most impressive statistic of all by the Hattiesburg, Miss. native is that he is holding opposing hitters to just a .163 average at the plate. Weathersby's veteran presence on the mound showed against No. 1 Florida, March 20, as he retired each of the eight batters he faced, stranding the inherited runner in the seventh and working a perfect eighth and ninth to earn his second save of the season. In his most recent outing, Weathersby pitched two scoreless innings against Tennessee, April 5.
THE GAUNTLET
The Rebels have gone through the gauntlet thus far with a difficult non-conference schedule as well as facing two teams ranked No. 1 to begin SEC play. According to NCAA statistics, Ole Miss has had the nation's third-toughest schedule to this point as the Rebels' opponents are a combined 244-142-1 (.632) this season. Through 32 games, 11 of those contests came against top-15 teams, including six against No. 1 teams. The Rebels are 5-6 in games against ranked teams, but recently took two-of-three from No. 1 Florida. 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. The brutal schedule to start the season 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
Ole Miss will have just one day off before returning to the diamond for SEC play. The Rebels will face No. 1 Vanderbilt in a three-game set beginning Thursday night, April 9. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. CT and will air on SEC Network. The entire series, which will be the Rebels' third against a top-ranked team in the nation, can be heard on the Ole Miss Radio Network.
