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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Hits the Road to Face No. 1 Vanderbilt
4/8/2015 | Baseball
WEEKEND SERIES
Matchup: Ole Miss (16-17, 5-7 SEC) at No. 1 Vanderbilt (27-7, 10-2 SEC)
Date: April 9-11, 2015
Location: Nashville, Tenn.
Venue: Charles Hawkins Field
Capacity: 3,700
Television: ESPNU (Thursday)/SEC Network+ (Friday)/SEC Network (Saturday)
   Clay Matvick, play-by-play
   Kyle Peterson, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
   David Kellum, play-by-play
   Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Ole Miss leads 60-55-2
Last Series: April 5-7, 2013
      Vanderbilt won, 3-0
      Oxford, Miss.
QUICK HITS
- Vanderbilt will be the third No. 1 ranked team that Ole Miss has faced this season
- Two of the three games vs. VU will be broadcast on national television. Thursday's game will air on ESPNU, while Saturday's series finale will be a SEC Network broadcast.
- Ole Miss is 3-3 against the nation's No. 1 team in 2015, including a series victory over then-No. 1 Florida
- Ole Miss has played 11 games against top-15 teams this season, going 5-6 in those contests
- The Rebels have the nation's second-toughest schedule along with ranking 36th in RPI
- Junior Connor Cloyd tallied a career-high three hits Tuesday versus Southern Miss in his first game as the Rebels' leadoff hitter
- Sophomore Wyatt Short has allowed just one run over his last 10 appearances, spanning 17 innings
- Junior Cameron Dishon is tied for the SEC lead with seven sacrifice bunts
- Ole Miss is 21-17 versus Vanderbilt under head coach Mike Bianco
- The Rebels won the previous matchup against Vanderbilt, 7-2, in the 2014 SEC Tournament
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
THURSDAY, 6:30 P.M.
Vanderbilt - Carson Fulmer, Jr., RHP, 5-1, 2.25 ERA
Ole Miss - Christian Trent, Jr., LHP, 5-2, 3.83 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
FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M.
Vanderbilt - Walker Buehler, Jr., RHP, 3-0, 2.76 ERA
Ole Miss - Brady Bramlett, So., RHP, 4-2, 2.17 ERA
NOTING Bramlett:
- Ranks fifth in the SEC with a 2.17 ERA and sixth in the conference with 53 strikeouts
- 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
- Returned to the mound this season after missing the end of the 2013 season and the entire 2014 season due to injury
SATURDAY, 2:00 P.M.
Vanderbilt - Jordan Sheffield, R-Fr., RHP, 3-0, 2.66 ERA
Ole Miss - Will Stokes, Fr., RHP, 0-3, 5.40 ERA
NOTING STOKES:
- 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
- Pitched a career-high 5.2 innings in his last start versus Tennessee, allowing just two runs on four hits
- 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 VANDERBILT
Vanderbilt is off to a 27-7 start as the reigning national champions, including 10-2 in SEC play. The Commodores saw their six-game losing streak come to an end on Tuesday in a 3-1 non-conference loss to Lipscomb. Three different national polls have Vanderbilt ranked as the top team in the country behind a pitching staff that holds opposing hitters to a .215 average, a mark that leads the SEC. The weekend rotation of right-handers Carson Fulmer, Walker Buehler and Jordan Sheffield boast a combined record of 11-1. At the plate, four Commodores are hitting over a .340 clip with junior Dansby Swanson's .368 average pacing the VU bats. Swanson also has a team-high 12 steals as Vanderbilt leads the conference with a total of 56. Zander Wiel and Rhett Wiseman have both hit six home runs this season and nine doubles this season.
NOTHING NEW VERSUS NO. 1
Facing the No. 1 team in the country is nothing new for Ole Miss this season. The Rebels opened up the first two weekends of SEC play against top-ranked teams, going a combined 3-3 against LSU and Florida. At the time of both series, the two conference foes were ranked No. 1 in at least one national poll. Ole Miss took one-of-three from LSU on the road, the victory being a 14-inning thriller on SEC Network that got Sikes Orvis and his mustache trending on Twitter. One week later, the Rebels protected Swayze Field by defeating No. 1 Florida twice to claim the series.
JUNIOR COLLEGE TRANSFERS CALLED UPON
Mitchel Babb and Connor Cloyd, a pair of junior college transfers, have stepped up their respective games when called upon by head coach Mike Bianco. In six of his seven appearances (9.1 innings), Babb has not surrendered a run. Over his last three outings, Babb has struck out nine opposing hitters through seven innings, including a career-high four versus Tennessee, April 4. On the offensive side, Cloyd has produced his first three multi-hit games of his Ole Miss career in his last three games, going 7-for-12 with five runs and two RBI. Getting the start in the last five games he has played in for the Rebels, Cloyd has reached base in every one of them. Cloyd's season batting average is .423 (11-for-26), and the Maple Valley, Wash. native currently has a four-game hitting streak to his credit.
BORTLES REACHES BASE
Sophomore Colby Bortles currently has reached base in the past 11 games, the second time this season he has produced a streak in double digits. Earlier this season, Bortles reached base in 15 consecutive games. While he recorded hits in eight of the past 11 games, including three multi-hit contests, Bortles found other ways to get on base to keep his streak alive. In the five games over the past eight days, the Oviedo, Fla. native is batting at a .400 clip.
LEADOFF HITTER LEADS THE WAY
The Rebels' primary 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 29 games he's played in this season, including 20 starts between second base, third base and designated hitter. The Columbus, Miss. native is also third 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.
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 served as a buffer between another school from the Volunteer State as Ole Miss travels to Vanderbilt for SEC play this weekend. 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 second-toughest schedule to this point as the Rebels' opponents are a combined 246-142-1 (.634) this season. Through 33 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 has forced a young Ole Miss team grow up fast, and the Rebels could benefit from the pressure as the season rolls along. The gauntlet will continue this weekend as Ole Miss faces its third No. 1 team of the season in Vanderbilt.
ON THE HORIZON
To break up a pair of SEC weekend series on the road, the Rebels return home to host Tennessee-Martin for a midweek matchup, April 15. The game will end a stretch of nine games in which eight of them were against a team from the state of Tennessee. First pitch versus the Skyhawks is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. CT from Swayze Field. The non-conference contest will be broadcast on SEC Network+ as well as the Ole Miss Radio Network.
