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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Rebels Travel to Arkansas State Tuesday
5/11/2015 | Baseball
MIDWEEK GAME
Matchup: Ole Miss (28-24) at Arkansas State (23-26)
Date: May 12, 2015
Location: Jonesboro, Ark.
Venue: Tomlinson Stadium-Kell Field
Capacity: 1,200
Television: None
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
รย รย David Kellum, play-by-play
รย รย Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Ole Miss leads 70-21
Last Game: February 24, 2015
รย รย Ole Miss won 2-1; Oxford, Miss.
QUICK HITS
- The Rebels went 3-0 last week, sweeping rival Mississippi State in conference action
- Ole Miss won all four games against the Bulldogs in one season for the first time since 2010
- Ole Miss is currently 33rd in RPI with the nation's toughest schedule
- If the season ended today, Ole Miss would face South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Tournament
- Senior Sikes Orvis hit two solo home runs in Sunday's win versus MSU; he now has 32 for his career
- In his final series against the in-state rival, Orvis hit .583 with three home runs, two doubles, six RBI, six runs and a slugging percentage of 1.417
- Sophomore Wyatt Short pitched in all three games over the weekend, collecting two saves and one win to earn SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors
- Seven of Short's nine saves have been in SEC play, which leads the conference
- In the first four starts of his career, Nic Perkins as recorded a hit in each game as the team's designated hitter; he has a five-game hitting streak, going 8-for-18 (.444) over that stretch
- Ole Miss has won the last five matchups against Arkansas State
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUP
TUESDAY, 6:30 P.M.
Arkansas State - Collin Nord, So., LHP, 0-1, 11.12 ERA
Ole Miss - Mitchel Babb, Jr., LHP, 2-0, 5.66 ERA
NOTING BABB:
- Has made relief appearances in 12 games this season
- Has not allowed a run in eight of his 13 appearances
- Tossed 12-straight scoreless innings over seven outings at one point this season
- Earned the victory versus Central Arkansas, his first career start
- Picked up the win on the mound versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff
- Pitched the final 1.2 innings, in game one against Vanderbilt, retiring all five batters he faced
A LOOK AT ASU
The Red Wolves enter Tuesday's midweek matchup with a record of 23-26, but have won four in a row just like the Rebels. ASU claimed a non-conference win over Central Arkansas before sweeping Texas State over the weekend. The four-game win streak wrapped up a seven-game road trip in which ASU went 5-2. Redshirt-senior Zach George is hitting a whopping .390 at the plate as his 69 hits lead the Red Wolves. On the mound, Arkansas State will throw sophomore left-hander Collin Nord, who will make his second start of the 2015 campaign. Nord has made nine appearances this season, but has only pitched 5.2 innings. ASU is managed by Tommy Raffo in his seventh season as head coach.
RECENT SUCCESS VERSUS RED WOLVES
Ole Miss is 22-8 against Arkansas State under head coach Mike Bianco. The Rebels have won the last five games in the series, including a 2-1 victory at Swayze Field earlier this season, Feb. 24. Two seniors provided the production at the plate for the Rebels 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. 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 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. Junior Jacob Waguespack added three innings of relief on the mound and gave up just two hits. Coming in to close out the ballgame, freshman Will Stokes sent the Red Wolves down in order to earn the first save of his Ole Miss career.
SHORT NAMED SEC CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Wyatt Short was been named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week, the conference office announced Monday, May 11. The left-handed reliever earns the accolade for the first time in career after a stellar weekend against rival Mississippi State. Short became the third Rebel to earn a weekly award from the conference office this season. Scott Weathersby was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week, April 13, and Will Golsan collected SEC Freshman of the Week honors, March 23. Short finished all three games on the mound this weekend for Ole Miss, helping the Rebels capture a season sweep over the Bulldogs for the first time since 2010. The southpaw earned saves in the first two contests before claiming the win in the series finale. He pitched one scoreless inning in each game without allowing a hit, retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced throughout the weekend and striking out four of them. This season, Short leads Ole Miss relievers with four wins and nine saves. Seven of his nine saves have been in SEC play, which sits atop the conference ranks. Along with an ERA of 1.56, Short has struck out 39 hitters over 34.2 innings. He has not allowed a run to score in 17 of his 20 appearances. Opponents are hitting just .214 against the sophomore in 2015.
WEATHERSBY ANNOUNCED AS FERRISS TROPHY FINALIST
Senior Scott Weathersby was named a finalist for the C Spire Ferriss Trophy, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum announced Monday, May 11. Weathersby is one of five finalists up for the award, named for Mississippi baseball legend Boo Ferriss, which will be presented to the most outstanding baseball player in the state of Mississippi at a luncheon on May 18. Weathersby has been electric on the mound throughout his final season as a Rebel. The Hattiesberg, Miss. native has compiled a 4-1 record with three saves and a 2.39 ERA. In 49.0 innings, the senior right-hander has 48 strikeouts compared to just 12 walks, while holding opponents to a .208 average at the plate. After making 47 appearances out of the bullpen to start his career, Weathersby was recently added to the weekend rotation. He won his first two starts with wins over Mississippi State and Missouri. In the Governor's Cup, his first career start, he pitched a career-high seven scoreless innings and allowed just six hits, while striking out three. For his performance, he was named the Governor Cup's Most Valuable Player. Weathersby is looking to become the sixth Diamond Rebel to win the Ferriss Trophy. Last season, Ole Miss outfielder Auston Bousfield took home the honor, joining previous Rebels Stephen Head (2004), Brian Pettway (2005), Scott Bittle (2008) and Drew Pomeranz (2010) in claiming the award.
A COMEBACK FOR THE AGES
Trailing by five runs with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Ole Miss baseball team rallied to tie the game, forcing extra innings before scoring the game-winning run in the 10th to cap off the comeback and beat rival Mississippi State, 8-7, Saturday evening, May 9, at Swayze Field. Sophomore Colby Bortles delivered a two-RBI single up the middle that tied the game in the ninth, and freshman Nic Perkins hit a chopper into left field that plated pinch-runner Tate Blackman for the walk-off hit in the 10th. Blackman had the Rebels' only other walk-off in 2015, earlier this season against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, March 18. The five-run comeback was the second time this season that Ole Miss rallied after trailing by four-or-more runs entering the ninth inning. The Rebels were down four against No. 1 Vanderbilt, April 10, before Bortles' grand slam tied the game in the ninth. Ole Miss went on to win that game, 6-5, in 16 innings. The last time the Rebels scored five runs in the ninth to force extra innings was in a 10-9 victory over Vanderbilt, April 7, 2002. Ole Miss improved to 3-0 in extra-inning games in 2015 with all of them occurring in SEC play. The Rebels defeated a pair of top-ranked team in extra innings earlier this season in LSU and Vanderbilt.
HOW SWEEP IT IS
While a sweep looked in doubt with Ole Miss trailing by five entering the bottom of the ninth, the Diamond Rebels never gave up and rallied to claim their first sweep of the season. The wild come-from-behind victory completed the Rebels' SEC series sweep over the Bulldogs, while increasing their winning streak to a season-high four games. The win also marked a season sweep for Ole Miss over Mississippi State as the Rebels claimed the Governor's Cup, April 28. The last time the Rebels won all four games over MSU in a single season came during the 2010 campaign.
SIKES LEAVES HIS MARK ON THE RIVALRY
Senior Sikes Orvis made sure to make his final series against rival Mississippi State a memorable one. The Ole Miss slugger knocked the cover off the ball all weekend long, going 7-for-12 (.583) with three home runs, two doubles, six RBI, six runs and a slugging percentage of 1.417. In the second game of the series, Orvis recorded four RBI in the Rebels' win 13-10 win over MSU, tying his season high. Capping off his career in the rivalry, the senior first baseman led Ole Miss at the plate with a career-high four hits, including a pair of solo home runs. Orvis started the five-run ninth-inning comeback, leading off with a base hit, his fourth of the game. The pair of homers gave Orvis his third multi-home run game of his career as well as his second in the past four games. The two-homer day brought Orvis' total to 14 on the season, 32 for his career, and five over the last four games.
PERKINS PRODUCES IN DH ROLE
Since taking advantage of his opportunities while playing in his home state of Missouri, freshman Nic Perkins has settled into his new role as the team's starting designated hitter. Playing in front of friends and family, the St. Charles, Missouri native went a combined 4-for-6 seeing action in two games. After going 2-for-2 off the bench on Saturday, Perkins got his first career start as a Rebel and recorded a pair of hits to solidify his starting spot. Since his appearance off the bench, Perkins has recorded a hit in each game, going 8-for-18 and increasing his hitting streak to five games. He smacked the first extra-base hit of his career, a two-run double, to help Ole Miss defeat MSU, 13-10 on Saturday. Then, in the 10th inning of the series finale, Perkins drove in the game-winning run, capping off the Rebels' thrilling five-run comeback for the walk-off victory.
CLOSING OUT GAMES
Ole Miss has been efficient in closing out games this season. While the Rebels have four come-from-behind wins despite trailing after the eighth inning, they are a perfect 22-0 when holding their own lead through eight innings. A credit to Ole Miss capping off victories is the back end of the bullpen. The quartet of Wyatt Short, Will Stokes, Jacob Waguespack and Scott Weathersby has combined for 16 saves this season. Short leads the way as the team's primary closer with nine saves, but Stokes and Weathersby each have three as well. Waguespack earned his first career save against No. 1 Vanderbilt. Along with the impressive record after eight innings of play, the Rebels are 10-3 in one-run games.
CLOYD LEADING OFF
Junior Connor Cloyd has provided Ole Miss the production it needs from the leadoff spot as of late. Leading off as either the team's left fielder or designated hitter depending on the day, Cloyd has seen his average rocket to .400. The Tacoma, Wash. native has recorded at least two hits in eight of the last 12 games, going 23-for-49 (.469). Against Central Arkansas, Cloyd tallied a career-high four hits to go along with three runs and three RBI. He followed that offensive performance with a three-hit game versus Memphis. Cloyd smacked a pair of hits in all three games against Alabama to help Ole Miss claim the conference series. Cloyd continued his hot hitting in the Governor's Cup, going 3-for-6 with a career-high four RBI in the Rebels' win over Mississippi State before adding another three-hit game to help lead Ole Miss to a 4-3 victory over No. 14 Missouri.
ESPN ADDS REBS TO MAY 14 SCHEDULE
The Southeastern Conference announced April 29, that ESPN has chosen the May 14 baseball game between Ole Miss and Texas A&M to air on national television. The series opener between the Rebels and Aggies will be broadcast live on ESPNU with first pitch still set for its original time, 6:30 p.m. CT, at Swayze Field. The three-game set against Texas A&M is the final regular-season series for the Rebels. Ole Miss baseball on ESPNU will mark the 12th time this season the Rebels are slated to appear on national television. The Diamond Rebels have played eight of those contests thus far, sporting a record of 4-4 that includes victories over then-No. 1 LSU and then-No. 1 Vanderbilt. Ole Miss will host rival Mississippi State at Swayze Field, May 7-9, with all three games set for broadcast on SEC Network.
SEC TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
With one week remaining in the regular season, the 2015 SEC Baseball Tournament is on the horizon. For the 18th straight year, the tournament will return to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover Ala., May 19-24. The top 12 teams will qualify for the tournament with the top four seeds earning byes to the double-elimination format. Seeds 5 through 12 will square off on May 19 with the losers of the four games going home and the winners advancing to double-elimination play. If the season ended today, Ole Miss would head to the tournament as the No. 7 seed and face No. 10 seed South Carolina in a single elimination contest.
SOPHOMORE MAINSTAYS
Only two Rebels have started all 52 games this season, and they both happen to be sophomores. Errol Robinson has started every game as the Rebels' shortstop, while J.B. Woodman has been penciled in the Ole Miss outfield, splitting time between center field and right field. Robinson and Woodman have made phenomenal plays with their gloves, but the duo also produces at the plate. Robinson has 52 hits, second on the team, while Woodman is third with 50; Woodman has scored a team-high 37 times, while Robinson's 27 runs are fourth on the Ole Miss ball club.
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 2.39 ERA in 16 appearances, including the first three starts of his career. Through 49.0 innings of work, he has struck out 48 batters, while only walking 12. Perhaps the most impressive statistic of all by the Hattiesburg, Miss. native is that he is holding opposing hitters to just a .208 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 in a six-inning relief appearance. 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 performance earned the senior SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors, and he built off the accolade in his next appearance, earning the win at Auburn, before tossing 1.2 scoreless innings to collect a save versus Alabama. Weathersby continued his dominance as he got the start against rival Mississippi State in the Governor's Cup. The senior tossed a career-high seven innings without allowing a run, earning MVP honors and leading Ole Miss to an 11-1 victory. After the Governor's Cup win, Weathersby started in the series finale at No. 14 Missouri and picked up the win.
SHORT'S STUFF
Sophomore southpaw Wyatt Short has been a shutdown reliever out of the Ole Miss bullpen this season. In 20 appearances, Short has a 4-1 record, nine saves, an impressive 1.56 ERA, 39 strikeouts, only 12 walks and just six earned runs over 34.2 innings. His win total and number of saves are team highs out of Rebel relievers as he had held opposing hitters to a .214 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. He also pitched the final 2.2 innings to earn the save in game one of a doubleheader at Auburn. At one point this season, March 1 through April 18, Short surrendered just one run over 21.2 innings spanning 12 appearances. During the Rebels' four-game winning streak, Short has factored into every game by earning three saves and picking up a victory.
THE GAUNTLET
The Rebels have gone through the gauntlet in 2015 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 toughest schedule to this point as the Rebels' opponents are a combined 580-401-1 (.591) this season. Through 52 games, 17 of those contests came against top-15 teams, including nine against No. 1 teams. The Rebels are 8-9 in games against ranked teams. 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 down the final stretch of the 2015 campaign.
ON THE HORIZON
Following the final midweek game of the 2015 regular season, the Rebels return to Swayze Field to host one of the nation's top-ranked teams in Texas A&M in the last SEC weekend series of 2015. The Diamond Rebels and Aggies will open up the three-game set on Thursday night, May 14, at 6:30 p.m. CT on ESPNU. Game two of the series is set for May 15 with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch, while the series concludes on Saturday, May 16, at 1:30 p.m.
