Baseball Hosts Arkansas-Pine Bluff for Two Midweek Games

			#15 OLE MISS (14-6, 2-1 SEC) vs. ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF (2-16, 1-8 SWAC) March 19-20 Oxford, Miss. Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field (11,477)
Ole Miss Notes • UAPB Notes • SEC Notes

Tuesday, March 19 6:30 p.m.	Wednesday, Mar. 20 4 p.m.
PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: LHP Jordan Fowler 0-0, 8.31 ERA, 7 K, 6 BB UAPB: RHP Daniel Walsh 0-1, 11.91 ERA, 8 K, 8 BB	PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: LHP Zack Phillips 1-1, 4.79 ERA, 18 K, 12 BB UAPB: TBA
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LEADING OFF
• Ole Miss enters the midweek after capturing a series win over Alabama on the first weekend of SEC play. The Rebels improved to 4-0 on SEC Opening Weekend series in the last four seasons.
• The Rebels are 8-0 all-time against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, including a 10-3 win over the Golden Lions last May.
• Last year vs. UAPB, Grae Kessinger went 4-for-4 with three runs scored. Thomas Dillard was 1-for-2 with two runs scored. Anthony Servideo went 1-for-4 and hit his first career home run in the win.
• In that meeting, Jordan Fowler, Connor Green, Austin Miller, Dallas Woolfolk and Greer Holston combined to hold UAPB to three runs on eight hits with 11 strikeouts and five walks.
• Ole Miss and UAPB added a second game to the schedule this week. Originally set for just one game on Tuesday, a Wednesday meeting was added because Ole Miss was rained out of its third game against Wright State in February.
• Former Rebel pitcher and current country music star Brett Young will be at Swayze Field Tuesday and Wednesday to film a music video for his song "Catch." Filming will take place before and during both games.
• Ole Miss has scored 3 or more runs in an inning 22 times this season. The Rebels have had 9 three-run innings, 5 four-run innings, 6 five-run innings, a seven-run inning and a nine-run inning.
• The Rebels are No. 15 in the nation in runs scored.
• Sophomore third baseman Tyler Keenan is No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in the SEC with 31 RBI on the season.
• Senior center fielder Ryan Olenek is hitting over .400 on the season and leads the SEC with 31 hits.
• Head coach Mike Bianco is 11 wins away from tying for fourth all-time on the SEC Coaching Wins chart. With 14 wins, he'll move into a tie for third all-time.
• With 23 home runs on the season, Ole Miss ranks 16th nationally and third in the SEC.

SEE YOU AT SWAYZE

In 2018, Ole Miss was No. 2 in the nation in both total and average attendance for the fourth consecutive season. Swayze Field attracted 8,965 fans per game and a total of 322,742 fans over 36 games.

The season included five of the top 10 most-attended games in program history, including the single-game attendance record of 12,152 in the series-deciding game against LSU on April 28, 2018, which Ole Miss won, 9-8. Rebel Nation also set the single-game postseason attendance record in the opening game of the NCAA Oxford Regional as Ole Miss topped Saint Louis, 9-2.

Going into 2019, Ole Miss broke its program record for season ticket sales. The previous program-high was 6,275 for the 2017 season. At the start of the 2019 campaign, the season ticket sales figure eclipsed 7,000 for the first time in history. The Rebels were second in the nation in opening-day attendance in 2019 (8,832), behind only LSU.

This season is the 30th anniversary of Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field, which opened February 19, 1989. Prior to the construction of the current facility, the Rebels played at Old Swayze Field, which stood where The Pavilion at Ole Miss currently stands.

MENTIONABLE HONORS

Ole Miss earned four preseason All-SEC honors, the most in Rebel baseball history and tied for the most in the conference this season. Six of the Rebels' starting nine offensive players carry either 2019 preseason or 2018 postseason honors into the start of the season.

Preseason All-American
Parker Caracci - 1st Team (Perfect Game); 2nd Team (D1Baseball, NCBWA, Collegiate Baseball); 3rd Team (Baseball America)
Thomas Dillard - 2nd Team (D1Baseball)
Ryan Olenek - 3rd Team (Collegiate Baseball)

Preseason All-SEC
1B Cole Zabowski - First Team
RHP Parker Caracci - Second Team
IF/OF/DH Chase Cockrell - Second Team
3B Tyler Keenan - Second Team

2019 Weekly Honors
Thomas Dillard - SEC Player of the Week (Week 2), Golden Spikes Award Performance of the Week (Week 2), NCBWA National Hitter of the Week (Week 2), Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Week 2)
Ryan Olenek - Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week (Week 3)

OLE MISS VS. UAPB

Ole Miss will meet UAPB for the ninth and 10th times. The Rebels hold the all-time series lead at 8-0. Last year, the Rebels jumped on the Golden Lions with six runs in the first two innings to cruise to a 10-3 win.

CATCH BRETT YOUNG AT SWAYZE

During the Arkansas-Pine Bluff series, former Rebel pitcher and current country music star Brett Young will be filming a music video for his song "Catch."

Young pitched for the Rebels during the 2000 season, totaling 48.1 innings pitched with 40 strikeouts and 14 walks. He had a 6.70 ERA for the season with a 2-2 record and two saves. He made five starts, one at Southern Miss and the rest in SEC play against Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Auburn and Mississippi State. Young earned his first career win on March 25 against the Commodores, going 6.0 innings with three runs allowed in a 7-5 victory.

STARTING OFF

Ole Miss must replace its entire weekend starting rotation as Ryan Rolison (1st Round), Brady Feigl (5th Round) and James McArthur (12th Round) were all selected in the 2018 MLB Draft.

GOOD WILL PITCHING

Will Ethridge earned the Friday night role after posting the team's best ERA over the offseason. The junior out of Lilburn, Georgia, posted a minuscule 0.60 ERA in the fall with 18 strikeouts compared to four walks (4.50 K/BB). He kept it going in the spring, holding opposing hitters to two runs over 11 innings for a 1.67 ERA.

Ethridge missed his second start of the season at Tulane with a blister, but aside from that hiccup, he has been every bit of the Friday night ace the Rebels hoped for. His 0.46 ERA would rank second in the SEC and eighth in the nation, but he is 0.1 innings shy of the NCAA ranking minimum of 1.0 IP/game.

TO THE LEFTY

It was a hot competition for the No. 2 and 3 weekend starter roles behind Ethridge, and junior college transfer Zack Phillips seized the Saturday night spot. Phillips, a lefty out of Texarkana, Arkansas, was strong in the fall, striking out 16 over 12.2 innings, but he came back even better after the winter break. The Grayson CC transfer allowed just two runs in 10 innings of work this spring for a 2.20 ERA. He silenced the powerful Rebel lineup, throwing five scoreless innings in his final intrasquad outing of the spring.

Phillips has improved with every outing at the D1 level, the latest a career-high 7.0 innings with just one earned run allowed as he earned his first career win against UAB. He struck out a career-high seven, walking just one and scattering six hits.

FAB FRESHMAN

The final starting role was taken by highly touted freshman Gunnar Hoglund. Hoglund was drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates but elected to come to Oxford. The rookie out of Hudson, Florida, has lived up to his billing thus far. His fall ERA was second only to Ethridge at 1.23 over 14.2 innings of work. He was outstanding in the spring as well, posting a 6.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio, going 8.2 innings without issuing a free pass. Before his final start of the spring, he allowed just two earned runs.

CLOSING TIME

Parker Caracci had a breakout 2018 season that ended in All-America honors and a selection in the 37th round of the MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. However, Caracci elected to return for his redshirt-junior campaign, and he has worked his way back to top form going into the season. Caracci pitched for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team over the summer, posting a perfect 0.00 ERA with two saves and an opposing batting average of .094 in 9.2 innings of work. Heading into the season, Caracci is a first-team All-American according to Perfect Game, in addition to four other All-America nods. He's also All-SEC Second Team and is on the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Watch List.

GREEN IS BACK

Senior Connor Green has emerged as a linchpin in the Rebel bullpen in 2019. Green posted a 2.73 ERA in 20 appearnces as a freshman but saw his role diminished the two following seasons, including a switch to a submarine delivery as junior. Now, he's back over the top and better than ever. Green picked up his first two career wins in back-to-back games—Sunday at Tulane and Tuesday against UT Martin.

Green was outstanding once again against Long Beach State. He went 2.0 innings without allowing a baserunner, striking out two to bridge the gap in the Rebels' 7-6 win. He had another strong outing against ECU, throwing one inning and allowing just one hit, striking out two.

MILLER TIME

Junior Austin Miller has been outstanding out of the bullpen for Ole Miss in 2019. He is 10th in SEC in ERA (1.06), T7th in SEC with 2 ER allowed and is fourth on team with 17 strikeouts on the season.

LAST YEAR VS. UAPB

Jordan Fowler, Connor Green, Austin Miller, Dallas Woolfolk and Greer Holston combined to hold UAPB to three runs on eight hits with 11 strikeouts and five walks. The four bullpen arms combined to go 4.2 innings with no runs allowed on five hits. Fowler earned the win, the fifth of his career.

SWAYZE SHOWER SEASON

With 23 home runs on the season, Ole Miss ranks 16th nationally and third in the SEC. The Rebels are averaging 1.15 home runs per game, good for 18th in the nation and second in the conference.

SEC LEADERS

Ole Miss has a trio of players who are all over the top of the SEC hitting charts. Ole Miss has the SEC leader in hits (Olenek) and RBI (Keenan). Meanwhile, Dillard sits one off the home run lead in second place with seven.

CROOKED NUMBERS

Ole Miss has scored 3 or more runs in an inning 22 times this season. The Rebels have had 9 three-run innings, 5 four-run innings, 6 five-run innings, a seven-run inning and a nine-run inning.

DOUBLE DIGITS

Ole Miss scored in double figures eight times this season, including a season-high of 15 twice against Arkansas State and UAB. The Rebels have reached double figures in hits 10 times, including a season high of 19 against A-State.

DILLY DILLY!

Thomas Dillard's incredible start to the 2019 season has drawn some major national recognition. He ranks in the top 30 nationally in home runs (8th), slugging percentage (26th), total bases (14th), runs scored (25th) and walks (27th).

Week 2 Honors
• SEC Player of the Week
• Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week
• NCBWA National Hitter of the Week
• Golden Spikes Award Performance of the Week

OLEY ON FIRE

Ryan Olenek picked up where he left off after hitting .350 and earning All-SEC First Team honors in 2018. In addition to being named a Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball, in Week 3 of 2019, Olenek was named a National Player of the Week by the Publication.

The senior out of Winter Park, Florida, is the SEC leader in hits with 31, good for 21st in the nation. He's also fourth in the conference and 29th in the country with 23 runs scored. He and Tyler Keenan are tied for the SEC lead, each hit by seven pitches.

OK, TK

Tyler Keenan had a tremendous rookie campaign, earning Freshman All-American honors, as well as an All-SEC Second Team nod going into 2019—and he has shown no signs of a sophomore slump.

Keenan is No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in the SEC in RBI with 31 on the year. He's also in the top 50 in the nation in sacrifice flies (28th), hit by pitch (40th) and home runs (46th).

Z-BO HEATING UP

In his last eight games, junior first baseman Cole Zabowski is slashing .364/.462/.576 with 12 hits, nine runs scored, a double, two home runs and nine RBI.

CATCHER U

Junior Cooper Johnson is off to an excellent start to 2019 and is poised to be the next in a line of prolific catchers to play for head coach Mike Bianco. Johnson is hitting just over .300 with five doubles, 11 runs scored, two home runs and 10 RBI. He also has just one passed ball through 10 games and has erased six would-be base stealers.

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Players Mentioned

Parker Caracci

Chase Cockrell

Thomas Dillard

Will Ethridge

Brady Feigl

Jordan Fowler

Connor Green

Gunnar Hoglund

Greer Holston

Cooper Johnson

Tyler Keenan

Grae Kessinger

James McArthur

Austin Miller

Ryan Olenek

Zack Phillips

Ryan Rolison

Anthony Servideo

Dallas Woolfolk

Cole Zabowski

The University of Mississippi Athletics