The University of Mississippi Athletics
Wednesday, May 1
Hattiesburg, Miss.
6 PM
Ole Miss
at
Southern Miss
Four-Game Road Trip Begins with In-State Rivalry in Hattiesburg
5/1/2019 | Baseball
Ole Miss Baseball Set for 6 p.m. Meeting Wednesday at Southern Miss
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#13 OLE MISS (30-15, 13-8 SEC) vs. SOUTHERN MISS (29-13, 17-4 C-USA) May 1, 2019 Hattiesburg, Mississippi Pete Taylor Park (4,300) |
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| Ole Miss Notes • Southern Miss Notes • SEC Notes | ||||||||
| Wednesday, May 1 |
| PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: LHP Zack Phillips 4-2, 4.43 ERA, 40 K, 17 BB Southern Miss: RHP Jarod Wright 0-2, 6.05 ERA, 17 K, 14 BB |
| Watch • Listen • Live Stats |
LEADING OFF
• Ole Miss enters the week coming off a series sweep of Texas A&M. The Rebels tallied two walk-off wins to bookend the series around a 13-3 blowout in Game 2.
• In the sweep, head coach Mike Bianco moved into sole possession of third place on the all-time SEC coaching wins chart, passing South Carolina's Ray Tanner.
• In the two walk-offs, Thomas Dillard drove home the game-winning run Thursday and scored the game-winning run Saturday. He has either scored or driven in the deciding run in the Rebels' last five walk-offs, dating back to 2018.
• The Rebels have scored 339 runs this season, good for 4th in the SEC and 17th in the country. They're also averaging 7.6 runs per game, the fourth-most in the conference and 19th in the country.
• Ole Miss is third in the SEC and No. 21 in the country with a .400 team on-base percentage. The Rebels have drawn 240 walks on the season, good for 17th in the nation and third in the conference.
• The Ole Miss pitching staff is No. 11 in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 2.95.
• Ole Miss is third in the SEC in ERA, strikeouts and opposing batting average during conference play.
• The Rebels have allowed the fewest stolen bases in SEC play (8) while they have stolen the most (28) as a team.
• Junior catcher Cooper Johnson has thrown out 15 would-be base stealers this season, the most in the SEC.
• Junior shortstop Grae Kessinger has reached base successfully in the last 33 straight games. In SEC play, Kessinger leads the conference in batting avg., slugging pct., hits and total bases. He's second in on-base pct. and runs scored. Grae is slashing .460/.520/.667 in SEC games with 24 runs scored, 22 RBI and 12 extra-base hits (9 2B, 3 HR).
• Kessinger (.667) and junior first baseman Cole Zabowski (.642) are No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the SEC in slugging pct. during conference play.
BIANCO CLIMBING RECORD BOOKS
CLOSE DEFEATS
Of the Rebels' 15 losses, 14 have come by four runs or fewer, and 12 have come by three runs or fewer.KEEPING IT CLEAN
Ole Miss is 15-4 on the season when it doesn't make an error.AHEAD OF THE GAME
Ole Miss is 18-6 on the season when it scores the game's first run. The Rebels are 14-5 when they score in the first inning.UNDER THE LIGHTS
Ole Miss is 13-4 in night games this season.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. Full awards list on page 10.2019 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)
Doug Nikhazy - SEC Freshman of the Week (Week 8, Week 11)
REBELS VS. GOLDEN EAGLES
Ole Miss and Southern Miss have met 127 times, with Ole Miss holding the all-time series lead at 77-50, including wins in each of the last five meetings. The Rebels extended that streak to five earlier this season, scoring 10 unanswered runs in the final three innings of an 11-2 win at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss.Southern Miss got out to an early 2-1 lead and held that advantage until the Rebels came through with a five-run sixth inning. Three straight walks, followed by a fielder's choice, an error, an RBI double by Knox Loposer and an RBI single by Chase Cockrell broke the game open. Tyler Keenan drove Grae Kessinger home for another run in the seventh, and the Rebels tacked on four more for good measure in the eighth.
The Rebels and Golden Eagles met twice last season, once in Oxford, where the Rebels won, 7-6, and once at Trustmark Park, 11-3.
STARTING OFF
SEC STRONG
Ole Miss is No. 3 in the SEC in ERA, strikeouts and opposing batting average during conference play.FILLING UP THE ZONE
Ole Miss is No. 11 in the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 2.95.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 turned in the best start of his career Friday night against Kentucky, going 7.0 scoreless innings with just three hits allowed, no walks and 11 strikeouts in the Rebels' 8-2 victory.
NIKHAZY CRAZIES
Freshman lefty Doug Nikhazy has moved into the Saturday night role and has been electric. He didn't disappoint in his first weekend start and first SEC start at Missouri. Nikhazy took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and exited after 7.2, having allowed no runs on two hits. Parker Caracci closed out the win, and the two combined a two-hit shutout. Nikhazy became the first Rebel freshman to start a shutout in SEC play since Drew Pomeranz on April 5, 2008, against Vanderbilt.The lefty out of Windermere, Florida, was named SEC Freshman of the Week after shutting down Florida, going 6.0 innings with just one run allowed and six strikeouts. He turned in another terrific performance last week against Texas A&M, striking out a career-high 10 in 7.0 innings with no walks, four hits and just one earned run allowed to once again earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors. The 10 strikeouts came as the most by a Rebel freshman since Will Ethridge fanned 10 in his collegiate debut.
Nikhazy is the only player in the conference to be named SEC Freshman of the Week twice during SEC play this season. Nikhazy's two awards and Tyler Keenan's two Freshman of the Week nods in 2018 made it back-to-back years that the Rebels have had a player bring home the honor twice during SEC play.
Prior to his SEC starting debut, Nikhazy was called upon for two tough midweek starts against ranked opponents, No. 14 ECU and No. 7 Louisville. In those starts, Nikhazy allowed three runs in each game, yielding four hits against ECU and five against Louisville, going a total of 11 innings between the two starts, striking out 12. In six relief appearances, Nikhazy has allowed only two runs over 6.1 innings.
GUNNAR ON TARGET
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.Hoglund turned in a quality start over the weekend against Texas A&M, going a career-long 6.0 innings with just two runs allowed on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts to help the Rebels sweep the Aggies.
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.After a slow start to 2019, Caracci has caught fire with the start of SEC play. Caracci went eight straight outings without allowing a run. His streak spanned 13.1 innings, in which he allowed just six hits with three walks, while striking out 19.
REBS ARE RUNNIN'
CROOKED NUMBERS
Ole Miss has scored 3 or more runs in an inning 44 times this season. The Rebels have had 18 three-run innings, 9 four-run innings, 7 five-run innings, 5 six-run innings, 2 seven-run innings, 2 eight-run innings and one nine-run inning.DOUBLE DIGITS
Ole Miss scored in double figures 16 times this season, including a season-high of 25 against UAPB. Ole Miss reached double figures in all three games of the Florida series. The Rebels have reached double figures in hits 19 times, including a season high of 21 against UAPB and 20 in Game 2 against Florida.BIG GAME GRAE
Junior Grae Kessinger has been on fire since the start of SEC play. He has hits in 24 of 29 games since league play started and has reached base in 33 straight games. His reached-base streak stands as the longest by a Rebel since Tanner Mathis reached in 41 straight in 2011, and it's the longest streak active streak in the SEC.Kessinger is No. 2 in the SEC in hits and runs scored. He ranks 30th nationally in hits and 14th in runs scored. In SEC play, the Rebel shortstop leads the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, hits, total bases and is second in on-base percentage and runs scored and third in RBI. He's slashing .460/.520/.667 in conference games with 24 runs scored, 22 RBI and 12 extra-base hits (9 doubles, 3 HR).
TK, THE RBI MACHINE
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. 13 in the nation and No. 2 in the SEC in RBI with 54 on the year. His 1.20 RBI/game average is also second in the conference and is 28th nationally. Keenan leads the Rebels and is sixth in the SEC with 11 home runs.
OLEEEEEY, OLEY, OLEY, OLEY
Ryan Olenek picked up where he left off in 2018, when the senior out of Winter Park, Florida, hit .350 and eared All-SEC First Team honors. 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.Olenek has hits in 32 of 40 games this season and is fourth in the SEC in batting average. Adding 11 doubles already this season, Oley has 52 doubles in his Rebel career, putting him in sole possession of fifth place in Rebel history. He is eight shy of the all-time record of 60, owned by Brad Henderson.
DILLY DILLY!
Thomas Dillard's incredible start to the 2019 season drew some major national recognition as the junior slugger swept the national awards in Week 2. He's one of the most feared hitters in college baseball, having drawn the ninth-most walks in the country (44), the second-most in the SEC. He is averaging one walk per game (0.98/gm). Dillard and Tyler Keenan are No. 1 and 2 in the SEC, respectively, in walks drawn in conference play.Dillard's 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
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 has just four passed balls in 37 games played and has erased 15 would-be base stealers, the most in the SEC. He has also allowed the fewest stolen bases (12) among starting catchers in the SEC. As a team, Ole Miss has allowed the fewest stolen bases in the SEC (8) in league play.Johnson was named to the Buster Posey Award Watch List (formerly known as the Johnny Bench Award), given annually to the best catcher in college baseball.
Players Mentioned
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