The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Southeast Missouri
Baseball Begins Road to Omaha Friday at Swayze Field
6/3/2021 | Baseball
No. 12 National Seed Rebels Host Southeast Missouri to Open NCAA Oxford Regional Play
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#1 OLE MISS (41-19, 18-12 SEC) vs. #4 SOUTHEAST MISSOURI (30-20, 17-10 OVC) June 4, 2021 Oxford, Miss. Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field (11,477) |
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| Ole Miss Notes • SEC Notes • SEMO Notes • USM Notes • FSU Notes | ||||||||
| Friday, June 4 7 p.m. CT  |
| PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: RHP Derek Diamond 3-4, 5.43 ERA, 76 K, 26 BB SEMO: LHP Dylan Dodd 9-1, 2.78 ERA, 113 K, 13 BB |
| Watch • Listen • Live Stats • Tournament Central |
LEADING OFF
• Ole Miss enters the NCAA Oxford Regional at 41-19 overall (18-12 SEC). The Rebels marched to the SEC Tournament semifinals with wins over Auburn, Georgia and Vanderbilt, going 3-2 in Hoover with two one-run losses to Arkansas and Vanderbilt.
• The Rebel pitching staff was outstanding in Hoover, allowing 2.6 runs and 7.0 hits per game.
• Ole Miss holds a high ranking of No. 8 (NCBWA) in this week's national rankings and earned the No. 12 national seed.
• The Rebels will host their 10th NCAA Regional, all under head coach Mike Bianco. Ole Miss is one of just five programs to host 10 or more regionals since 2004. Swayze Field is also one of just eight in college baseball to host five or more regionals since 2014.
• Doug Nikhazy was named a First Team All-American by Collegiate baseball Thursday. The junior left-hander out of Windermere, Florida, became just the fourth two-time All-American in program history, joining Stephen Head, Paul Husband and Jake Gibbs.
• Six Rebels earned SEC year-end honors, highlighted by Tim Elko's selection as the conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the first such honor in program history. Doug Nikhazy (First Team), Hayden Dunhurst (Second Team, All-Defense, All-Newcomer), Justin Bench (Second Team), Jacob Gonzalez (All-Freshman) and TJ McCants (All-Freshman) rounded out the list of SEC awards.
• Ole Miss leads the nation in attendance at 261,372 (7,260 per game). The eight largest crowds in college baseball this season have watched the Rebels play. Swayze Field has been home to seven games with 10,000-plus fans this season.
• Jacob Gonzalez leads the SEC in hits and runs scored. The last freshman to lead the conference in both categories is now-ESPN analyst Todd Walker in 1992. Dansby Swanson (2015) is the last player to lead the SEC in both, doing so in his junior season.
• Ole Miss is fifth nationally and second in the SEC with 596 hits on the season.
• Ole Miss is seventh in the nation and leads the SEC with 431 runs scored this season.
• The Ole Miss pitching staff has struck out a program-record 684 batters this season.
• The Rebel pitching staff is third nationally and third in the SEC in strikeouts per nine innings at 11.7. Ole Miss is second in the league and seventh in the country in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 3.37.
THE NCAA OXFORD REGIONAL
Ole Miss will host the NCAA Oxford Regional for the 10th time. The Rebels have earned the No. 1 seed in every Oxford Regional and have emerged as champions six of nine times. Two No. 3 seeds have made it through the regional: Tulane in 2004 and Boston College in 2016. Tennessee Tech in 2018 is the only No. 2 seed to win the Oxford Regional. Southern Miss will be the No. 2 seed for the third time in Oxford Regional history. The Golden Eagles have never won the Oxford regional. Four of the last five NCAA Oxford Regionals have featured an ACC team as the No. 3 seed with Boston College the only ACC team to win the regional in 2016. Each of the last three Ohio Valley Conference Champions have come to the Oxford Regional—Tennessee Tech in 2018, Jacksonville State in 2019 and Southeast Missouri in 2021.
POSTSEASON REBS
Ole Miss has qualified for the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament for the 24th time in program history, including the last three tournaments and 17 of 20 full seasons in the Mike Bianco era. Ole Miss will host its 10th NCAA Regional, all with Bianco at the helm. The Rebels are one of just five programs to host 10 or more regionals from 2004 to 2021. Swayze Field is also one of just eight in college baseball to host five or more regionals since 2014.
2019 OXFORD REGIONAL REWIND
Ole Miss dominated the 2019 NCAA Oxford Regional en route to a berth in the Fayetteville Super Regional, sweeping three games by a combined score of 41-7. The Rebels crushed Jacksonville State, 16-2, in their opener to earn a date with No. 3 seed Clemson. It was all Ole Miss once again as Doug Nikhazy shut down the Tigers in a 6-1 victory. The Rebels left no doubt in the finale, roaring past Jacksonville State once again, this time a 19-4 rout, to advance.
REBS VS. SEMO
Ole Miss was originally scheduled to play Southeast Missouri during the 2021 regular season on April 13 in Oxford, but COVID-19 scheduling challenges forced the game off the docket. Ole Miss and SEMO have met 18 times in their history, all in Oxford, with Ole Miss holding a 16-2 advantage in the all-time series. The Rebels won the first five meetings from 1996-99 before the Redhawks' first win in 1999. SEMO captured its second win in the series in 2001, and Ole Miss has won each of the last seven meetings, most recently a pair of 10-2 and 6-4 victories in 2016. Ole Miss is 4-1 against OVC teams this season.
REBS VS. SOUTHERN MISS
Ole Miss and Southern Miss have met 129 times between 1916 and 2020. The Rebels and Golden Eagles have met every season since 1999. It looked as though that string of 31 consecutive seasons would come to an end in 2021 as COVID-19 issues forced the annual rivalry matchup off the schedule, but USM's berth into the Oxford Regional will potentially extend the streak to 32 years. The in-state foes last met on Feb. 25, 2020, just two weeks before the campaign was cut short. The Rebels won that meeting 4-3 to improve to 78-51 in the all-time series. The squads last met in the postseason in the 2007 NCAA Oxford Regional. The Rebels won 4-0 en route to the regional crown. They did not meet in 2005 when Southern Miss was the No. 2 seed in Oxford.
REBS VS. FLORIDA STATE
Ole Miss and Florida State have met eight times with the Seminoles holding a 7-1 advantage in the all-time series. The teams first met in 1949 in Pensacola, a 7-3 victory for FSU. The Seminoles won the first six meetings in the series before Ole Miss' lone win in 1972. They last met in 1995 in the NCAA Atlantic Regional, a 13-1 victory for Florida State in the regional title game.
ARMS COME ALIVE IN HOOVER
Ole Miss made yet another deep run in SEC Tournament play at Hoover, going 3-2 over five days with just two one-run losses to No. 2 Vanderbilt and No. 1 Arkansas. The Rebels opened it up with a 7-4 win in an elimination game over Auburn and nearly went 2-0 to start play in Hoover but suffered a 5-4 walk-off defeat to Vanderbilt. Ole Miss bounced back with a shutout 4-0 win over Georgia before exacting revenge with a 4-1 win over the Commodores. In their third straight trip to the semifinals, the Rebels fell 3-2 to eventual SEC Tournament champion Arkansas to just miss out on a third straight trip to the title game. Pitching was the story of the weekend as the Rebels posted a team ERA of 2.64 over five games. All five Rebel starters—Doug Nikhazy, Derek Diamond, Drew McDaniel, Tyler Myers and Cody Adcock—allowed two runs or fewer in their outings. McDaniel and Myers each set career-highs in innings pitched and strikeouts to lead the Rebels to victory. Jacob Gonzalez led the way at the plate in his first SEC Tournament, hitting .421 with two doubles and three runs scored. Tim Elko and Kevin Graham eached homered twice at The Met.
INJURY BUG BITES
The injury bug has bit Ole Miss hard in 2021, most recently with the loss of ace right-hander Gunnar Hoglund, who is out for the season with a torn UCL. He will have surgery on Tuesday, May 18. The Rebels have also been without one of their top relief arms, Max Cioffi, who also underwent UCL surgery after making just two appearances this season. Ole Miss' team captain and top hitter Tim Elko missed 33 days with a torn ACL but has since returned in a pinch-hitting capacity and slid into the designated hitter role last weekend at Georgia. Outfielder and two-sport star Jerrion Ealy is out for the season after undergoing shoulder surgery before the start of the 2021 campaign. Other notable injuries include co-ace Doug Nikhazy, starting second baseman Peyton Chatagnier and starting first baseman Cael Baker, who have all since returned to the lineup.
CLOSE CONTESTS
Thirteen of the Rebels' 19 losses have come by four runs or fewer, including seven one-run losses.
KEEP IT CLEAN
Ole Miss is 33-12 this season when making one error or fewer.
SEC HONORS
Ole Miss brought home a total of eight SEC honors from six different players, highlighted by Tim Elko's selection as the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the first in program history. Doug Nikhazy was named to the All-SEC First Team, while Justin Bench and Hayden Dunhurst were each named to the second team. Dunhurst also earned All-Defense and All-Newcomer honors. Jacob Gonzalez and TJ McCants were both named to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
RESUME VS. RANKED FOES
Ole Miss is 15-9 on the season against ranked opponents, including 11-6 against teams then-ranked in the top 10. The Rebels are are 6-7 against teams ranked in the top three. Eight of the Rebels' nine ranked losses have come by four runs or fewer, including three one-run losses. Ole Miss is No. 12 in the RPI and has played the nation's eighth-toughest schedule. The Rebels are 19-11 against quadrant one opponents, the second-most Q1 wins in the country.
MAIN ATTRACTION
Ole Miss leads the nation in attendance at 261,372 (7,260 per game) and holds 10 out of college baseball's top 17 most-attended on-campus games this season, including seven games with 10,000-plus fans.
ROAD REBS
Ole Miss is 14-10 away from home this season, including 6-2 in neutral territory and two SEC road series victories at Alabama and Georgia.
UNSWEEPABLE
The Rebels were one of five SEC teams to not get swept in the 2021 regular season (Arkansas, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Georgia). The last time Ole Miss entered the postseason without a losing sweep was 2018, when they were selected as a top-eight national seed and crowned SEC Western Division Champions before winning the SEC Tournament in Hoover.
DOUG DAY
On Saturday, April 17, in front of 13,338 at Dudy Noble Field on Super Bulldog Weekend, Doug Nikhazy stole the show. The left-hander out of Windermere Florida, threw a one-hit, complete-game shutout, striking out 12 and walking two, allowing just three total baserunners—none of which advanced past first base.
Ole Miss is 8-1 when Nikhazy starts in SEC play. The First Team All-SEC selection has allowed 11 earned runs (1.67 ERA) on 38 hits and 19 walks (0.97 WHIP) with 85 strikeouts (4.47 K/BB Ratio) in 59.1 innings. The junior left-hander has walked three or fewer batters and struck out seven-plus in nine of 10 starts since returning from an early-season pec injury, including six starts with nine or more strikeouts.
Nikhazy was named a First Team All-American by Collegiate Baseball on June 3, making him just the fourth player in Ole Miss baseball history to be named an All-American over multiple seasons, joining Stephen Head, Paul Husband and Jake Gibbs.
HOGLUND OUT
One week after being named SEC Pitcher of the Week, Gunnar Hoglund's season came to an abrupt end as an MRI revealed a torn UCL. Dr. James Andrews performed surgery on Tuesday, May 18. The junior out of Hudson, Florida, missed the first start of his Rebel career on April 23 due to arm stiffness but returned to throw a near-flawless six innings against South Carolina. Hoglund needed just 73 pitches to go 6.0 scorless with just one hit allowed. He walked none and struck out nine along the way. Hoglund was third in the SEC and fifth nationally with 96 strikeouts when his season came to a close. His 14 strikeouts against ULM were two shy of the program record and the most by a Rebel since Drew Pomeranz struck out 15 in 2010. The projected first round MLB Draft pick struck out seven or more in eight of his nine full starts this season.
STRIKES AT SWAYZE
Ole Miss is third in the nation and third in the SEC in strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 11.7 Ks per game. The Rebels have struck out at least 10 batters in 42 of 60 games this season, including 22 vs. SEC competition and 11 of the last 13 games. Ole Miss also ranks No. 6 nationally and second in the conference in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 3.37.
ONE-TWO PUNCH
Ole Miss has won all seven games against SEC competition in which Doug Nikhazy starts and Taylor Broadway finishes. Broadway has closed out all seven of Nikhazy's wins vs. the SEC except for the latter's complete game shutout vs. Mississippi State. In the seven SEC games that Nikhazy and Broadway appear together, the two combine for seven Rebel victories, six Nikhazy wins, six Broadway saves, 9 ER allowed in 56.2 IP (1.43 ERA) and 76 combined strikeouts (12.1 strikeouts per nine IP).
LEADERS OF THE PACK
Ole Miss is 30-6 this season when the Rebel pitching staff holds the opponent to five runs or fewer.
REBS ARE RUNNIN'
Ole Miss ranks sixth nationally and leads the SEC in runs scored with 410. The Rebels also rank in the top five in the SEC in hits, batting average, walks, hit by pitch, runs per game, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, sacrifice flies and doubles. Ole Miss has scored 8-plus 26 times this season, including 16 games in double figures.
GREATEST HITS
Ole Miss is second in the SEC and ranks fifth nationally in hits with 596. Ole Miss is second in the SEC and ranks 38th nationally in team batting average at .291 on the year, including a .289 mark in SEC play. Eight different Rebels have a batting average of .275 or higher, including five at .300 or better. Ole Miss has 32 double-figure hit games this season.
ELKO'S TRIUMPHANT RETURN
Just 33 days after he tore his ACL, Tim Elko hit a three-run home run at Texas A&M. The senior out of Lutz, Florida, sustained the injury on Apr. 5 while avoiding a diving North Alabama first baseman. The NCBWA Hitter of the Month for March made his return to action on May 1 against South Carolina, popping up to a standing ovation at Swayze Field. Four days later, Elko crushed a three-run opposite-field home run at Texas A&M. He returned to the starting lineup last weekend at Georgia and went yard again with a majestic blast to left field and added two more bombs in the SEC Tournament. Last week, Elko was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the first such honor in Ole Miss baseball history.
HELL YEAH, GRAHAM RIGHT
Kevin Graham has reached base safely in 53 consecutive games and in 58 of 60 games this season. Graham's streak is the longest-active streak in the nation, the second-longest in the country this season and tied for the SEC's longest in 2021. Graham ranks in the top five in the Southeastern Conference in hits, runs scored, home runs, RBI and total bases.
CALIFORNIA LOVE
Jacob Gonzalez leads the SEC in hits and runs scored. The last freshman to lead the SEC in both statistical categories was Todd Walker in 1992. The last person to do so was Dansby Swanson in 2015. A two-time SEC Freshman of the Week, Gonzalez was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Gonzalez is sixth in the nation in hits and 11th in runs scored. His second FOTW honor came after Gonzalez hit .571 with three home runs, including his first career multi-homer game to lead the Rebels to a series-clinching victory on Sunday against Vanderbilt.
CATCHER U
After a sensational freshman season, catcher Hayden Dunhurst has cemented himself as the next in a long line of phenomenal catchers in Oxford. Dunhurst leads the SEC with a combined 20 runners caught stealing or picked off. This week, he was named to the All-SEC Second Team, in addition to All-Newcomer and All-Defense honors.
TJ MCCANS
TJ McCants has continued to show he's one of the top freshmen in the nation, making it official last week with an SEC All-Freshman Team nod. He was third among SEC freshmen and fifth overall with a .351 batting average in conference play. The freshman out of Cantonment, Florida, was on a streak of 26 consecutive games reaching base and 11 straight games with a hit before going 0-for-4 with a sacrifice fly in the a midweek matchup against Little Rock. McCants has hits in 32 of the last 39 games, including 15 multi-hit performances.
MORE HITS, MORE WINS
Ole Miss has out-hit its opponent in 38 of 60 games this season. The Rebels are 32-6 in those games.
SWAYZE SHOWER SZN
Ole Miss has homered in 45 of 60 games this season. The Rebels are 18th in the nation and seventh in the conference with 75 home runs on the year.
EARLY TO SHINE
Ole Miss is 24-6 when it scores first this season. The Rebels are 17-6 when they score in the first inning.
