The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
VCU
No. 2 Baseball Back in Action with Weekend Series Against VCU
2/24/2022 | Baseball
Rebels and Rams to Meet Up Three Times at Swayze
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#2 OLE MISS (4-0, 0-0 SEC) vs. VCU (2-2, 0-0 A-10) February 25-27 Oxford, Miss. Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field (11,477) |
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| Ole Miss Notes • SEC Notes | ||||||||
| Friday, February 25 4 p.m. CT  |
Saturday, February 26 Noon CT  |
Sunday, February 27 Noon CT |
| PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: RHP Derek Diamond 1-0, 3.60 ERA, 8 K, 2 BB VCU: LHP Jack Masloff 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 K, 1 BB |
PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: LHP John Gaddis 1-0, 2.25 ERA, 3 K, 2 BB VCU: LHP Maddison Furman 0-0, 9.00 ERA, 0 K, 1 BB |
PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: RHP Drew McDaniel 1-0, 2.45 ERA, 4 K, 2 BB VCU: LHP Campbell Ellis 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 7 K, 3 BB |
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LEADING OFF
• With four wins in their back pocket, the Rebels continue their nine-game homestand to open the season with a three-game series against VCU.
• It will be the first-ever meeting between the Rebels and Rams, making VCU the 194th unique opponent in Ole Miss baseball history.
• Ole Miss is coming off of a 15-5 midweek win over Arkansas State in a game that was shortened to five innings due to weather. Of the four games so far this season for Ole Miss, only one has last the regulation nine innings.
• Despite only playing 29 frames so far this season, Ole Miss has racked up 47 runs, good for 1.62 per inning.
• Of the 29 innings so far this season, Ole Miss has scored multiple runs in 13 of them.
• The Rebels have not trailed for more than one half inning in any game this season and have led wire-to-wire twice. Ole Miss has scored in the first inning in 3-of-4 games.
• After clobbering a pinch-hit home run to right on Wednesday, Hayden Leatherwood has needed just five at-bats to tie for the team lead with a pair of homers, matching Tim Elko and Kevin Graham.
• Ole Miss led the nation in attendance on opening day at 11,146, the second largest opening-day crowd in program history. The weekend total of 32,888 ranked second in the nation and was the third largest in program-history for a three-game series.
• The Rebels climbed in most polls, going as high as No. 2 in the NCBWA Poll and No. 3 in the D1Baseball Poll.
IN THE POLLS
The Rebels climbed in the majority of polls following opening weekend, ranging anywhere from 22 by Collegiate Baseball, all the way up to No. 2 by the NCBWA. The No. 2 ranking is Ole Miss' highest since also scaling to the second spot in Week 6 of 2021.
WHO'S NUMBER ONE?
Despite being picked to tie for second in the SEC West, Ole Miss was also projected as SEC Champions with the most first place votes in the 2022 SEC Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's head coaches. Ole Miss is seeking its first regular season conference title since 2009.
SEC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
East (Championship Votes)
1. Vanderbilt (2)
2. Florida (2)
3. Georgia
4. Tennessee
5. South Carolina
6. Kentucky
7. Missouri
West (Championship Votes)
1. Arkansas (3)
2. Ole Miss (4)
2. Mississippi State (2)
4. LSU (1)
5. Alabama
6. Texas A&M
7. Auburn
THE BOYS ARE BACK!
Ole Miss returns nearly the entirety of its potent offense from the 2021 season with eight of nine positional starters returning to the Rebel lineup, Ole Miss is poised once again to put up guady numbers on the scoreboard.
Percentage Return from 2021
• Games Started - 88.6%
• Runs - 88.5%
• Hits - 91.8%
• Doubles - 91.7%
• Triples - 100%
• Home Runs - 90.6%
• RBIs - 91.3%
• Walks - 85.1%
LUCKY NUMBER 7
Kevin Graham had himself a day in the Rebels' 15-5 win over Arkansas State. Despite the game only lasting five innings, Graham was able to rack up seven RBIs on the afternoon, coming up a triple short of the cycle. The seven runs driven in are tied for the most in a single game in college baseball this season, while the senior's 11 RBIs for the season are the fourth most in the nation.
CROOKED NUMBERS
The Rebel offense has been all over its opponents this season, scoring 47 runs in just 29 innings of play, good for an average of 1.62 runs per inning. Ole Miss has done its scoring in bunches, plating multiple runs in 13 innings this season, including eight against Charleston Southern and seven versus Arkansas State.
WE LOVE FREE BASES
Through four games, Ole Miss has shown patience at the plate and has made it pay off. The Rebels have received 32 free passes via walks and HBPs, with 19 of those runners coming around to score.
SWAYZE CRAZIES
Ole Miss led the nation in attendance in 2021 with 303,859 fans entering the gates at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field across 40 games. The Rebels' average attendance of 7,596 also ranked first in college baseball, with Ole Miss ranking as one of just three schools to average more than 4,000 fans per game. During the season, Ole Miss welcomed four of the top-10 single game crowds and two of the top-three series crowds ever seen in Oxford, setting the record in the three-game set against Arkansas.
Top-10 Single-Game Crowds
4. April 10 vs. Arkansas - 11,857
5. April 23 vs. LSU - 11,788
7. April 24 vs. LSU - 11,653
8. April 10 vs. Arkansas - 11,524
Top-3 Series Crowds
1. April 10-11 vs. Arkansas - 33,423
3. April 22-24 vs. LSU - 32,476
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
11 players have made their Ole Miss debut this season, including position players Hudson Sapp, Reagan Burford, John Kramer and Banks Tolley as well as pitchers Matt Parenteau, Hunter Elliott, John Gaddis, Riley Maddox, Dylan DeLucia, Mason Nichols and Jack Washburn.
JACKSON PREPPED
A couple of local products from nearby Jackson Preparatory School made their Rebel debuts with aplomb on opening weekend. Mason Nichols came on in relief to close out Friday's opener in the ninth, allowing one hit with a strikeout in a scoreless frame. On Saturday, fellow freshman Riley Maddox tossed the fifth and sixth against CSU, surrendering a single hit with three strikeouts on the afternoon. Another Mississippi freshman product, Hunter Elliott, also appeared in relief, with a walk the only blemish on his 1.1 innings of work.
THAT'S GOLD, JERRY
Ole Miss' Hayden Dunhurst and Jacob Gonzalez were two of 55 players named to the 2022 Golden Spikes Award Preseason watch list, announced by USA Baseball. The Rebels are one of just eight teams with multiple players on the list, joining LSU, Arizona State, Arkansas, California, Florida, Texas and Vanderbilt.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Ole Miss is one of five programs to make at least 10 NCAA Regional appearances since 2004, joining Florida State, Florida, LSU and North Carolina. The Rebels are also one of eight programs to earn at least five regional bids since 2014, being joined by Florida State, Florida, LSU, Louisville, TCU, Vanderbilt and Texas Tech.
STARS IN THE MAKING
Ole Miss has six players ranked in D1Baseball's Top 2022 MLB Draft College Prospect Rankings. All six Rebels are ranked inside the top-150, tied for the most in the top-150 in the nation. Additionally, a pair of Rebs find themself in the top-100 for the 2023 rankings.
Rebels in the Top 2022 MLB Draft Prospect Rankings
• Hayden Dunhurst - No. 27
• TJ McCants* - No. 49
• Derek Diamond - No. 63
• Jack Washburn - No. 101
• Kevin Graham - No. 124
• Drew McDaniel - No. 133
Rebels in the Top 2023 MLB Draft Prospect Rankings
• Jacob Gonzalez - No. 2
• Jack Dougherty - No. 55
* - Draft eligible sophomore
STUDS AROUND THE DIAMOND
When D1Baseball released its top-50 position power rankings this offseason, Ole Miss was well represented, landing at least one player at every single position. The Rebels' full rankings can be found below:
Rebels in the Top-50 Position Rankings
• Jacob Gonzalez - No. 2 shortstop
• Hayden Dunhurst - No. 4 catcher
• Tim Elko - No. 5 first baseman
• Peyton Chatagnier - No. 13 second baseman
• Justin Bench - No. 25 third baseman
• Kevin Graham - No. 16 outfielder
• TJ McCants - No. 32 outfielder
• Derek Diamond - No. 40 starting pitcher
• Brandon Johnson - No. 41 relief pitcher
• Jack Dougherty - No. 62 relief pitcher
• Jack Washburn - No. 75 starting pitcher
• John Gaddis - No. 76 starting pitcher
• Drew McDaniel - No. 115 starting pitcher
RESPECT FROM THEIR PEERS
Ole Miss landed a league-high five players on the Preseason All-SEC team, having a player recognized at four of five infield positions.
Ole Miss Preseason All-SEC Selections
• Jacob Gonzalez - Shortstop - First Team
• Hayden Dunhurst - Catcher - Second Team
• Tim Elko - First Base - Second Team
• Peyton Chatagnier - Second Team
• Kevin Graham - Second Team
SHOW STOPPER
Senior right-handed reliever Brandon Johnson is one of 66 players tabbed to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List. Johnson is one of nine SEC players and one of four from the SEC West named to the watch list.
YOU'RE GONZO GO FAR, KID
Bursting onto the scene last season with one of the greatest true freshmen seasons ever in a Rebel uniform, shortstop Jacob Gonzalez quickly established himself as one of the nation's elite young talents. In addition to being named D1Baseball's National Freshman of the Year, the California native joined Stephen head as the only Rebs ever to be named an All-American as a freshman, earning the honor from both D1Baseball and the NCBWA. Starting all 67 games at short, Gonzalez led all true freshmen in hits and runs scored. Poised for another big season, the sophomore has reeled in a myriad of preseason honors for 2022.
Gonzalez' Preseason Honor Round Up
• Preseason All-America (Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball, NCBWA, Perfect Game)
• First Team Preseason All-SEC
• D1Baseball No. 2 '23 College Draft Prospect
• D1Baseball No. 3 '23 College Draft SEC Prospect
• D1Baseball No. 2 ranked shortstop
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
Ole Miss has three true freshmen ranked in D1Baseball's Top-50 SEC Impact Freshmen, all on the mound.
Rebels in the Top-50 SEC Impact Freshmen
• Riley Maddox - RHP - No. 16
• Hunter Elliott - LHP - No. 38
• Mason Nichols - RHP - No. 46
PRESSURE MAKES DIAMONDS
For the first time in his Rebel career, junior righty Derek Diamond will be the opening day starter for Ole Miss on Friday. One of the top-rated draft prospects in the country, Diamond has lived up to the billing in his first start of the season the past two years, going over five innings with three or less runs allowed in both outings.
Diamond First Start Recaps
• 2020 vs. No. 1 Louisville
- 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
• 2021 vs. No. 9 Texas
- 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB. 8 SO
COME TO THE SIP
With a pair of electric arms departing for the Major League Baseball Draft in Gunnar Hoglund and Doug Nikhazy, Ole Miss utilized the transfer portal to bring in some talent on the mound in Division I transfers John Gaddis and Jack Washburn. Both bring quality experience to the Rebel roster, with Gaddis pitching four seasons at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Washburn moving to Oxford after two seasons at Oregon State.
The Gaddis File
• 2021 All-Southland Second Team
• 13 appearances with 10 starts in 2021
• Won five games with a team-low 2.25 ERA
• 72 strikeouts in 64.0 innings of work
• 7.0 or more innings in 6-of-last-7 starts
The Washburn File
• Son of former MLB star Jarrod Washburn
• 21 appearances with five starts in 2021
• 3.12 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 34.2 innings
RUN IT UP
Featuring one of the most dangerous top-to-bottom lineups in the country last season, Ole Miss stacked runs on top of each other throughout the 2021 campaign. The Rebs scored at least five runs 44 times, reaching double digits 19 times. The pitching staff made the run support pay, posting a 37-7 record in games in which at least five runs were scored, winning 18 of the 19 contests with double-digit run support.
MISSISSIPPI MADE
Of the 41 players on the Ole Miss roster, 11 hail from the state of Mississippi. The 11 local products are tied for the most for the Rebels since 2017.
JUCO PRODUCTS
Ole Miss has nine junior college products on the 2022 roster, five of which are new additions. Four of the five JUCO players comes from schools within the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference.
HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIDE
Spending the 2021 season with just two left-handed pitchers on the roster, Ole Miss has bolstered the roster with three new lefties in transfer John Gaddis and true freshmen Hunter Elliott and Luke Ellis. Relief arm Jackson Kimbrell also returns to the Rebel roster.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss baseball on Twitter at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissBaseball, on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemissbsb and on TikTok at @olemissbsb. Also, follow head coach Mike Bianco on Twitter at @CoachMikeBianco.
