The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Alabama
No. 6 Baseball Welcomes Alabama for Weekend Series
4/7/2022 | Baseball
Rebels and Crimson Tide to Renew Longtime Rivalry
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#6 OLE MISS (19-9, 4-5 SEC) vs. ALABAMA (18-12, 4-5 SEC) April 8-10 Oxford, Miss. Swayze Field (11,477) |
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| Ole Miss Notes • Alabama Notes • SEC Notes | ||||||||
| Friday, April 8 6:30 p.m. CT  |
Saturday, April 9 2 p.m. CT |
Sunday, April 10 2 p.m. CT  |
| PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: LHP Hunter Elliott 1-2, 2.74 ERA, 33 K, 12 BB Alabama: RHP Garrett McMillan 2-2, 3.05 ERA, 30 K, 5 BB |
PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: TBA Alabama: RHP Jacob McNairy 4-0, 4.30 ERA, 24 K, 9 BB |
PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: TBA Alabama: LHP Grayson Hitt 2-0, 2.454 ERA, 31 K, 13 BB |
| Watch • Listen • Live Stats | Watch • Listen • Live Stats | Watch • Listen • Live Stats |
LEADING OFF
• Ole Miss resumes SEC play with a weekend series against Alabama.
• Ole Miss has won six of the last seven and 10 of the last 12 meetings between the two schools.
• The Rebels have not lost a series to the Crimson Tide since 2016.
• In last season's series in Tuscaloosa, Ole Miss swept the No. 23 ranked Crimson Tide.
• At 367 meetings all-time, Alabama is Ole Miss' second most common opponent ever behind only Mississippi State.
• Tim Elko leads Ole Miss with a .333 batting average in conference play. Four of Elko's 11 home runs and 13 of the slugger's 37 RBI's have come against conference opposition.
• Ole Miss is coming off of a 10-7 defeat to Southern Miss on Tuesday at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi.
• Prior to Tuesday's game, Ole Miss picked up a series win at Kentucky, earning a tight win on Friday before blowing out the Wildcats 10-1 on Sunday.
• With the series victory in Lexington, Ole Miss has won the first two SEC road series of the season for the first time since 2010.
• Dylan DeLucia earned the win in Friday's game with one unearned run allowed in 6.1 innings in his first career start, the longest outing by an Ole Miss starter since John Gaddis' 7.0 at UCF on March 5.
• Via the most recent available data, Ole Miss ranks fourth in the nation in both total attendance (157,762) and average attendance (9,860).
• Ole Miss continues to be ranked in the top-10 in the majority of the nation polls, ranking as high as No. 6 by the NCBWA and as low as 14 by Collegiate Baseball.
UPDATING THE POLLS
Ole Miss remains in the top-10 in the majority of the national polls, ranking as high as No. 6 in the NCBWA Poll and as low as No. 14 in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Poll.
#ROADREBS
After taking 2-of-3 games on opening weekend on The Plains at Auburn, Ole Miss won Friday and Sunday's games at Kentucky to secure the series over the Wildcats. It is the first time since 2010 that Ole Miss has won the first two SEC road series of the season.
STARTING STRONG
All making their first weekend starts of the season, Dylan DeLucia, Hunter Elliott and Jack Washburn combined to allow just four total runs, one earned, over 15.2 innings in the series at Kentucky. DeLucia's 6.1 frames on Friday were the most by a Rebel starter since John Gaddis' 7.0 at UCF on March 5.
REBS DIG THE LONG BALL
Tim Elko, Jacob Gonzalez and TJ McCants all went yard in Ole Miss' 10-1 win at Kentucky on Sunday. It was the 13th game of the season in which Ole Miss has recorded multiple home runs. In those games the Rebels own an 11-2 record.
#PACKSWAYZE
Ole Miss ranks fourth in the nation in both total and average attendance this season. In the 16 home games available in the most recent data, 157,762 total fans have packed the stands at Swayze Field, good for an average of 9,860 per game.
SAC DADDIES
Peyton Chatagnier ranks second in the nation in sacrifice flies, pacing the SEC with six. Three of Chatagnier's sacrifices came in the same game as the junior plated Reagan Burford three times in the Friday night win over VCU. Meanwhile, Burford ranks seventh in the country and third in the SEC with five sacrifice flies, while TJ McCants ranks 13th in the SEC and 72nd in the nation with three of his own. Overall, Ole Miss' 20 sac flies are the sixth most in college baseball, leading the SEC.
#MLBREBS
Ole Miss have three former players on opening day MLB rosters in Lance Lynn (Chicago White Sox), Mike Mayers (Los Angeles Angels) and Drew Pomeranz (San Diego Padres).
CAP'N CRUSH
Tim Elko has slugged 11 home runs this season, ranking second in the SEC and 16th in the nation. The Rebel captain is closing in on the top-10 in career homers at Ole Miss at 33, one behind Sikes Orvis' 34 dingers.
HIGH OCTANE OFFENSE
Ole Miss has scored 244 runs this season, ranking 16th in the nation and third in the SEC. The Rebels' 8.7 runs per game is also the third highest average in the conference and 17th highest average in college baseball. Ole Miss has posted double-digit runs in 14-of-28 games, scoring 15 or more runs five times.
AIN'T IT GRAND?
Kevin Graham and Tim Elko each hammered a grand slam in the 11-1 Wednesday night win over ULM, with Graham going yard in the fifth and Elko following up with a towering shot to dead center in the sixth. It marked the first game with multiple grand slams in a game for Ole Miss since 1998 against the Memphis Tigers. One of the two players to hit a grand slam that day? Current Ole Miss assistant coach Carl Lafferty
Elko also pummeled a grand slam in Ole Miss' 16-2 win over Oral Roberts, giving the Rebel captain five in his career, all in the last two seasons.
WE LOVE FREE BASES
Ole Miss has shown patience at the plate and has made it pay off. The Rebels have received 171 free passes via walks and HBPs, with 86 of those runners coming around to score.
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.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Ole Miss is one of five programs to host 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 hosting bids since 2014, being joined by Florida State, Florida, LSU, Louisville, TCU, Vanderbilt and Texas Tech.
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 gawdy 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%
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
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 come from schools within the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference.
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.
STARS AND STRIPES
Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco has been tapped as the manager for the 2022 USA Collegiate National Team for this upcoming summer, marking the Rebel skipper's managerial debut for the Red, White and Blue. It will be the second time donning a Team USA uniform for Bianco, who served as the pitching coach for the Collegiate National Team in 2013. Under Bianco's guidance, the USA posted a 1.87 ERA, a 20-3 record and 222 strikeouts. The remaining 2022 Collegiate National Team staff, as well as more information about the 2022 Collegiate National Team schedule, will be announced at a later date.
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.
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
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
HELLO FROM THE OTHER SIDE
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.
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
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
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
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.
