The University of Mississippi Athletics
Tuesday, May 21
Hoover, Ala.
8 PM
Ole Miss
vs
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Mississippi State
Baseball Opens SEC Tournament Play Against Mississippi State
5/20/2024 | Baseball
| Tuesday, May 21 8 p.m. CT  |
| PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: RHP Riley Maddox 3-7, 6.10 ERA, 46 K, 23 BB Mississippi State: RHP Brooks Auger 1-2, 3.78 ERA, 34 K, 16 BB |
OXFORD, Miss. – For the first time since 2022, Ole Miss (27-28, 11-19 SEC) is playing in the postseason as it enters the SEC Tournament as the No. 12 seed. The Rebels will open play in the tournament against No. 5-seeded Mississippi State Tuesday night at 8 p.m. CT.
LEADING OFF
- The Rebels went 0-4 last week, losing their final midweek to Southern Miss and getting swept in their final series against LSU, all on the road.
- Freshman Wes Mendes has allowed just one earned run over his last four outings out the bullpen. He has worked 9.1 innings and struck out 13 batters during that stretch.
- Andrew Fischer was named Second Team All-SEC at the DH/UT position on Monday.
- Fischer became just the fourth Rebel in program history to hit 20 home runs in a season last week against Southern Miss.
- Ole Miss has won four SEC series and back-to-back SEC series in a season for the first time since 2022.
- Ole Miss pitching set a new single-game program record for strikeouts against Murray State, punching out 24 Racers.
- Luke Hill is hitting .370 (27-73), with 14 runs scored, 12 RBI, nine walks over his last 19 games.
- Jackson Ross leads the SEC and is seventh in the NCAA in walks with 55. His 55 walks are the most by a Rebel in a single season since 2019.
- Ole Miss is currently No. 2 in Strength of Schedule, having played one of the hardest schedules in the country.
- The Rebels are ranked 22nd in the nation in strikeouts per nine, averaging 10.2 punchouts per game.
- Ole Miss is also 21st in the NCAA in walks drawn (299), averaging 5.44 per game.
GET US STARTED
In Ole Miss' series win over No. 2 Texas A&M, the starting pitching set the tone for the Rebels, keeping one of the best offenses in the country down. Riley Maddox, Liam Doyle, and Mason Nichols combined for 19 strikeouts and allowed just four earned runs on 13 hits over 17 innings of work. The three posted a 2.12 ERA over their three outings.
Maddox laid the ground in game one with his third quality start of the season, working six innings and allowing just two earned runs while striking out seven batters. Doyle earned the win in game two with a quality start of his own, working six innings and allowing just one earned run while also striking out seven.
Nichols worked five innings on Sunday, allowing just one earned run on three hits while striking out a career-high five batters.
CLIMBING THE HILL
Luke Hill has caught fire at the plate over the last month, hitting .370 (27-73) over his last 19 games. He has also scored 14 runs, driven in 12 and drawn nine walks during that stretch. The sophomore has six multi-hit games and has scored at least once in seven of 12 games in the month of May.
GONE FISCHING
Andrew Fischer became just the fourth Rebel in program history to hit 20 home runs in a season last Tuesday against Southern Miss. His first-inning blast gave him sole possession of third place on the single-season home run list.
Earlier this month, Fischer became the first Rebel since Logan Power in 2007 to hit a home run in four straight games. He went yard in all three games against Auburn and for a fourth time against Murray State.
Ole Miss Single-Season Home Run Record
- Tim Elko, 2022 24
- Jason Huisman, 1998 21
- Brian Pettway, 2005 21
- Andrew Fischer, 2024 20
- Kemp Alderman, 2023 19
- Michael Rosamond, 1999 18
- Stephen Head, 2005 18
- David Dellucci, 1995 17
- Cody Overbeck, 2008 17
WALKING TALL
Jackson Ross' 55 walks this season are the most free passes by a Rebel since 2019 when Thomas Dillard set the program record with 61. Ross leads the SEC and is seventh in the NCAA in walks. He is currently averaging one walk per game and has covered 4,960 feet in just walks.
Ole Miss Single-Season Walks Record
- Thomas Dillard, 2019 61
- Pat Ball, 1977 59
- Jordan Henry, 2009 56
- Jackson Ross, 2024 55
- Burney Hutchinson, 2001 53
- Jacob Gonzalez, 2022 50
- Thomas Dillard, 2018 49
1,000 WINS AND COUNTING
Ole Miss head baseball coach Mike Bianco became one of only 11 active NCAA DI coaches with 1,000 career wins on April 20, 2024 as the Rebels defeated Georgia in game two of a doubleheader in Athens. He is also now the 98th head coach in NCAA history to reach the mark.
On his road to 1,000 wins, Bianco has delivered 18 postseason appearances, including eight Super Regional berths, a pair of trips to the College World Series, and the first national championship in program history. He has racked up 906 victories at Ole Miss and holds a 1,006-613 overall record for his career. His 906 wins at Ole Miss are the most in Rebel baseball history and rank third all-time among coaches in the SEC.
DOYLE RULES
Liam Doyle has struck out seven or more batters in six of his 11 starts this season. In each of those six starts, he has issued one or less walks and worked through 4+ innings.
Doyle struck out 10 batters in each of his first two SEC starts, becoming the first Rebel since Dylan DeLucia in 2022 to post multiple double-digit strikeout games in a season. He is also the first Rebel since Doug Nikhazy in 2021 to have double-digit strikeouts in consecutive outings.
STEALING YOUR HEART
The Rebels have stolen 50 bases so far this season, surpassing their entire season total from both 2023 and 2022. Since setting a new single-season program record in 2019 (93), Ole Miss had not stolen more than 44 bases in a season.
Ethan Groff has stolen 15 bases in 2024, having not been caught yet. Luke Hill is 12-for-15 in stolen base attempts.
GETTING THEIR STEPS IN
Ole Miss is ranked 21st in the NCAA in walks with 299 free passes in 55 games. The Rebels are averaging 5.44 walks per game and are one of four teams from the SEC in the top-25 (South Carolina, Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss).
During their series against High Point, the Rebels set a new single-game program record for walks with 19 in game three.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss baseball on X 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 X at @CoachMikeBianco.
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Players Mentioned
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