Two months into the 2017 season, Ole Miss Baseball fans should have a pretty clear idea of how the team stands up against national competition. The Rebels start their looming April schedule right off the bat with the final game of their series against Mississippi State on April 1. The finale should promise plenty of excitement within the heated in-state rivalry.
After the collision with the Bulldogs, Ole Miss will travel to Pearl for a midweek contest versus Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles finished the 2016 season with a 41-20 record, and split the series with the Rebs 1-1. With even more young talent, Ole Miss will look to repeat the script of these teams first matchup last year, a 6-2 Rebels win.
Up next for the Rebels is a three-day visit from the Crimson Tide. Ole Miss dropped two of three in Tuscaloosa last year, being shut out in one and only scoring twice in the other. Hosting the series at home in Swayze should help Ole Miss avoid a back-to-back losing record after facing Alabama.
Two days after the Tide leaves town, Ole Miss will board the bus once more for Hattiesburg. There they will face-off against Southern Miss for the second time in just a week. Having faced-off a week prior gives both teams the opportunity to not only study their returning opponent, but also have a week’s worth of time to practice for them. This will likely result in two much more prepared, and thus dangerous, teams. The game, like last year’s series, could really swing either way.
Junior Errol Robinson throws to second base in attempt for a double play during a game against LSU last season. Ole Miss hopes to win the series against LSU in Baton Rouge, a task that hasn’t been done in nearly 40 years. (File Photo)
Next on the Rebels’ radar is LSU in Baton Rouge, a place where Ole Miss hasn’t won a series in nearly 40 years.
The No. 3 ranked team in the nation will surely be a challenge, especially in their home environment. This will be a huge opportunity for this young team to gain some ground in the SEC West race, and have some serious postseason implications. Ole Miss took two of three from the Tigers in Oxford last spring, when they stood at No. 8. Regardless of ranking though, this series will be an important test for both teams and probably a very watchable matchup if nothing else.
Arkansas Pine-Bluff visits Swayze on April 19. The visiting Lions won just five non-conference matchups last year and shouldn’t give Ole Miss much of a headache. Just days after they leave town, Missouri and pitching-standout Tanner Houck will arrive on April 21. The right-hand pitcher was named SEC player of the week twice as a sophomore last season and improved on his already stellar freshman campaign in nearly all aspects of his game. The contest should prove interesting and mark the Rebels’ third SEC East matchup of the season.
After a day’s rest Ole Miss heads once again to Pearl to face-off for a rematch with Mississippi State in their annual Governor’s Cup game. The night game will surely be of interest throughout the state as one of these teams will be out for blood. The culmination of an intense rivalry makes for great baseball, as this game will be one of the most anticipated of the season for both sides.
Rounding out the third month of the season, Ole Miss makes a visit to Arkansas, who sits just outside of a national ranking in most preseason polls. The Razorbacks were swept in Oxford last year, but coach Dave Van Horn will be looking to turn things around. The Razorback head man saw the worst record of his 15 years at Arkansas last season, and will be ready to bounce back this season. Redemption for Van Horn could certainly spell trouble for Ole Miss.
The third month of the year will surely prove another major hurdle for the Rebels on their journey to the postseason. Swayze will only be host to eight games this month, so Ole Miss will start to truly make their foray into away games and national-level baseball. Some familiar faces, others not so familiar, will form a challenging, yet utterly exciting April slate.
