After a huge Southeastern Conference series win over LSU that came down to a late comeback in game three, the No. 4 Rebels will host Arkansas-Pine Bluff at 4 p.m. Wednesday afternoon in what will be the Rebels’ last midweek home matchup before heading to Columbia to face South Carolina this weekend.
Last year, the Rebels clinched a 14-6 victory over the Golden Lions. With this year’s dynamic bullpen and the Rebel bats on a hot streak, Ole Miss will look to do the same on Wednesday afternoon.
The Rebels enter this game with an impressive 11-1 record in midweek matchups and a 24-4 record at home.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff was defeated in two of its three games last weekend by Texas Southern, including a 13-3 thumping in game three. The Golden Lions are 18-19 on the season, and Ole Miss is set to be the most challenging opponent they will face all year.
Grae Kessinger bats against LSU on Thursday. Ole Miss won the game 14-3. Photo by Italiana Anderson
Ole Miss sluggers Thomas Dillard, Chase Cockrell and Ryan Olenek hope to keep the Rebel offense on fire. Thomas Dillard currently leads the Rebels with 10 home runs and 13 stolen bases on the season, including a clutch three-run home run late in the deciding game against LSU over the weekend. Chase Cockrell had a three-run home run of his own to get the scoring spree started in the second inning.
Ryan Olenek, after sitting out of the first two games against LSU because of a shoulder injury, made an appearance during Saturday’s game. The Rebels’ hot-hitter currently has a .398 overall batting average and is looking to extend his hit streak to 21 games.
Considering his exceptional bullpen, coach Mike Bianco has several pitchers than can do a great job on the mound for the Rebels. One of the Rebel standouts is right-handed pitcher Will Ethridge, who pitched five full innings against LSU in the last game of the series. The pitcher from Lilburn, Georgia, currently has an ERA of 3.51, has only walked seven batters and has delivered 33 strikeouts.
Other standout potential starting pitchers are Greer Holston, a sophomore from Long Beach; Houston Roth, a sophomore from Oxford; and Jordan Fowler, a freshman from Union City, Tennessee.
Before the game, from 3-4 p.m., the Ole Miss Diamond Girls will be dressed as Disney princesses on the concourse in honor of Disney Princess and Character Night. There will be Disney songs and movie clips played throughout the game.
With the regular season coming to a close, the Rebels hope to finish just as strong as they started.
