Sikes Orvis hits the ball during Mississippi’s game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, April 2, in Oxford, Miss. (Alex Edwards/The Daily Mississippian)
“Omaha! Omaha! Omaha!” The chant echoed through Dudy Noble Field at Polk-DeMent Stadium in Starkville Sunday as the Ole Miss Rebels were in the midst of throttling cross-state rival Mississippi State to take the series. Granted, the chants were coming mostly from red-and-blue-clad school kids who made the trek down south with their parents, but the chants were audible, nonetheless.
Let’s be honest, though. Those kids were merely verbalizing what many of the Rebel faithful were thinking: Could this be the year the Rebels punch their ticket to Omaha?
It’s easy to think that way as you are straight embarrassing your rival on their own turf in front of their self-proclaimed highest weekend attendance for a single college baseball series ever. It’s easy to think that way as you are wrapping up the fifth series win over Mississippi State in Starkville in six tries. It’s easy to think that way when you’re riding the high of knowing the bragging rights are yours, at least until the Rebels face the Bulldogs for the last regular-season matchup of the year next week in Pearl.
This Ole Miss baseball team might be for real. We’re just over halfway through the season, so it’s hard to know for sure, but let’s take a closer look at the statistics to help determine if this year might be Ole Miss’ best chance to get to Omaha in at least five years.
Pitching: After this weekend, Ole Miss is second in the SEC in team pitching, yielding just a 2.19 ERA from the mound. The weekend starters look very reliable; at times, they even seem unhittable. Friday night starter Chris Ellis has been a solid counter to SEC foes’ aces this season. Going into the Mississippi State weekend, Ellis was holding opponents to a .235 batting average. Against the Bulldogs, Ellis pitched 6.2 innings, giving up just one earned run on eight hits.
Saturday starter Christian Trent was holding opponents to a .203 batting average going into Saturday’s game against Mississippi State. Against the Bulldogs, he pitched very well, going 6.2 innings and giving up just two runs on eight hits.
Sunday starter Sam Smith picked up his seventh straight win against Mississippi State this weekend, and many regard him as one of the top Sunday starters in the league.
The bullpen continues to be extremely productive for the Rebels this season, despite giving up four runs in the bottom of the 10th inning Saturday in Starkville, giving the Bulldogs the win. Going into the weekend, the bullpen pitched 125.2 innings and only allowed 28 earned runs during that stretch, earning a 1.73 ERA.
Hitting: The Rebels’ offense has been on fire lately, and the team is second in the conference in team hitting, posting a .310 batting average after this weekend. Last week, the Rebels scored nine runs on 14 hits against Memphis, eight runs on 16 hits against Murray State and got 23 runs on 46 hits in the three games against Mississippi State. The team has hit 25 home runs this season, which is also second in the SEC. Ole Miss also has the most hits in the conference with 422.
The Rebels have many individual hitters who are making waves in the SEC, as well. First baseman Sikes Orvis is tied for second in the SEC with eight home runs. Catcher Will Allen has the sixth-highest batting average in the SEC at .353 and is second in the league with 40 RBIs. Center fielder Auston Bousfield leads the league with 55 hits, and both Allen and Austin Anderson are tied for second in that category with 53 hits each. When left fielder Braxton Lee gets on base, he is an opposing team’s worst nightmare, leading the SEC with 19 stolen bases on 22 attempts.
The pitching and hitting statistics are impressive, to say the least. But the key for the Rebels as they continue SEC play will be consistency. It is imperative that the Rebels avoid any slip-ups like three weekends ago at Alabama when the Crimson Tide swept the Rebels.
Make no mistake — the Rebels are hot, having won eight of the last nine games. However, being hot at this point in the season isn’t what will get the team to Omaha. Take Mississippi State last season. The Bulldogs posted a very mediocre SEC record at 16-14 during the regular season but sparked near the end of the season. The Bulldogs powered through the regionals and super regionals and made it to Omaha. They stayed hot until the national championship, where they lost to UCLA.
This week, Ole Miss entered the top 10 rankings in the USA Today poll. Depending on which rankings you prefer to reference, the Rebels are in or near the top three in RPI rankings. Rebel fans are starting to realize this team is a good team, which is true. But the better question to ask is, “Are they great?” We will see as the season plays out. But don’t book your tickets to TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha just yet — at least not until we see if the the Rebels can maintain their consistency closer to the end of the season. For now, Rebel fans can quietly listen to the kids’ “Omaha” chants and hope that this year is the year.
