Austin Anderson fields the ball during Saturday’s game against Auburn. Photo: Thomas Graning, The Daily Mississippian.
The No. 13 Ole Miss baseball team will begin a busy week this evening as it travels to Memphis for a midweek game against the Tigers in AutoZone Park in Memphis. The Rebels (25-8) are coming off a series sweep over Auburn this past weekend, while the Tigers (18-14) enter the game after taking one out of three at No. 8 Louisville.
On the mound for Ole Miss will be senior left-hander Jeremy Massie, who is 1-2 on the year with a 3.16 ERA in seven appearances. Massie has started just five games this season, and has seven walks with 19 strikeouts in 25.2 innings of work.
Memphis will send freshman left-hander Ryan Garner, who is 0-2 this season with a 5.20 ERA in nine appearances. He has pitched 27.2 innings this season.
Ole Miss is looking to beat the rival Tigers after losing 4-1 in their first meeting on March 5 in Oxford. The matchup has been no easy task for the Rebels, as they have gone 4-6 against Memphis in the last 10 meetings.
The Rebels are hoping to capitalize on the hot-hitting play of late. Ole Miss is second in the SEC in batting (.299 average), second in home runs (22) and third in runs scored (189). Three Rebels are in the top five in the conference in hits: Auston Bousfield (T2nd — 45), Austin Anderson (T5th — 44) and Will Allen (T7th — 43). All three players have had multiple-hit games this season, with 13 each.
Memphis pitchers have collectively yielded a 3.60 ERA this season, with 119 walks, 202 strikeouts and a .249 opposing batting average.
Statistically speaking, the Tiger offense shouldn’t be too hard for Massie to tame from the mound. The Tigers only have one player hitting above a .300 average — Ethan Gross, who is hitting .308 on the year. Tucker Tubbs leads the Tigers with three home runs and 27 RBIs this season.
Should Massie need help from the Ole Miss bullpen, he and the coaching staff should feel somewhat confident. The Rebels’ bullpen has a 2.19 ERA through 115.2 innings of relief this season, only allowing 11 baserunners to score this season.
The Rebels will hope to bolster their momentum this week as a crucial SEC rivalry series at Mississippi State is slated for this coming weekend. The Rebels will face Murray State tomorrow in Oxford before heading to Starkville.
First pitch for tonight’s game at AutoZone Park is at 6:30 p.m. Tomorrow’s matchup with Murray State will also begin at 6:30 p.m. at Swayze Field.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss baseball, follow @SigNewton_2 and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
— Adam Ganucheau
dmeditor@gmail.com
