Will Jamison hits the ball in a game against LSU this weekend. Photo; Ignacio Murillo, The Daily Mississippi.
Jackson-area SEC baseball fans will have a good reason to cheer tonight, as the Ole Miss baseball team will face SEC foe Mississippi State in Pearl for the annual Governor’s Cup game. The No. 12 Rebels (30-11, 10-8 SEC) are coming off a series loss after LSU took two games in Oxford this past weekend. The No. 20 Bulldogs (26-15, 10-8 SEC) enter the game after sweeping Missouri in Columbia this weekend. The two teams met in Starkville two weekends ago, and the Rebels won two of the three in front of a record weekend crowd.
On the mound for Ole Miss will be senior lefty Jeremy Massie, who is 2-2 on the year in six starts and 11 appearances. Through 34.2 innings this season, Massie holds a 2.34 ERA with eight walks and 25 strikeouts. As a unit, the Rebels’ pitchers are tied for first in the SEC with a 2.10 ERA and 30 wins.
At the time of publication, Mississippi State’s starting pitcher had not been announced. The Bulldogs’ pitching staff, however, holds a 3.36 ERA with 135 walks allowed and 340 strikeouts through 41 games. The Bulldogs’ pitchers are holding opposing offenses to a .256 batting average and have given up 158 runs.
Ole Miss will look to hold onto the bragging rights with its powerful offense. The Rebels are second in the SEC in overall batting, with a .304 team average. The team is third in home runs (27) and fourth in runs scored (240). Three Rebels are in the top five in hits: Auston Bousfield (1st — 61), Austin Anderson (T2nd — 56) and Will Allen (T5th — 55). Sikes Orvis is second in the league in home runs (9) and Allen is second in the league in RBIs (42).
The Bulldogs’ offense has been lackluster this season, only hitting seven home runs as a team to this point. Wes Rea is the biggest power threat for the Rebels’ pitchers, as he leads the Bulldogs with three home runs and 28 RBIs. However, Mississippi State’s Derrick Armstrong leads the Bulldogs in batting average at .337.
Ole Miss and Mississippi State have met 448 times, and Ole Miss trails in the series 207-236-5. The Rebels have won the last two series, including the aforementioned series in Starkville this season and last year’s series in Oxford. The series is tied 17-17 in Governor’s Cup games.
First pitch for is scheduled at 6:30 p.m. at Trustmark Park in Pearl.
For continuing coverage of Ole Miss baseball, follow @SigNewton_2 and @thedm_sports on Twitter.
— Adam Ganucheau
thedmsports@gmail.com
