One question Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco frequently faces after a win is ‘What would happen if this is the game that the team turns the corner?’
Fans have been waiting all season for this team to find consistency, and the Rebels showed another glimpse of dominance in their 11-1 win over Mississippi State Tuesday night.
After winning five of their last seven games and hitting better than they have all season, the Ole Miss baseball team appears to have reached a possible turning point in momentum as they make a push for the postseason. Over the last seven games, Ole Miss is averaging 9.25 runs per game and just under 12 hits per game. They have outscored opponents by a combined 36 runs in the five wins during the stretch and appear to be clicking on all cylinders.
Junior outfielder Connor Cloyd and sophomore third baseman Colby Bortles have come on strong in recent weeks and have provided a spark for the Rebel offense as they enter the final stretch of games this season.
Has this team reached the turning point? Will the win over Mississippi State fuel the fire to finish strong in the last 10 games?
If there was ever a time to get hot in the season, it’s now. Ole Miss currently sits two games above the .500 mark and needs to finish there in order to be eligible for the NCAA tournament. The Rebels are currently listed as a 2 seed in the Southern California regional and sit fairly comfortably in regards to receiving a large bid. The biggest obstacle this team will need to overcome during the last 10 games is keeping their record above .500.
The Rebels still have two ranked opponents left on their schedule with Missouri and Texas A&M. The Rebels will travel to Columbia this weekend to face Missouri before closing out the SEC season with home series against Mississippi State and 2nd ranked Texas A&M. With a midweek game at Arkansas State added, Ole Miss still has a lot of work to do to get into the NCAA tournament.
The most glaring issue with this club, as it has been all season, is the Sunday starter. After freshman right-hander Will Stokes struggled yet again last Sunday, Bianco said he was “very open” to seeking other options on Sunday.
Bianco then elected to throw senior right-hander Scott Weathersby in his first career start on Tuesday, hinting at possibly giving senior right-hander and three-year starter Sam Smith another shot on Sundays beginning this weekend at Missouri.
Weathersby then proceeded to throw seven shutout innings against Mississippi State, making a strong case for him to be the third starter.
The issue with Weathersby moving into a starting role is it will likely deplete an Ole Miss bullpen that has been very strong this season with Weathersby and sophomore left-hander Wyatt Short being the top two arms in the bullpen along with junior right-hander Jacob Waguespack.
The Rebels would prefer to see a resurgence from Smith. He’s had success before. He has pitched in big games and proved he can be a weekend starter. If Smith can return to the form he was in last year, he will be a huge asset to Ole Miss and will allow Weathersby to continue to headline what has been a strong bullpen.
Though nothing has been set in stone, Bianco has seemingly set up another opportunity for Smith to pitch this Sunday.
Six of the Rebels’ last 10 games come against ranked opponents, and they are not in the clear yet, but, if the starting pitching can be concrete and the bats stay hot, this team has the capability to make the postseason and make a run.
