Brady Feigl pitches against University of North Carolina Wilmington on Sunday. (Photo by: Cameron Brooks)
The Rebels scored their fifth win of the season and the first of their home series with UNC-Wilmington in impressive fashion. Ole Miss defeated the No. 23 Seahawks 7-2 to remain undefeated on the season. It continued to show how the Rebels have gotten the job done this year despite some early struggles from some of their veteran hitters.
Colby Bortles and Tate Blackman, two of the strongest hitters last season, are both batting sub-.100. Bortles, in fact, has only registered one hit in 16 at-bats so far this season. Blackman hasn’t shown much better, with only has two in 17. So how can this team, a third of which are freshmen, succeed despite glaring underproduction from key starters? The answer is one word: adaptability.
“I think this team is amazing because…whenever somebody is going to be down, someone is going to step up into that spot. That’s why I feel like we’re going to be so great,” starting pitcher David Parkinson said after the game.
That adaptability, the ability of different players, some true freshmen, to step seamlessly into important roles and contribute, was on display Friday night more than ever. Parkinson, who began the game with five perfect innings, began to slip in the sixth.
“They just started to time me up better. I was making pitches, but they were just hitting them,” Parkinson said.
In the seventh, Parkinson gave up a homer, and momentum started to change. Connor Green then came in for half an inning, only to walk four batters and allow an unearned run. That’s when the adaptability began to show. Dallas Woolfolk subbed in with two runners on base and only a three-run lead. Woolfolk struck out the batter, finished the next two innings perfect and earned his second save this season.
On the offensive side, the lack of production from veterans has been an afterthought due to the performances of first-time Rebels. Thomas Dillard and Chace Cockrell both earned their first career home runs and accounted for more than half of Ole Miss’ runs with two each. Dillard is now hitting .500 on the season and has the look of a seasoned veteran at the plate. Other notable first-timers were Cooper Johnson and Cole Zabowski, each adding a run and an RBI.
If the Rebels have one area seemingly locked down, it appears to be defense. With six defensive players either in new positions or new arrivals, this was one of the bigger question marks surrounding this team. Despite this, all parts have worked together to form a mostly well-oiled machine. There were only two errors all game, and no major miscues resulted in scoring plays.
Overall, this game proved once again that Ole Miss has the ability to make major impacts this spring. Even with the lack of play among presumed key contributors, the Rebels have found a way to not only win but dominate the competition thus far. Whether in pitching, hitting or fielding, there seems to be a player ready and capable to take over if needed. It’s a small sample size, and Bortles and Blackman will likely find a rhythm and be the hitters they have been the previous two seasons, which will make this team even more dangerous.
“Other pieces [of the team], whether Ryan Olenek, Grae Kessinger, Cockrell, Dillard or Zabowski, a lot of guys in this lineup can pick up the slack in certain innings and certain games,” Mike Bianco said.
The ability of young and old players to step up when needed and of the team as a whole to adapt under pressure might just be the most impressive aspect of the 5-0 start and last night’s 7-2 victory. Ole Miss has shown dominance without the help of Bortles and Blackman, so if those two return form, this might just be the No. 1 team in the nation.
