It’s almost May, and as the temperature outside raises each day, so do the stakes for Ole Miss baseball. Following Tuesday’s defeat at the hands of No. 7 Mississippi State, head coach Mike Bianco and his band of Rebels will seek to finally break past the .500 barrier in conference play against the No. 15 Arkansas Razorbacks.
Will Golsan rounds first after a two RBI double against Arkansas last year. (Photo by: Cameron Brooks)
The series will find Ole Miss treading into enemy territory for just the fifth time this season. The results of the three-game slate could have wide-reaching impacts across the SEC and the national baseball sphere as a whole. This series, in particular, could be an important win for both teams, as they each head full-speed into the conference tournament. Here are some important things to look out for this weekend:
The Bianco Effect
Despite Arkansas’ consistent top-level play under esteemed head coach Dave Van Horn, Bianco and his Rebels have held the Razorbacks in check the past few matchups. In fact, Bianco has won four of the last five series against Van Horn, totaling a record of 10-5 over that five-year span, including last year’s home series sweep. While Van Horn’s squad this year is certainly dangerous, boasting a 33-10 record on the season, Bianco’s Rebels have history on their side in this matchup of SEC coaching talent.
Streaky Situation
Ole Miss has been streaky from the plate lately. Some games have seen hits come in boatloads, while others have failed to surpass five. The up-and-down play from Rebel batters will need to be on the upward end in order for them to defeat Arkansas. However, the Razorbacks’ own streaky pitching could help keep Ole Miss in the game even without an offensive resurgence.
The Razorbacks have limited great teams’ scoring on a couple occasions this year but have also allowed offensive showcases from lesser opponents. March’s series against MSU saw Arkansas hold the Bulldogs to just one run in two games. The Razorbacks turned around and gave up 12 runs over two games to SEC West punching bag Alabama. The results of this weekend’s clash will be largely dependent upon which teams show up to play: the soft-swinging Rebels and the lockdown Razorbacks pitching staff or the power-hitting Rebels and the home-run gifting Razorbacks.
Defusing the Baum
While Ole Miss has fended off Arkansas in four of its last five series meetings, the sole loss occurred in Arkansas’ Baum Stadium, one of the nation’s most well-known college venues. Teams often play better at home, but the ‘Baum Effect’ is something else entirely, with Van Horn and his players having gone a head-spinning 24-3 while playing there.
The stadium can squeeze in up to 11,000 people, but even half of that number could be enough to get in the heads of Bianco’s young players. To make it through the series unscathed, Ole Miss must first destroy the home-field advantage. To do this, the Rebels need to strike fast and score early, maintain a tempo through the course of the game and maybe sprinkle in enough big plays to fend off any of the opposition’s momentum from the crowd. If they can do so, the Rebels may just have a shot at knocking off one of the best in the SEC West and breaking through the .500 conference-play threshold. Doing so would help lock down a higher seed for the tournament and move Ole Miss one step closer in the journey to Omaha.
