After dropping their second consecutive series at Florida this past weekend, the 17th-ranked Ole Miss baseball team will look to bounce back in the win column when they take on the Memphis Tigers. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. from AutoZone Park.
The No. 17 Ole Miss baseball team will make the short trip to Memphis to take on the Memphis Tigers in a midweek matchup tonight. First pitch between the Rebels (23-6, 4-5 SEC) and Tigers (15-13, 2-4 Conference USA) is set for 6:30 p.m. from AutoZone Park.
Ole Miss is coming off a series loss at Florida, while the Tigers are coming off a series loss at home to conference foe Houston.
This is the second meeting between the two teams this season, with Memphis taking the first game in Oxford, 4-3. The loss was the Rebels’ first of the season. Ole Miss also committed six errors in that contest, which caused many of the Tiger runs. The Rebel pitching staff allowed just one earned run.
The Rebels will send sophomore right-hander Josh Laxer to the mound to face the Tigers. Laxer is 2-0 on the year with a 2.45 ERA in seven appearances, including four starts. The Madison native has given up eight runs, seven earned, in 25.2 innings of work.
Tonight won’t be the first time Laxer has faced Memphis. In the first matchup between the two teams this season, Laxer started and gave up two runs, one earned, on four hits with three walks and a strikeout in three innings on the mound.
Senior left-hander Michael Wills will get the nod for Memphis. Wills is 1-2 on the year and holds a 3.00 ERA in five starts.
Tonight’s contest will mark the fourth start for Wills against the Rebels. Earlier this season, Wills gave up three runs on seven hits, three walks and two strikeouts in 4.2 innings, but he earned a no decision.
Last season, Wills picked up a no decision in Oxford, throwing six innings, giving up two runs, one earned, on four hits, and he picked up the win in the Tigers’ win at AutoZone Park, tossing 8.1 innings, where he gave up two runs, one earned, on nine hits to go along with a walk and three strikeouts.
Ole Miss is looking to get their offense going again after back-to-back games of being kept off the scoreboard. It was the first time the Rebels have been shutout in back-to-back games since losing 2-0 and 7-0 to Mississippi State in 2003.
Junior catcher Stuart Turner continues to pace the Rebel offense, leading the way with a .426 batting average, 40 hits, three home runs and 34 RBI.
Junior shortstop Austin Anderson is second on the team with a .321 batting average and 24 RBI. Sophomore center fielder Auston Bousfield is second on the team with 35 hits and boasts a .310 average.
At the plate, Memphis is hitting .271 as a team and is led by Keaton Aldridge, who boasts a .329 batting average.
However, sophomore infielder Tucker Tubbs and junior infielder Drew Griffin are tied for the team lead in RBI with 17. Tubbs also leads the team in hits with 30. The biggest home run threat for the Tigers is Jake Little, who has four on the year.
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