Ole Miss Baseball scored its first victory of the season, and of its 3 game series with Eastern Carolina, in front of a record-breaking crowd on opening night. Ole Miss defeated the #6 ranked Pirates 5-4 in front of 12,000 in Swayze Field. The game saw the debut performances of 4 freshmen for Ole Miss, each contributing to the game in multiple ways.
Freshman Thomas Dillard smiles after hitting a RBI double. Ole Miss would go on to win against No. 6 ECU, 5-4. (Photo by: Cameron Brooks)
Of the freshmen who played, Thomas Dillard and Cole Zabowski each earned a hit, with Dillard also grabbing his first collegiate RBI. Grae Kessinger and Cooper Johnson both went 0-3 on the night, but each made some impressive defensive plays throughout the game. Johnson proved why he belonged to start behind the plate with some impressive quickness and thinking, while Kessinger looked like a two year veteran at shortshop. Zabowski, at first, also made key plays, including a “how did he catch that” snag from Johnson for an out at first.
One of the biggest surprises on offense was Colby Bortles’ and Tate Blackman’s combined 0-7 at the plate. With the two veterans struggling on Opening Day, the Rebels had to look to other players to pick up load and propel the team. That came mostly in the form of Ryan Olenek and Chase Cockrell, who went 3-4 and 2-4 at the plate, respectively. Olenek scored in the first on a pitching error and Cockrell added another in the fourth on a passed ball, and provided Ole Miss with some insurance in the eighth with an RBI single.
“Any time you can extend it I think it is huge,” Bianco said. “Chase is a guy, you don’t bat him fourth if you don’t think he is going to get hits. He is there because you think he is going to drive in runs. The ball jumps off his bat. He’s got tremendous power.”
Another notable performance was that of Will Golsan, who started the season’s first Swayze shower with a lead-off home run to left field in the second inning. The first-time outfielder also added a run on a Dillard double in the bottom of the fourth.
The outfield saw two new starters, with Dillard making the move to left after an accomplished high school career behind the plate. The freshman proved why his bat was so important on offense, but also showed that he may still need some improvement on defense as he gets used to playing left field.
In the top of the fourth, Dillard struggled to bring in three, albeit difficult, balls hit to left field. Two of those of them resulted in Pirate runs. It was nothing major and were mainly signs that he is still getting comfortable with a new position.
“I was proud that he was able to bounce back and swing it, getting a big double for us and getting us back in it,” Bianco said.
If the Rebels’ opening day outing against East Carolina, an Omaha challenger and nationally recognized team, was anything, it was a statement of how lethal this Ole Miss Baseball team can be. The Rebels found just enough offense from all over the lineup, and showed that they have the poise and talent to win tough games. With new players at key positions and returning players at new positions, the Rebs proved they have a place in the national standings.
How the young freshmen handle their first NCAA victory will be telling as they face-off with ECU again tomorrow at 1:30 pm. Can they stay clear-headed and repeat opening night success or get overconfident and drop a disappointing performance? Ryan Olenek seems to think it will be the first.
“They hold themselves to a higher standard,” Olenek said. “They acted pretty much exactly how we expected them to. When they didn’t do well they embraced it, when they did do well they stayed even-keel.”
