Ole Miss has entered conference play and is set to play its SEC home opener against 10th-ranked South Carolina in game one of a three-game series tonight.
Ole Miss is coming off of a series win at Tennessee to open up SEC play, taking the final two of three games, and added a win in the midweek on Tuesday with a 8-2 win over UT-Martin.
South Carolina comes into the series with a record of 20-2. The Gamecocks swept 18th-ranked Arkansas last weekend to open SEC play and have won 10 consecutive games since losing back to back games against Clemson earlier this month.
Thursday’s pitching match-up will feature Brady Bramlett against South Carolina’s Clarke Schmidt. Bramlett is 4-0 with a 2.03 ERA and Schmidt is 5-0 with a 1.27 ERA. Bramlett took a no decision in the SEC opener against Tennessee, and Schmidt got a win against Arkansas, going seven innings and striking out 11.
Friday will feature Chad Smith against South Carolina’s Braden Webb, a freshman right hander who boasts a 4-1 record with a 1.71 ERA. Smith is 2-1 with a 3.91 ERA.
Adam Hill (4-0) is slated to throw the third and final game on Saturday for South Carolina. He is another freshman right hander who boasts a 2.42 ERA. For the first time this season, Ole Miss held off on announcing its game-three starter. Sean Johnson has started all of the Rebels’ series finales so far this season, but has had two shaky starts in a row and still might be dealing with an elbow issue stemming from his Tommy John surgery a year ago.
Colby Bortles hits a ball during Tuesday’s game against Tennessee-Martin. (Photo by: Evan Turner)
The likely replacement would be freshman right hander Andy Pagnozzi. Pagnozzi has been great for Ole Miss in his two midweek starts and earned a win in his last start against UAB. Pagnozzi is one of the freshmen that helped solidify the lethal bullpen that has carried this team so far this year. His ERA is 2.42; he has also picked up three additional wins in relief and is 4-0 on the year.
If Pagnozzi is needed in relief in the first two games, the most likely starter would be sophomore Will Stokes, who assumed the same role for part of the season a year ago. Stokes earned one win in his six starts in the role a year ago. The lone win was a big one, though, coming at top-ranked Vanderbilt — where his six innings helped Ole Miss clinch that series. He boasts a 1.69 ERA in nine relief appearances in 2016.
South Carolina is led offensively by John Jones, who is hitting .422 with six home runs and 31 RBIs. He leads the team in both categories. The Gamecocks have five players that have played in at least 17 games and are hitting over .300. Its team average is .325 and have 154 RBI as a team this year.
This match-up features two teams that pitch really well, but in different ways. South Carolina boasts a rotation that takes them deep into games. Ole Miss has a bullpen with a lot of arms that can eat up a lot of innings, which takes the pressure off of its starters. The offenses are similar and South Carolina’s is just slightly better across the board. Ole Miss will have its hands full and will be by far its toughest test since Louisville. This could very well be the best team Ole Miss faces in conference this year.
EDITOR’S PREDICTIONS:
Collin Brister: South Carolina will be, by far, the best team Ole Miss has played since Louisville; they pitch well and hit. Holbrook, for all his criticisms and the proverbial hot seat he was facing, has turned it around. Ole Miss will have to play solid defense and take advantage of situational opportunities if they want to win this series.
Prediction: Ole Miss 2 out of 3.
Brian Scott Rippee: This could very well be the best team Ole Miss sees in SEC play. Both teams have similar strengths. Ole Miss will need to play better defense than it has of late, and limit Carolina’s opportunities at the plate. This is the Gamecocks’ first true road test. I think Ole Miss finds a way to take two.
– Brian Scott Rippee
