Ole Miss won four consecutive games to begin the season and will face its first true test beginning today as second-ranked Louisville comes to town for a three-game series. The two teams met for two games in Louisville a year ago, each winning a game. Louisville won the first game 5-3 and the Rebels responded with an 8-3 victory in game two.
Cardinals head coach Dan McDonnell was an assistant coach at Ole Miss from 2001 to 2006 before accepting the head coaching job at Louisville.
“Dan McDonnell has done a terrific job since he’s left here and built a dominant force up there,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said.
Louisville comes into the series with a record of 4-0 and has scored 57 total runs in those games. Louisville also possesses one of the most dominating pitching staffs in college baseball, led by a strong one-two punch in Kyle Funkhouser and Brendan McKay.
“It’s a big test in all aspects. Their offense is terrific, a group that should have probably went to Omaha last year,” Bianco said of Louisville. “I think it’s a huge test all around.”
Funkhouser, a 6-foot-3-inch, 225-pound right-hander, will get the ball on Friday for the Cardinals. The senior posted an 8-5 record with a 3.20 ERA a year ago, which was good enough for first team All-ACC honors. Funkhouser was selected in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but did not sign. His fastball stays in the 90s and can touch 95 mph, complimented by a slider that sits in the mid-80s.
He will go up against Rebel ace Brady Bramlett. Bramlett is a junior right-hander who earned a win in his first start this season and won seven games for Ole Miss in 2015.
Saturday will not be much easier for the Rebel offense; Louisville will send out sophomore lefty Brendan McKay. McKay finished 2015 with a 9-3 record and a 1.77 ERA. He also had four saves on the year, and if that was not enough, he hit .308 with four home runs and 34 RBIs at first base.
McKay is the reigning John Olerud Two-Way Player of the year, as well as D1 Baseball, Perfect Game and Collegiate Baseball freshman of the year. He is also a first team All-American. McKay will go up against Chad Smith for Ole Miss. Smith is a junior who came to Ole Miss by way of Wallace State Community College. Smith allowed 3 earned runs on four hits in 3.2 innings pitched in his first start of the year.
Sunday will feature junior right hander Sean Johnson for Ole Miss squaring off against junior lefty Drew Harrington for Louisville. Both pitchers recorded a win in their first start of the year.
Both offenses come into the series swinging the bats well, and it will be a difficult test for the Rebel pitching staff to match up against Louisville. The starting pitching for Ole Miss after Bramlett was little shaky on opening weekend and will really be tested on Saturday and Sunday.
The Rebel bullpen has been great through the first four games, and the arms of Andy Pagnozzi, David Parkinson and Dallas Woolfolk have provided more depth for Bianco out of the pen so far this season. It will be an opportunity for this Ole Miss team to make a statement early in the year. Temperatures will be in the 60s and the crowds should be big in this early non-conference showdown.
“It’ll be three days of no rain and warmer temperatures,” Bianco said. “It’ll feel like an SEC weekend, I’m sure.”
First pitch is set for Friday at 4 p.m.
Brian Scott Rippee
