Mississippi head coach Mike Bianco high-fives fans while arriving for an NCAA baseball College World Series game between Virginia and Mississippi in Omaha, Neb., Sunday, June 15, 2014. (Photo/Thomas Graning)
OMAHA, Neb. — After falling to the Virginia Cavaliers 2-1, the Rebels will play Texas Tech today to remain in the College World Series.
“It’s a tough lesson you learn in baseball. We’ve learned this a few times this year, the team that plays best usually wins,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “I thought they outplayed us tonight. Not by much, but enough to make a difference, especially in this type of ball game. Tip your hat to Virginia. I thought (Nathan) Kirby was tremendous. We just could not solve him and catch up to his fastball. It seemed like we get him, then he would mix in a breaking ball or a change-up. We just couldn’t get to his fastball. I thought Chris (Ellis) did a good job pitching out of some jams and they were able to put enough runners on and get timely hits. I’m proud of the way we competed.”
Like the Rebs, the Red Raiders lost in their first game of the College World Series against TCU 3-2 to match up in tonight’s elimination.
“I thought TCU played a really good game. Played good defense for the most part, I think, and they really capitalized on our opportunities,” said Texas Tech head coach Tim Tadlock. “It’s a tough, tough way to lose your first game up here. At the same time, we won’t look back and get ready to go on Tuesday.”
Texas Tech finished the regular season with a 45-20 record, going 33-4 at home and 14-10 in conference play.
The Red Raiders dominated NCAA tournament play going 5-2 including two wins over Miami and two wins over College of Charleston to advance to Omaha.
The Red Raiders played tough competition all year long, including three wins over national seed Indiana to start the season, a win over Rice, and wins over TCU.
Texas Tech is another strong offensive team that the Rebels have to deal with. The Red Raiders are among the top 50 teams in the country in batting average and 18th in the country in hits. The pitching staff has also been productive, owning a 3.17 ERA as a whole.
What really helps Texas Tech win games is their defense. The Red Raiders are top five in the country in fielding percentage with .981.
Texas Tech is one of the most complete teams in the country, so for the Rebels to avoid elimination and keep the run in Omaha alive, they’ll have to play their most complete game of the season.
Ole Miss will play at 2 p.m. on ESPN2 against Texas Tech in the elimination game.
