Mississippi pitcher Sam Smith pitches the ball during a game last season. (File Photo)
The Ole Miss baseball season has consisted of a series of highs and lows thus far in 2015. Another chapter was written this weekend, this one being a high point. Coming off of a home series loss to a struggling Tennessee team, the Rebels proceeded to travel to Nashville and knock off top ranked Vanderbilt two games to one.
It was the Rebels second series win against a number one ranked opponent this year, and they are now 5-4 when facing a top-ranked team.
It is now the midway point in SEC play, and Ole Miss sits at 18-18 and 7-8 in Southeastern Conference play. The Rebels’ inconsistent play has stemmed from a number of different sources. Some of them look to be resolved or improved and others still need to be sured up if this team wants to earn a postseason birth and make a run.
For the first half of the season, finding a third weekend starter was the Rebels most glaring issue. After Sam Smith continued to struggle in the that role during the early portion of the season, it left coach Mike Bianco scrambling to find a guy who could give the team a chance to win in game three. He seems to have found that answer in freshman right-hander Will Stokes.
Stokes struggled in his first start against top-ranked Florida, making his first start against the top-ranked team in the country at the time. He has improved each week since. Stokes has gone deeper in the game in every one of his four starts and recorded his first win Saturday going six innings against top-ranked Vanderbilt. Stokes continues to learn and improve after each start and is filling a void that plagued Ole Miss through the early part of the season.
After struggling to find timely hitting earlier in the season, Ole Miss has since improved in that department with the latest examples coming this weekend.
Whether it was sophomore third baseman Colby Bortles game-tying grand slam in the ninth in the game two win or sophomore shortstop Errol Robinson’s two RBI single in the seventh inning of Saturday’s win, Ole Miss seems to be slowly finding it’s stride offensively.
Freshman left-fielder Kyle Watson and freshman infielder Will Golsan have come on strong and helped provide an offensive boost to a team that at times has struggled to produce runs this year. Golsan has particularly provided a spark for this team since becoming the leadoff hitter in the lineup
The timely hitting the Rebels received this weekend will need to continue if they wish to have success going forward.
One issue that the Rebels have yet to fix is finding a reliable starter for midweek games. Junior left-hander Evan Anderson has seen most of the midweek action and has been shaky at times. Anderson has posted a 1-3 record with a 6.27 era in seven starts this season and the Rebels continue to drop midweek games and hurt their RPI.
Though Anderson has not received a lot of run support in a number of his starts this year, the Rebels have to find a way to stop dropping games during the week.
Senior right-hander and veteran starter Sam Smith could be an option for the five remaining midweek games left. Smith has made a couple of midweek starts and earned a win against 12th ranked Louisville earlier this year. He will start Wednesday at home against UT- Martin.
One issue with using Smith as a midweek starter is the Rebels could be ridding themselves of a viable option out of the bullpen in the weekend conference series. Smith pitched two big scoreless innings of relief this weekend that helped secure the series win against Vanderbilt.
Ole Miss is just 4-5 in midweek contests and cannot afford to keep losing games if they wish to have strong post season resume at the end of the year. Having a reliable fourth starter can become invaluable if this team makes a deep run in the postseason.
After the big series win this past weekend, Ole Miss appears to be building momentum as they dive into the second half of SEC play. The bullpen has been outstanding, pitching 15.2 scoreless innings of relief this past weekend and the offense appears to be picking up. The Rebels’ schedule in the second half seems less grueling and appears to be an opportunity for this team to pick up steam and improve its postseason status.
