Mississippi’s Braxton Lee (11) hits the ball during an NCAA college baseball game against Memphis in Oxford, Miss., Wednesday, March 5, 2014. (Photo/Thomas Graning)
The No. 15 Ole Miss baseball team will wrap up its 13-game homestand this weekend with a three-game series against Arkansas-Little Rock of the Sun Belt. The Rebels (11-2) are coming off a loss against Memphis, while the Trojans (8-2) enter the game on a three-game winning streak.
Ole Miss will send junior right-hander Chris Ellis to the mound Friday. Ellis has made three starts on the year so far and holds a 2-0 record with an ERA of 0.00. He has given up just 10 hits and one unearned run in 22 innings of work.
UALR will most likely send senior left-hander Travis McDonald to the mound Friday. McDonald is 2-0 in three starts this season with a 1.72 ERA. In his 15.2 innings of work, he has given up 14 hits and three runs, while racking up 16 strikeouts.
The Rebels will then turn to redshirt sophomore left-hander Christian Trent on Saturday. In his three starts this season, he also holds a 2-0 record and has a 2.66 ERA. He has worked 20.1 innings so far and leads the team with 19 strikeouts.
UALR will counter that with senior right-hander Ethan Schlechte, who is 1-0 on the year in three starts, but does enter the weekend with a 4.61 ERA. He has given up 13 hits and seven runs in 13.2 innings of work.
Junior right-hander Sam Smith will close things out on the rubber for the Rebels Sunday. Smith is 2-0 in his three starts this season and holds a 1.65 ERA. In his 16.1 innings of work, he has given up 15 hits and three runs, while striking out 10.
At the plate for the Trojans, junior Justin Steelmon will lead the way. He is hitting a team high .344. Two other Trojans to look out for will be junior Tanner Rockwell, who leads the team with two home runs and 12 RBI, and junior Mitchell Scheuler, who is second only to Rockwell with one home run and 10 RBI.
Ole Miss is led offensively by junior center fielder Auston Bousfield and senior catcher Will Allen.
Bousfield leads the team in average (.429), hits (24) and triples (2). He is also second on the team with 10 RBI and tied for second with two home runs on the year. Allen is the team leader in home runs (3) and RBI (19). He is also second with a .360 average.
First pitch for tonight’s series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. Saturday’s contest will begin at 4 p.m., and Sunday’s series finale is set for a 1:30 p.m. first pitch.
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