Ole Miss Baseball Manager Decisions That Changed the Game Against Troy

The Rebels were just heartbroken in Omaha, and this decision cost them.

Mississippi Rebels head coach Mike Bianco walks out of the dugout | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels are packing up their bags and heading back to Oxford after getting beaten 12-8 by Troy.

The Rebels look like they had Troy’s number. They went up 6-2 in the fourth inning, but the game was far from over. After a questionable balk call in the fifth inning, the Trojans made it 6-3. This call clearly shook Ole Miss starting pitcher Hunter Elliott.

He allowed two more runs, and Troy was only down one run in Omaha.

Bringing Walker Hooks in so early

Mississippi Rebels pitcher Walker Hooks pitches against the Troy Trojans | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

J.P. Robertson came in relief for the Rebels and finished the fifth and sixth innings. The 7th inning then started with a solo shot from star Troy player Jimmy Janicki.

Robertson then got an out and gave up a single. He was only at 15 pitches, but after that base hit, head coach Mike Bianco decided to pull the plug and bring in a tired Walker Hooks.

Hooks had already pitched in Friday’s game against the University of North Carolina. He went two innings in that game and allowed three earned runs.

After a great performance in the Auburn Super Regional, the entire Rebels bullpen was tired, and Hooks was no exception.

Despite all this and having fresher arms to go, coach Bianco went with Hooks, and it did not pay off.

He surrendered three earned runs, and the Rebels never had the lead again. He walked the first batter he saw, then gave up a two-run double, and finally allowed a single to knock in the fourth run in the inning for the Trojans.

Hooks could not locate his changeup. The one he threw against Jabe Boroff, who hit the double against him, was a cement mixer down the middle. The second one that Houston Markham singled off was lower in the zone but still caught too much of the plate.

Hooks was out of the game after he threw two-thirds of an inning.

The Rebels would then go on to allow three more runs. Despite a late effort to bring the game back after Will Furniss hit a home run to cut the deficit down to four, the Rebels were bested and eliminated from Omaha.

The Rebels' season ended rough, and this loss stings. However, coach Bianco shared a quote in the presser after the game that offers a lot of perspective.

“This is the place you want to lose,” Bianco said.

The Rebels made it all the way to the College World Series and had a great season.

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