Three Takeaways From Ole Miss Baseball's Dominant Midweek Performances
The Ole Miss Rebels look to be in a groove after scoring a combined 24 runs in midweek wins over the Little Rock Trojans and Missouri State Bears in midweek action.
Everything looks to be coming together offensively for the Rebs before the Iowa Hawkeyes come to town on Friday. Here are three takeaways from the action against Little Rock and Missouri State.
Ole Miss Athletics
Rebs Swinging a Hot Bat
In the last two games, the Rebs combined for 23 hits with 9 of those going for extra bases, and Ole Miss has also been sound in its approach at the plate.
For example, Will Furniss, primarily played to pull, let a fastball travel in the game against Little Rock and rocked one over the left field wall for a three-run oppo bomb. When players start to go the other way with power, they are usually locked in and sound with their approach.
Jackson Ross continues to be the most consistent hitter in this lineup as he went 3-for-4 with three RBIs against Little Rock and followed that up with a 1-for-4 night with a big two-RBI double on Wednesday. Treyson Hughes finally showed some life at the plate with a 3-for-5 night, also accounting for 2 RBIs.
The Rebels need to keep their foot on the gas and keep putting together good at-bats as they prepare for SEC play that starts in about two weeks.
Bullpen Coming Together
The Rebels look to have tons of depth in the bullpen with a boatload of potential.
Whether it's Mendes, Simmons, Doyle, Morris, Jones, Maddox, etc., Coach Bianco has a lot of options to pair with Mallitz and Nichols. While these guys have limited experience, they could be a strength on this team.
Dual-sport athlete Austin Simmons earned the win against Missouri State as he continues to light up the scoreboard. With Iowa coming to town, this bullpen could be thrust into some high-leverage situations, and it will be interesting to see how they respond.
Applying Pressure
Ole Miss baseball has been known for the long ball, but this team has another element that Coach Bianco can use to put pressure on opposing pitching staffs.
They were active on the bases and successfully executed a sac bunt that turned into an infield single this week. Ethan Groff accounted for two of the four Rebel stolen bases after he stole second and third consecutively. Don't get me wrong: the Rebels still have long ball hitters, but if they can find other ways to win ballgames, they can be a thorn in the side of SEC competition.
The Iowa series starts on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.