BASEBALL PREVIEW – LSU AT OLE MISS

LSU Head Coach Paul Mainieri – Mandatory Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports

Paul Mainieri thinks your beer showers are “annoying”. Are you going to take that?

In case you missed it, Paul Mainieri had some interesting things to say about the Ole Miss student section at Swayze Field.

Today is Thursday, and the Diamond Rebels will start their three game series against arch-rival LSU. The team is coming off a series win over intra-state rival Mississippi State and has all the moment heading back to Swayze Field to host the Tigers.

After winning eight of their last nine game, the Rebels head into the LSU series with an overall record of 29-9, 9-6 in the conference standings. The team also climbed back into the top ten of the latest USA Today’s Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. The team also finished this week in the top five of the official NCAA baseball RPI rankings.

LSU is coming into the series after a weekend series win over No. 24 Arkansas and a mid-week win over Southern Miss. The Tigers are currently ranked 7th in this week’s USA Today’s Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, and sit at No. 17 in the official NCAA Baseball RPI rankings. Next to South Carolina, LSU will be the highest ranked team the Rebels will face thus far in the season.

Scouting LSU

• LSU has a team batting average of .269 with 18 home runs and 203 RBI heading into the week.
• Andrew Stevenson is batting .352 and is Tigers’ top hitter with 18 RBI.
• Kade Scivicque is another power hitter for the Tigers with a .351 average, four home runs and 24 RBI on the year.
• In pitching, LSU holds a .240 ERA entering the week. The team totals 97 walks and 285 strikeouts.
• Right hander Aaron Nola leads the team with a 0.70 ERA and a 7-1 record with 13 walks and 84 strikeouts.
• Left hander Jared Poche has a 2.54 ERA with a 6-2 record in nine starts. He totals 15 walks and 34 strikeouts.

A Look at Ole Miss

Will Allen

Ole Miss’ catcher Will Allen has been very impressive his senior season. Through the 38 games this season, Allen has nailed 5 homeruns and has picked up 40 RBI. Allen has nearly doubled his junior season’s stats, where he finished with 4 homeruns and 24 RBI.

Multiple Hit Games and Hit Streaks

The Rebels have a total of six players in double-digits when it comes to multiple-hit games Will Allen (17), Auston Bousfield (17), Austin Anderson (16), Braxton Lee (14), Sikes Orvis (12), and Preston Overbey (10).

Three Rebels hold big consecutive game hit streaks heading into LSU. Sikes Orvis leads the team with a 12 game hitting streak, Auston Bousfield with 9, and Will Jamison with 6. It could be easy to say these hitters will get on base in this series.

Rebels Likely to Win When Scoring Early

The Rebels have shown that they are highly favored when the team scores early in games. The team is 21-4 when they score first in the game and are 13-3 when scoring in the first inning.

Pitching Results

The Rebel pitching staff has been solid all season and have allowed few scoring opportunities by opponents. Throughout the season, the Rebels have allowed 106 runs, that averages to fewer than three runs a game in a total of 349.2 innings of work. The Rebels have also posted five shutouts this season, and nine games allowing only one run.

The Rebels bullpen has also been really effective this season. The relief pitchers hold a 1.95 ERA and have allowed only 29 runs through 134 innings of work.

Game Times and Probable Matchups

THURSDAY, 6:30 PM (ESPNU)
LSU: TBA
OLE MISS: Chris Ellis, Jr., RHP

FRIDAY 6:30 PM
LSU: TBA
OLE MISS: Christian Trent, So., LHP

SATURDAY, 1:00 PM (FSN)
LSU: TBA
OLE MISS: Sam Smith, Jr., RHP

Series Info

#10 Ole Miss (29-9, 9-6 SEC) vs. #7 LSU (27-9-1, 8-6-1 SEC)

Dates: April 17-19, 2014
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue/Stadium: Swayze Field
Capacity: 10,323
Surface: Grass
Series: LSU leads 166-147
Last Meeting: LSU won the series 2-1 (2013 season)
Radio: Ole Miss Baseball Network
Television: ESPNU (Thursday); FSN (Saturday)
Announcers: Dave Neal & Kyle Peterson (ESPNU); Dave Baker & Larry Conley (FSN)
Live Video: ESPN3 (Thursday/Saturday); RebelVision (Friday)
Twitter Updates: Check out these: @OleHottyToddy @OleMissBSB, @OleMissBaseball, @Swayze_Crazy, @Landsharknation