Ole Miss could face #3 Miami in Super Regional rematch
By Matt Sigler
Looking ahead to the Super Regional round, Ole Miss could potentially face the Miami Hurricanes in rematch from the 2006 Super Regional round.
Ole Miss knows who they will be facing later this week as regional play begins in Oxford. Though the Rebels still have business to take care of before eyeing anything beyond regional play, the Oxford regional is paired with the Coral Gables regional. The University of Miami will catch the attention of many long time Rebel baseball fans.
The Hurricanes(45-11), number three national seed, appears to be a likely opponent and destination if the Rebels do indeed advance to a super regional. Which will naturally stir up memories of when the Hurricanes traveled to Oxford for a super regional showdown with Ole Miss in 2006.
Ole Miss cruised through regional play in 2006, taking down Bethune-Cookman, South Alabama and Tulane to advance to the super regional round. Miami was forced to travel as a number two seed to Lincoln, Nebraska, home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. But the Hurricanes disposed of any doubt, easily handling San Francisco and Manhattan to advance to Oxford.
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The Rebels reeled off a historic comeback in the first game of the 2006 super regional, rallying from a six-run deficit, highlighted by a Mark Wright three-run home run, to win the game11-9.
The 2006 Rebels featured some big time names including Zack Cozart, Chris Coghlan and Lance Lynn, all now in the MLB, but it didn’t prove to be enough, as Miami would take the next two games (7-0, 14-9) to advance to the College World Series.
Ole Miss was shutout in game two and held to just five hits. Then the Rebels’ hopes at Omaha were shattered behind a Danny Valencia grand slam for the Hurricanes in the deciding game three.
The Hurricanes would go on to win their first game in the 2006 College World Series, but ultimately bowed out after dropping their next two contests.
So, what could an Ole Miss – Miami matchup look like in 2016?
Well the Hurricanes are hitting .300 as a team led by catcher Zack Collins, who has belted 12 home runs and driven in a team high 52 runs. Starting pitchers Jesse Lepore (9-1), Michael Mediavilla (10-1) and Danny Garcia (9-3) have all had their way on the mound this season and would be a tough test for Rebel batters.
However, just like Ole Miss, the Canes must battle through their own regional which features a first round matchup with four-seed Stetson and a clash between Long Beach State or Florida Atlantic, the two and three seeds, respectively.