Ole Miss Baseball: Stranded Runners, Blown Calls, Rebels Drop Cup

Ole Miss baseball may have had it’s back against the wall from the very beginning in the 38th annual Governors Cup. The No.7 Mississippi State Bulldogs showed up in Pearl. Basically, they showed up to play and do whatever it took to get the 4-2 victory and the cup.

First, let me publicly say congrats to the Mississippi State Bulldogs (29-15, 13-5) on their victory last night. To the victor go the spoils. Second, as a diehard Ole Miss baseball fan, I believe we could have won last night. In no way am I trying to take away from a Bulldog victory, however, we should have won. We didn’t so much lose the game as we gave it away. Honestly, it was an ugly game by both squads and bad calls on both sides of the ball didn’t make it look any better.

Of course, it has become a familiar site for Ole Miss baseball (25-16, 9-9) and the fans. Runners stranded in scoring position and wasted opportunities have become the norm. Wait a minute now, before you get agitated about what I’m saying, just go back and look at the losses we’ve suffered. Check out the box scores and look at the number of runners we have left stranded. It didn’t begin last night. Don’t hate me for pointing out the obvious.

Much like an alcoholic hates the hangover but can’t stop drinking, I love Ole Miss baseball and can’t just stop watching. However, I am really tired of waking up with this baseball hangover. If you haven’t been waking up the same way, then you haven’t been watching the Rebels. At any rate, lets look at last night’s game and break down what when wrong. Get the aspirin ready.

On The Mound

More from Ole Miss Baseball

Freshman right-hander Greer Holston (2-3, 3.38) started on the rubber for the Rebels in last nights contest. Holston pitched a solid 6.0 innings while only giving up 3 earned runs on 6 hits.

Greer was responsible for 3 Ks as well, while only giving up 1 walk. The only hiccup on the night was the 3 run homer he gave up to Brent Rooker in the 5th.

Rooker, who had been in somewhat of a slump, found a way to catch up to Holston and hit his 17th home-run of the season.

Brady Feigl (2-2, 4.15) entered the game in the 7th and pitched 2 innings of solid work. Feigl allowed only 1 earned run on 3 hits while striking out 4 Dog batters. West Lauderdale standout Will Stokes (1-0, 2.61, 4) pitched the 9th inning and was very effective thanks to heads up play by his freshman catcher.

Cooper Johnson was a highlight reel last night and literally all over the field. Of course, a very bad call on a throw-down to second which allowed Brent Rooker to stay on base sticks out. However, like I said before, there were bad calls on both sides of the ball. Honestly, the worst called college game I’ve seen this season.

Offense Needs Help!

Defensively, this Rebel team plays hard and makes big plays. Of course there are some errors, but young teams make errors. With our pitching and the gloves we have, we should winning games despite the errors. The problem isn’t on the defensive side of the ball.

Offensively we are lacking. Of course, we are a young team and sometimes that shows on the offensive side of the field. Plain and simple, we have to get more consistent and productive hitting. It drives most Ole Miss fans crazy to see the team with the best pitching staff in the SEC be the worst hitting team in the conference.

At The Plate

Get that aspirin ready. This is where the hangover begins. Last night the Rebels had opportunities to blow the game wide open from the very first inning. State’s freshman lefty Denver McQuary started out having a rough night on the mound. Although McQuary only allowed 2 earned runs on 5 hits while striking out 4 Rebel batters, he struggled to find the strike zone all evening. He walked 5 Rebels and allowed 5 to reach safely, yet only allowed 2 runs. Yes, offensively we helped make him look good. McQuary got the win of course.

On the night Rebel batters got a total of 7 hits. Freshman Cooper Johnson (.172) was hot at the plate going 2 for 4 with an RBI and scored a run on his birthday. Tate Blackman (.275) was 1 for 2 on the night with an RBI as well. Will Golsan (.304) was 2 for 5 on the night. Freshman Thomas Dillard (.213) was 1 for 3 in the box and scored a run. Nick Fortes (.307) was 1 for 3 on the night.

The Problem

On the evening Ole Miss stranded 13 runners in the game. We lost by 2. You do the math. No matter how you figure it, we should have won this game. Period. Until we get more offensive production, we will continue to see stranded runners in close games which end in losses. Sure, stranded runners are a part of this crazy game called baseball, but 13 in a 4-2 loss. It’s enough to give anyone a headache. Seriously.

So, What’s Next?

Probably the toughest closing stretch for any SEC team, possibly one of the toughest i n the nation. The final four SEC series are No.10 Arkansas, which begins this Thursday night at Fayetteville. A series at Gainesville against the Gators, followed by a home series against TAMU are next. Ole Miss baseball completes their regular season in a road series at Auburn. It just doesn’t get any easier. Oh yeah, did I mention there is a 2 game midweek series against ULM in there? At least it’s at home.

Although it gets no easier, they still have to play the games. As stated before it begins on Thursday evening against the No.10 Arkansas Razorbacks. First pitch will be at 6pm CT and will be televised on the SEC Network.

Home/Ole Miss Baseball