Ole Miss baseball went 3-0 this past weekend against Big Ten opponents to win the 2023 Cambria College Classic.
Ole Miss secured the win in one of the nation’s premier College Baseball tournaments this past weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The annual tournament is a nine-game round-robin style tournament that included six teams: Ole Miss, Maryland, Minnesota, Vanderbilt, Hawaii, and Nebraska.
The Rebels were the only team to make a clean sweep in the tournament, going 3-0 beating Maryland, Minnesota, and Nebraska, which would make them tournament champions.
On Friday the Rebels faced off against number 18-ranked Nebraska. This was the fourth matchup between the two teams already this year. Ole Miss went 2-1in their previous three-game series and would best the Terrapins again in this win winning the contest 5-1.
Pitcher Jack Dougherty got the start for Ole Miss, facing Maryland for the second time in a week. He would not give up a hit until the fourth inning.
On Saturday the Rebels faced off against a struggling Minnesota team who currently sits at 0-10 on the year. Despite being a heavy favorite the game was closer than expected as Ole Miss would go on to win 9-7.
Finally, on Sunday the Rebels would face off against a 5-4-1 Nebraska team and thanks to an eight-run first inning they would go on to dominate the Cornhuskers 14-5.
It was a good weekend for the REBS. https://t.co/l1w4iarayJ
— Coach Mike Bianco (@CoachMikeBianco) March 5, 2023
After the conclusion of the first inning, Ole Miss had built an 8-0 lead for starting pitcher Xavier Rivas. Rivas pitched for just over four innings in what would be his third start this year. He also allowed only three hits and four total strikeouts.
Ethan Groff was named the MVP of the tournament batting .500, going 7 for 14, with eight RBI. He also scored five runs and had two stolen bases on the weekend.
Ole Miss baseball will be back in Oxford this week to host Southern Miss on Tuesday, March 7 at Swayze Field.