Saturday - Cade Townsend
I’m going to call my shot here and put the freshman hurler in the two slot. I will also predict that Townsend will be more of 1B to Elliotts' 1A. It might take some time, and there could be some growing pains, as expected with a freshman, but I think Townsend will spend most of the season throwing on Saturdays. However, if you made me guess, he won’t be on opening weekend.
The freshman in the fall ball session flashed signs that he could be a phenom. He led the entire staff in WHIP at an astonishing 0.63; to go along with that, he posted a 1.88 ERA. In his 14.1 innings of work, he struck out 17 batters.
.@OleMissBSB freshman @cadetownsendmlb pumped 93-95 heat with good ride in our fall look, along with an excellent power cutter, a slower downer curveball with big depth and a quality changeup.
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) January 10, 2025
"It’s a starter’s arsenal, and he has obvious future star potential." pic.twitter.com/4WlsZ7Hkm4
Townsend came in as the 150-ranked draft prospect by the MLB pipeline, and at one time, there was buzz that he could be taken early in the draft. He made it to campus, and there is little question that he is the most talented pitcher to have made it to campus in years. The Rebels have had several, Derek Diamond, JT Quinn, and Grayson Saunier, but none panned out. That is why the addition of Joel Mangrum can not be overstated, as it will be his job to develop and polish Townsend. He flashed a mid to low 90s with a good life. His best pitch is his curve, which has put away potential.
Sunday - Riley Maddox
Having a pitcher like Maddox in the Sunday slot shows how improved this staff can be over last season. Maddox spent most of last season as the Friday guy, and while he performed admirably, especially down the stretch, the earlier we saw him in 2024, he tossed an absolute gem in the losing effort against State in the SEC Tournament. He doesn’t quite possess top-end stuff, but put him on Sunday afternoons, and you may have the edge in every matchup. This depth in the pitching staff makes me cautiously optimistic about this season's outlook.
Maddox posted a 5.60 ERA last year in his 15 starts in nearly 70 innings of work. It certainly wasn’t stellar numbers, but I think he really started to round into form during the last month of SEC play and will find a nice home on Sunday afternoons.