The Baseball Rebels looked out of the hosting conversation after suffering another series loss in the Dude at the hands of the Bulldogs. However, this team did what they had done all year, continuing to fight to the end. They came out swinging and continued hitting against the top 10 Auburn Tigers all weekend.
Hunter Elliott who has continued to improve, turned in what was his best outing of the season, delivering 7 innings of shut out baseball. They key difference for him in this one, was walking none. Unfortunately, the rest of the staff really struggled and some questionable bullpen management cost the Rebels the series sweep and a guaranteed host spot.
Additionally, Ole Miss's third starter, Mason Nichols, suffered what appears to be an oblique strain in the final game of the series. He will undoubtedly miss the SEC tournament this weekend and can miss the regional round next weekend. While Nichols has had an overall underwhelming season, this injury will further stretch an already pretty thin Ole Miss pitching staff.
With all being said, the big weekend by the Rebels has put them right back on the bubble of the hosting conversation heading into Hoover this week. Looking at historical trends, it is possible that the Rebels have already done enough to lock up a hosting spot. However, a win on Wednesday night would, in my opinion, guarantee a regional return to Swayze Field.
The Rebels received a first-round bye in the SEC tournament and come into the tournament as the seventh seed. The Rebels had to await the winner of the Florida Gators and the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Gators cruised to victory on Tuesday over SC. The Rebels and Gators met in Oxford earlier in the season, with the Rebels taking 2 of 3. However, since then, the Gators have continued to get better and better, playing themselves into the host bubble conversation, but more importantly, they have gotten healthier.
The game was originally scheduled to take place at 4:30 on Wednesday, but due to some weather in Alabama, all the games have been pushed back, and this one is now tentatively scheduled to begin at around 8:00. This is a marquee matchup. The Rebels will throw their ace, Hunter Elliott, coming off his best start of the year. The Gators saved their ace, Liam Peterson, for this one, setting up a blockbuster pitching matchup.
This is a win-and-host game for the Rebels, meaning you have to empty the tank to win it. Morris, McCausland, and Spencer all need to be ready to go, and the leash on Hunter, which is typically long (for good reason), needs to be much shorter in this one.