The Ole Miss Rebels played on Sunday in Hoover for an SEC Championship for the first time since 2019 yesterday. While they came up short, dropping the game 3-2 to the red-hot Vanderbilt Commodores, that should not take anything away from what this team accomplished the last two weeks.
It all started last weekend when they knocked off the top 10 Auburn Tigers in an Oxford series, which packed them into the hosting conversation. Many thought they had to win at least one in Hoover to have a shot at hosting, and they accomplished that and much more.
Hunter Elliott dazzled again against Florida on Wednesday night, going nearly six scoreless innings. He has continued to improve and is looking more and more like the pitcher who helped lead the Rebels to the National Championship now three seasons ago.
The Rebels then took on the top 5 Arkansas Razorbacks and rode a five-run offensive explosion in the first inning to a 5-2 victory. Riley Maddox was solid again in this outing, as he has also continued to get better and better over the course of the season. There is probably no pitcher who has benefited more from pitching coach Joel Mangrum this year than Maddox. Mason Morris and Connor Spencer were also great in this one, making back-to-back appearances.
Next up was the number 1 ranked LSU Tigers. The Rebels and Tigers couldn't meet in the regular season, so this was the only edition of the rivalry we got for this year. Will Furniss continued his breakout Junior campaign with a first-inning solo shot, and the Rebels never looked back.
Bianco handed the ball to true freshman Cade Townsend in this one, who was making his first career SEC start. Townsend has always had the stuff; he has struggled to put it all together in his freshman season. But Saturday afternoon was different, and he went nearly five innings of shutout ball, only allowing two hits. Townsend's development over the season has been crucial, and he is ready to be a significant contributor to postseason baseball. Beyond Townsend, Dennis and McCausland were great in relief, and Spencer shut the door for his third straight save in the tournament.
The Rebels' pitching was outstanding once again in the championship matchup. They went with three youngsters: Hooks, Rabe, and Calhoun. The game can be summed up in three pitches. Hooks had two outs in the first and had the Vandy batter in a 1-2 count, but he lost the grip of a breaking ball and hit the batter. Next up was phenom freshman Brody Johnson, who would hit a two-run bomb. Again, in the 5th, after the Rebels had cut the lead to one, Taylor Rabe, freshly in the game, missed his spot and allowed a solo shot.
The offense never got going and never really did this whole week. Part of that can be attributed to going up against some really good pitching teams in LSU and Vanderbilt, who had double buys and a lot of arms remaining. Another factor is the ballpark in Hoover; it just played big. Ole Miss relied on the long ball all season, and there were not a lot of hits all week in the Met. For example, in the 5th inning, Luke Hill drove one to the opposite field to the warning track, just missing what would've been just a three-run go-ahead home run. That flyout would've been a home run in many other ballparks this season. In my opinion, the offense shouldn't be too much of a concern heading into the tournament; they have been solid all season and will be ready to go.
While it certainly sucks to come up short of capturing a trophy, nothing should be taken away from what this team accomplished this week. First and foremost, they did more than enough to ensure postseason baseball returns to Oxford. There will be a regional tournament next weekend in Swayze, as announced by the NCAA on Sunday night, and that is massive for giving the Rebels the best chance to advance to a super regional. The full bracket and the other three teams going to Oxford next weekend will be revealed tomorrow.
Second, this team has continued to improve both on the mound and defensively. They played clean baseball all week long, which is one of the big reasons they made the run they did. The adage that defense wins championships is said for a reason. In the playoffs, the margins get thinner, and making errors makes it harder to win. The bullpen has continued to improve, and guys like Hooks and Rabe. Townsend and Calhoun look to be contributors. They have also figured out how to manage your three best arms in Morris, McCausland, and Spencer, getting multiple appearances out of them. That is going to be crucial next weekend in Oxford.