LHP John Doxakis 3-0, 1.65ERA, 27.1 IP
He wasn't a big time recruit, but he showed up in College Station and gave the Aggies nearly 50 innings last season, holding opponents to a .237 batting average against. The SEC action was uneven, as he appeared in seven games an had a 7.71 ERA but did strike out `14 in nine-plus innings.
This season he's had six appearances and three starts and is holding opponents to a .174 batting average against. He's given up just five extra base hits in 27.1 innings, so it's about piecing the most out of chances rather than some bombs away opportunity. He's struck out 23, walked six and hit four.
He's a left-hander with velocity that should sit in the low 90s -- but is known to fall into the high 80s -- and while it's hard enough to give poor at-bats trouble, it hasn't really had a lot of late life or run to be a consistently viable plus pitch. He throws it from this short-arm three-quarters release that's a tad violent and can be deceptive the first time you see it. His next best pitch is a changeup he can throw in the low 80s and is the pitch that will decide tonight in my opinion. It has sinking action and comes out of his hand with same arm speed and slot as the fastball. Even though he has some velocity, if he's on, the changeup is the best pitch.
He also has a slider that he likes against left-handers. He'll sweep it in there as an out pitch. There's not a lefty in the Ole Miss lineup currently, so I'll be curious to see how much he uses it against right-handers. It'll probably look more like a traditional slider against batters from that side.
He's a solid SEC pitcher, and Ole Miss needs to identify fastball and leave that changeup alone unless he floats it. It's a good test against a pitcher who has a decent offering that was the nemesis a year ago. all.
You'll be able to tell the quality of Ole Miss' at-bats by how hard they hit the fastball. They should square a few if they have the correct approach. It's semi-hard from a quirky delivery but not intimidating.
He wasn't a big time recruit, but he showed up in College Station and gave the Aggies nearly 50 innings last season, holding opponents to a .237 batting average against. The SEC action was uneven, as he appeared in seven games an had a 7.71 ERA but did strike out `14 in nine-plus innings.
This season he's had six appearances and three starts and is holding opponents to a .174 batting average against. He's given up just five extra base hits in 27.1 innings, so it's about piecing the most out of chances rather than some bombs away opportunity. He's struck out 23, walked six and hit four.
He's a left-hander with velocity that should sit in the low 90s -- but is known to fall into the high 80s -- and while it's hard enough to give poor at-bats trouble, it hasn't really had a lot of late life or run to be a consistently viable plus pitch. He throws it from this short-arm three-quarters release that's a tad violent and can be deceptive the first time you see it. His next best pitch is a changeup he can throw in the low 80s and is the pitch that will decide tonight in my opinion. It has sinking action and comes out of his hand with same arm speed and slot as the fastball. Even though he has some velocity, if he's on, the changeup is the best pitch.
He also has a slider that he likes against left-handers. He'll sweep it in there as an out pitch. There's not a lefty in the Ole Miss lineup currently, so I'll be curious to see how much he uses it against right-handers. It'll probably look more like a traditional slider against batters from that side.
He's a solid SEC pitcher, and Ole Miss needs to identify fastball and leave that changeup alone unless he floats it. It's a good test against a pitcher who has a decent offering that was the nemesis a year ago. all.
You'll be able to tell the quality of Ole Miss' at-bats by how hard they hit the fastball. They should square a few if they have the correct approach. It's semi-hard from a quirky delivery but not intimidating.
