Matchup: Ole Miss (29-24, 14-13 SEC) at Texas A&M (42-9, 17-9 SEC)
Date: May 14-16, 2015
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Swayze Field
Capacity: 10,323
Television: ESPNU (Thurs.)/SEC Network+ (Fri./Sat.)
Tom Hart/Richard Cross, play-by-play
Chris Burke/David Dellucci, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
David Kellum, play-by-play
Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Texas A&M leads 6-5
Last Series: May 15-17, 2014
Ole Miss won 2-1
College Station, Texas
QUICK HITS
- Ole Miss is riding a season-high five-game winning streak after a 17-3 victory over Arkansas State Tuesday
- Ole Miss is currently 33rd in RPI with the nation's toughest schedule
- If the season ended today, Ole Miss would face South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Tournament
- During the Rebel's winning streak, senior Sikes Orvis is hitting .600 with 12 hits, 7 home runs, two doubles, 16 RBI, 11 runs and a 1.750 slugging percentage
- Orvis is currently ranked 10th all-time in Ole Miss history with 34 career home runs; his 16 home runs in 2015 are tied for the seventh-most in a single season
- Sophomore Wyatt Short pitched in all three games over the weekend, collecting two saves and one win to earn SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors
- Seven of Short's nine saves have been in SEC play, which leads the conference
- The Rebels are 6-5 against top-10 teams this season
- Ole Miss ranks second in the nation in attendance in 2015, averaging 8,066 fans per game for a total attendance of 225,873
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
THURSDAY, 6:30 P.M.
Texas A&M - Grayson Long, Jr., RHP, 8-0, 2.84 ERA
Ole Miss - Christian Trent, Jr., LHP, 7-5, 3.68 ERA
FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M.
Texas A&M - Ryan Hendrix, So., RHP, 4-1, 3.48 ERA
Ole Miss - Brady Bramlett, R-So., RHP, 6-3, 3.73 ERA
SATURDAY, 1:30 P.M.
Texas A&M - TBA
Ole Miss - TBA
A LOOK AT THE AGGIES
The Aggies started off the season as the nation's hottest team, winning their first 24 games and earning the nation's No. 1 ranking. Since then, Texas A&M has dropped from the No. 1 spot but still have remained in the top-10 in multiple national polls, currently seventh in the country. Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the Aggies are 42-9, including 17-9 in conference action. The combination of solid pitching and a potent offense has been the key to the success of Texas A&M. Junior Grayson Long has been as efficient as the Aggies could have asked for; the right-hander is 8-0 in 13 starts while posting a 2.84 ERA. Six Aggies had batting averages over the .300 clip. Blake Allemand, Nick Banks, Logan Taylor and Mitchell Nau eclipse the .350 plateau as Texas A&M hits .317 as a team. Head coach for the Aggies is Rob Childress, who is in his 10th season at the helm.
SIKES HITTING EQUALS OLE MISS WINNING
Ole Miss has developed a five-game winning streak due to solid pitching, hitting and fielding as a team. Nonetheless, there is one Rebel who has led the way at the plate. Senior co-captain Sikes Orvis is hitting at an incredible .600 clip during the winning streak along with three multi-homer games. Through the five games, Orvis has 12 hits, seven home runs, two doubles, 11 runs and 16 RBI. With nine of his 12 hits going for extra bases, the first baseman has boasted a 1.750 slugging percentage to help the Rebels to their longest winning streak of the season.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
With his two home runs against Arkansas State on Tuesday, Sikes Orvisetched his name in the Ole Miss record books. The senior slugger now has 34 career home runs, ranking 10th in program history. His 34rd career homer was also the 16th of the year for Orvis, which is tied for the seventh-most by a Rebel in a single season. Kyle Gordon is the Ole Miss career home run record holder with 48, while Jason Huisman and Brian Pettway hit 21 homers in different seasons to share the single season mark. Orvis is one home run away from tying Pettway for ninth on the all-time list. He is also 10th on the list for most walks in a single season with 38; teammate J.B. Woodman's 39 walks lead the Rebels in 2015, ranking seventh in Ole Miss laurels.
SHORT NAMED SEC CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Wyatt Short was been named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week, the conference office announced Monday, May 11. The left-handed reliever earns the accolade for the first time in career after a stellar weekend against rival Mississippi State. Short became the third Rebel to earn a weekly award from the conference office this season. Scott Weathersby was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week, April 13, and Will Golsan collected SEC Freshman of the Week honors, March 23. Short finished all three games on the mound this weekend for Ole Miss, helping the Rebels capture a season sweep over the Bulldogs for the first time since 2010. The southpaw earned saves in the first two contests before claiming the win in the series finale. He pitched one scoreless inning in each game without allowing a hit, retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced throughout the weekend and striking out four of them. This season, Short leads Ole Miss relievers with four wins and nine saves. Seven of his nine saves have been in SEC play, which sits atop the conference ranks. Along with an ERA of 1.56, Short has struck out 39 hitters over 34.2 innings. He has not allowed a run to score in 17 of his 20 appearances. Opponents are hitting just .214 against the sophomore in 2015.
WEATHERSBY ANNOUNCED AS FERRISS TROPHY FINALIST
Senior Scott Weathersby was named a finalist for the C Spire Ferriss Trophy, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum announced Monday, May 11. Weathersby is one of five finalists up for the award, named for Mississippi baseball legend Boo Ferriss, which will be presented to the most outstanding baseball player in the state of Mississippi at a luncheon on May 18. Weathersby is looking to become the sixth Diamond Rebel to win the Ferriss Trophy. Last season, Ole Miss outfielder Auston Bousfield took home the honor, joining previous Rebels Stephen Head (2004), Brian Pettway (2005), Scott Bittle (2008) and Drew Pomeranz (2010) in claiming the award.
PERKINS PRODUCES IN DH ROLE
Since taking advantage of his opportunities while playing in his home state of Missouri, freshman Nic Perkins has settled into his new role as the team's starting designated hitter. The St. Charles, Missouri native went a combined 4-for-6 seeing action in two games. After going 2-for-2 off the bench on Saturday, Perkins got his first career start as a Rebel and recorded a pair of hits to solidify his starting spot. Since his appearance off the bench, Perkins has recorded a hit in each game, going 9-for-22 (.409) and increasing his hitting streak to six games. He smacked the first extra-base hit of his career to help Ole Miss defeat MSU, 13-10 on Saturday. Then, in the 10th inning of the series finale, Perkins drove in the game-winning run, capping off the Rebels' thrilling five-run comeback for the walk-off victory.
CLOSING OUT GAMES
Ole Miss has been efficient in closing out games this season. While the Rebels have four come-from-behind wins despite trailing after the eighth inning, they are a perfect 22-0 when holding their own lead through eight innings. A credit to Ole Miss capping off victories is the back end of the bullpen. The quartet of Wyatt Short, Will Stokes, Jacob Waguespack andScott Weathersby has combined for 16 saves this season. Short leads the way as the team's primary closer with nine saves, but Stokes and Weathersby each have three as well. Waguespack earned his first career save against No. 1 Vanderbilt. Along with the impressive record after eight innings of play, the Rebels are 10-3 in one-run games.
WEATHERING THE STORM
Scott Weathersby has been a leader to a youthful Ole Miss baseball team. On the mound this season, Weathersby has posted a 2.39 ERA in 16 appearances, including the first three starts of his career. Through 49.0 innings of work, he has struck out 48 batters, while only walking 12. Perhaps the most impressive statistic of all by the Hattiesburg, Miss. native is that he is holding opposing hitters to just a .208 average at the plate. Weathersby's veteran presence on the mound showed against No. 1 Vanderbilt, April 10, as he retired 18 of the 21 batters he faced in a six-inning relief appearance. The senior right-hander struck out a career-high 10 hitters and got out of a bases-loaded jam, all while keeping the nation's top-ranked team off the scoreboard. Behind Weathersby, the Rebels stayed alive in the extra-inning contest before winning in the 16th. Weathersby shut the door to collect the win on the road. Weathersby continued his dominance as he got the start against rival Mississippi State in the Governor's Cup. The senior tossed a career-high seven innings without allowing a run, earning MVP honors and leading Ole Miss to an 11-1 victory.
SHORT'S STUFF
Sophomore southpaw Wyatt Short has been a shutdown reliever out of the Ole Miss bullpen this season. In 20 appearances, Short has a 4-1 record, nine saves, an impressive 1.56 ERA, 39 strikeouts, only 12 walks and just six earned runs over 34.2 innings. His win total and number of saves are team highs out of Rebel relievers as he had held opposing hitters to a .214 average at the plate.
SEC TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
The top 12 teams will qualify for the tournament with the top four seeds earning byes to the double-elimination format. Seeds 5 through 12 will square off on May 19 with the losers of the four games going home and the winners advancing to double-elimination play. If the season ended today, Ole Miss would head to the tournament as the No. 7 seed and face No. 10 seed South Carolina in a single elimination contest.
-UM-
Date: May 14-16, 2015
Location: Oxford, Miss.
Venue: Swayze Field
Capacity: 10,323
Television: ESPNU (Thurs.)/SEC Network+ (Fri./Sat.)
Tom Hart/Richard Cross, play-by-play
Chris Burke/David Dellucci, analyst
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
David Kellum, play-by-play
Keith Kessinger, analyst
Live Audio: OleMissSports.com
Series: Texas A&M leads 6-5
Last Series: May 15-17, 2014
Ole Miss won 2-1
College Station, Texas
QUICK HITS
- Ole Miss is riding a season-high five-game winning streak after a 17-3 victory over Arkansas State Tuesday
- Ole Miss is currently 33rd in RPI with the nation's toughest schedule
- If the season ended today, Ole Miss would face South Carolina in the first round of the SEC Tournament
- During the Rebel's winning streak, senior Sikes Orvis is hitting .600 with 12 hits, 7 home runs, two doubles, 16 RBI, 11 runs and a 1.750 slugging percentage
- Orvis is currently ranked 10th all-time in Ole Miss history with 34 career home runs; his 16 home runs in 2015 are tied for the seventh-most in a single season
- Sophomore Wyatt Short pitched in all three games over the weekend, collecting two saves and one win to earn SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week honors
- Seven of Short's nine saves have been in SEC play, which leads the conference
- The Rebels are 6-5 against top-10 teams this season
- Ole Miss ranks second in the nation in attendance in 2015, averaging 8,066 fans per game for a total attendance of 225,873
PROBABLE PITCHING MATCHUPS
THURSDAY, 6:30 P.M.
Texas A&M - Grayson Long, Jr., RHP, 8-0, 2.84 ERA
Ole Miss - Christian Trent, Jr., LHP, 7-5, 3.68 ERA
FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M.
Texas A&M - Ryan Hendrix, So., RHP, 4-1, 3.48 ERA
Ole Miss - Brady Bramlett, R-So., RHP, 6-3, 3.73 ERA
SATURDAY, 1:30 P.M.
Texas A&M - TBA
Ole Miss - TBA
A LOOK AT THE AGGIES
The Aggies started off the season as the nation's hottest team, winning their first 24 games and earning the nation's No. 1 ranking. Since then, Texas A&M has dropped from the No. 1 spot but still have remained in the top-10 in multiple national polls, currently seventh in the country. Entering the final weekend of the regular season, the Aggies are 42-9, including 17-9 in conference action. The combination of solid pitching and a potent offense has been the key to the success of Texas A&M. Junior Grayson Long has been as efficient as the Aggies could have asked for; the right-hander is 8-0 in 13 starts while posting a 2.84 ERA. Six Aggies had batting averages over the .300 clip. Blake Allemand, Nick Banks, Logan Taylor and Mitchell Nau eclipse the .350 plateau as Texas A&M hits .317 as a team. Head coach for the Aggies is Rob Childress, who is in his 10th season at the helm.
SIKES HITTING EQUALS OLE MISS WINNING
Ole Miss has developed a five-game winning streak due to solid pitching, hitting and fielding as a team. Nonetheless, there is one Rebel who has led the way at the plate. Senior co-captain Sikes Orvis is hitting at an incredible .600 clip during the winning streak along with three multi-homer games. Through the five games, Orvis has 12 hits, seven home runs, two doubles, 11 runs and 16 RBI. With nine of his 12 hits going for extra bases, the first baseman has boasted a 1.750 slugging percentage to help the Rebels to their longest winning streak of the season.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
With his two home runs against Arkansas State on Tuesday, Sikes Orvisetched his name in the Ole Miss record books. The senior slugger now has 34 career home runs, ranking 10th in program history. His 34rd career homer was also the 16th of the year for Orvis, which is tied for the seventh-most by a Rebel in a single season. Kyle Gordon is the Ole Miss career home run record holder with 48, while Jason Huisman and Brian Pettway hit 21 homers in different seasons to share the single season mark. Orvis is one home run away from tying Pettway for ninth on the all-time list. He is also 10th on the list for most walks in a single season with 38; teammate J.B. Woodman's 39 walks lead the Rebels in 2015, ranking seventh in Ole Miss laurels.
SHORT NAMED SEC CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Wyatt Short was been named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week, the conference office announced Monday, May 11. The left-handed reliever earns the accolade for the first time in career after a stellar weekend against rival Mississippi State. Short became the third Rebel to earn a weekly award from the conference office this season. Scott Weathersby was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week, April 13, and Will Golsan collected SEC Freshman of the Week honors, March 23. Short finished all three games on the mound this weekend for Ole Miss, helping the Rebels capture a season sweep over the Bulldogs for the first time since 2010. The southpaw earned saves in the first two contests before claiming the win in the series finale. He pitched one scoreless inning in each game without allowing a hit, retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced throughout the weekend and striking out four of them. This season, Short leads Ole Miss relievers with four wins and nine saves. Seven of his nine saves have been in SEC play, which sits atop the conference ranks. Along with an ERA of 1.56, Short has struck out 39 hitters over 34.2 innings. He has not allowed a run to score in 17 of his 20 appearances. Opponents are hitting just .214 against the sophomore in 2015.
WEATHERSBY ANNOUNCED AS FERRISS TROPHY FINALIST
Senior Scott Weathersby was named a finalist for the C Spire Ferriss Trophy, the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum announced Monday, May 11. Weathersby is one of five finalists up for the award, named for Mississippi baseball legend Boo Ferriss, which will be presented to the most outstanding baseball player in the state of Mississippi at a luncheon on May 18. Weathersby is looking to become the sixth Diamond Rebel to win the Ferriss Trophy. Last season, Ole Miss outfielder Auston Bousfield took home the honor, joining previous Rebels Stephen Head (2004), Brian Pettway (2005), Scott Bittle (2008) and Drew Pomeranz (2010) in claiming the award.
PERKINS PRODUCES IN DH ROLE
Since taking advantage of his opportunities while playing in his home state of Missouri, freshman Nic Perkins has settled into his new role as the team's starting designated hitter. The St. Charles, Missouri native went a combined 4-for-6 seeing action in two games. After going 2-for-2 off the bench on Saturday, Perkins got his first career start as a Rebel and recorded a pair of hits to solidify his starting spot. Since his appearance off the bench, Perkins has recorded a hit in each game, going 9-for-22 (.409) and increasing his hitting streak to six games. He smacked the first extra-base hit of his career to help Ole Miss defeat MSU, 13-10 on Saturday. Then, in the 10th inning of the series finale, Perkins drove in the game-winning run, capping off the Rebels' thrilling five-run comeback for the walk-off victory.
CLOSING OUT GAMES
Ole Miss has been efficient in closing out games this season. While the Rebels have four come-from-behind wins despite trailing after the eighth inning, they are a perfect 22-0 when holding their own lead through eight innings. A credit to Ole Miss capping off victories is the back end of the bullpen. The quartet of Wyatt Short, Will Stokes, Jacob Waguespack andScott Weathersby has combined for 16 saves this season. Short leads the way as the team's primary closer with nine saves, but Stokes and Weathersby each have three as well. Waguespack earned his first career save against No. 1 Vanderbilt. Along with the impressive record after eight innings of play, the Rebels are 10-3 in one-run games.
WEATHERING THE STORM
Scott Weathersby has been a leader to a youthful Ole Miss baseball team. On the mound this season, Weathersby has posted a 2.39 ERA in 16 appearances, including the first three starts of his career. Through 49.0 innings of work, he has struck out 48 batters, while only walking 12. Perhaps the most impressive statistic of all by the Hattiesburg, Miss. native is that he is holding opposing hitters to just a .208 average at the plate. Weathersby's veteran presence on the mound showed against No. 1 Vanderbilt, April 10, as he retired 18 of the 21 batters he faced in a six-inning relief appearance. The senior right-hander struck out a career-high 10 hitters and got out of a bases-loaded jam, all while keeping the nation's top-ranked team off the scoreboard. Behind Weathersby, the Rebels stayed alive in the extra-inning contest before winning in the 16th. Weathersby shut the door to collect the win on the road. Weathersby continued his dominance as he got the start against rival Mississippi State in the Governor's Cup. The senior tossed a career-high seven innings without allowing a run, earning MVP honors and leading Ole Miss to an 11-1 victory.
SHORT'S STUFF
Sophomore southpaw Wyatt Short has been a shutdown reliever out of the Ole Miss bullpen this season. In 20 appearances, Short has a 4-1 record, nine saves, an impressive 1.56 ERA, 39 strikeouts, only 12 walks and just six earned runs over 34.2 innings. His win total and number of saves are team highs out of Rebel relievers as he had held opposing hitters to a .214 average at the plate.
SEC TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
The top 12 teams will qualify for the tournament with the top four seeds earning byes to the double-elimination format. Seeds 5 through 12 will square off on May 19 with the losers of the four games going home and the winners advancing to double-elimination play. If the season ended today, Ole Miss would head to the tournament as the No. 7 seed and face No. 10 seed South Carolina in a single elimination contest.
-UM-
