First, obviously, the win, but the way the pitching is set up is the best Ole Miss could hope for. Mike had Dougherty warming up, and if Miller falters there in the sixth or seventh, it's possible Ole Miss has to burn 39 but instead whether it's to start or relieve, he's fresh for today. Broadway hasn't pitched. Johnson has only thrown three pitches. I don't know what tonight brings, but it's a good situation for Ole Miss with personnel.
I mentioned it in the press conference video post, but Doug, man, he's something else. We seem to elevate past players in our minds and remember the good moments more than anything else. But in my 16 seasons covering this team, if I have to win one game, I want 26 on the mound. He's going to keep me in it, he's going to elevate his teammates and he's going to do everything he can vocally to keep people engaged. He's in the postgame PC last night and sending messages to his teammates. The dude knew he was winning last night. On Friday, he was thinking about what to say to his teammates today.
"In today's situation, I know my season is going to end in Omaha... It sucks to be a spectator, but I know our team is going to get it done. I know things are different (than 2019) and I know the vibe is completely different... I think we're going to play better than them tomorrow... I can explain the bats and arms and our relentless will to want to win these games and the intangibles. We play our best baseball with our backs against the wall and we showed that today. We'll show that tomorrow."
He's carried this team like no other pitcher has in my era. He deserved last night.
I mentioned it in the story last night, but Plumlee absolutely gives Ole Miss a bit of a spark and he's played well in the postseason. He's also handy in this huge park. He saved a run with his defense tracking down that double and he and Dunhurst turned the lineup over, something that hasn't happened for Ole Miss. There are still holes, but that was huge to get it back to Gonzalez who is already one of the nation's best players.
Arizona hasn't announced a starter, but I assume it's right-hander Chandler Murphy. The COVID freshman has a 3.63 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 25 walks in 62 innings. He's only allowed more than three earned runs twice all season and more than two just four times. He's given up two or fewer runs each outing since April 13 when Grand Canyon put up three in 1.2 innings. He doesn't last deep into games though. He's only thrown more than 85 pitches once this season, and it's usually in the 60s or 70s. He hasn't pitched more than five innings since February.
There's not some major scouting report here. Murphy is a prototypical Division I right-hander. The mechanics are really good with a loose delivery. He's another high leg kick guy who can create some deception with it. It's in the low 90s as a max with some ride. He'll try to elevate it. He has this breaking ball that has downward break and he's been inconsistent with throwing it for strikes. Sometimes it's great and he's trouble and sometimes he has no feel for it. He has a changeup but I'm not sure he trusts it. When he throws it, it can look really good with fade, but I'm just not seeing it much. He threw five shutout innings against Arizona State and didn't use it once. So I don't know. I guess I expect a two-pitch mix mostly.
I don't know of a comp, but he reminds me of Drew McDaniel a little bit. He's been more consistent than McDaniel, but trust with secondary stuff can pop up, and it's not overpowering. If there are a lot of Ks, it's because Ole Miss is swinging at stuff it shouldn't be swinging at. He's a low-end Saturday or high to middle Sunday guy in the SEC. The question is can Ole Miss get to him early to settle in and then run him by the end of the fifth, keying on Arizona's bullpen issues with those two relievers out.
I mentioned it in the press conference video post, but Doug, man, he's something else. We seem to elevate past players in our minds and remember the good moments more than anything else. But in my 16 seasons covering this team, if I have to win one game, I want 26 on the mound. He's going to keep me in it, he's going to elevate his teammates and he's going to do everything he can vocally to keep people engaged. He's in the postgame PC last night and sending messages to his teammates. The dude knew he was winning last night. On Friday, he was thinking about what to say to his teammates today.
"In today's situation, I know my season is going to end in Omaha... It sucks to be a spectator, but I know our team is going to get it done. I know things are different (than 2019) and I know the vibe is completely different... I think we're going to play better than them tomorrow... I can explain the bats and arms and our relentless will to want to win these games and the intangibles. We play our best baseball with our backs against the wall and we showed that today. We'll show that tomorrow."
He's carried this team like no other pitcher has in my era. He deserved last night.
I mentioned it in the story last night, but Plumlee absolutely gives Ole Miss a bit of a spark and he's played well in the postseason. He's also handy in this huge park. He saved a run with his defense tracking down that double and he and Dunhurst turned the lineup over, something that hasn't happened for Ole Miss. There are still holes, but that was huge to get it back to Gonzalez who is already one of the nation's best players.
Arizona hasn't announced a starter, but I assume it's right-hander Chandler Murphy. The COVID freshman has a 3.63 ERA with 61 strikeouts and 25 walks in 62 innings. He's only allowed more than three earned runs twice all season and more than two just four times. He's given up two or fewer runs each outing since April 13 when Grand Canyon put up three in 1.2 innings. He doesn't last deep into games though. He's only thrown more than 85 pitches once this season, and it's usually in the 60s or 70s. He hasn't pitched more than five innings since February.
There's not some major scouting report here. Murphy is a prototypical Division I right-hander. The mechanics are really good with a loose delivery. He's another high leg kick guy who can create some deception with it. It's in the low 90s as a max with some ride. He'll try to elevate it. He has this breaking ball that has downward break and he's been inconsistent with throwing it for strikes. Sometimes it's great and he's trouble and sometimes he has no feel for it. He has a changeup but I'm not sure he trusts it. When he throws it, it can look really good with fade, but I'm just not seeing it much. He threw five shutout innings against Arizona State and didn't use it once. So I don't know. I guess I expect a two-pitch mix mostly.
I don't know of a comp, but he reminds me of Drew McDaniel a little bit. He's been more consistent than McDaniel, but trust with secondary stuff can pop up, and it's not overpowering. If there are a lot of Ks, it's because Ole Miss is swinging at stuff it shouldn't be swinging at. He's a low-end Saturday or high to middle Sunday guy in the SEC. The question is can Ole Miss get to him early to settle in and then run him by the end of the fifth, keying on Arizona's bullpen issues with those two relievers out.
