Man, that was fun from just a college baseball environment standpoint last night. The crowd was huge, and it had a postseason feel to it. Earlier in the week I mentioned to Mike Bianco that Ole Miss and Arkansas seem to always play memorable series and intense games. He commented that maybe it's because the series is at the end of the year, but I think it's been more than that. Ole Miss baseball hasn't followed traditional rivals as far as intensity. Instead the most intense games have been against Vanderbilt and Arkansas, and this one is no exception.
Nick Fortes last night commented that Ole Miss hasn't won a postseason game in a few years (it's been since 2014), and I think there's a chip on the Rebels' shoulders right now. They are incredibly tough -- even in losses -- and so is Arkansas. It's made for two really good games and some drama.
James McArthur has to locate and mix in his offspeed today. Arkansas won't miss a plethora of fastballs over the course of four or five innings. And Ole Miss has to stay on Kacey Murphy. The fastball is high 80s, but the pitch to not chase or make an issue is this 70s curve ball that can be sort of loopy. Murphy can also have release point issues, so selective aggressiveness is required. It's a profile that has given past Ole Miss teams trouble.
Brady Feigl's four walks were too many, but the stuff was really good last better. Better than box score shows. There was very little hard contact and there were three infield singles that contributed to the Arkansas production. Feigl showed a lot of early and middle-game changeups before going back to the fastball late. It was a scouting report change that should help him avoid tendency trouble in future weeks. Very effective.
I want to keep this in context. Ole Miss wouldn't be where it is without Parker Caracci. His ninth inning was incredibly impressive, as he hit 96 MPH and worked well on the knees with that fastball. He also mixed in the slider which I'll get to in a second. However, in saying that, he needs adequate rest, and he's been living dangerously. He's given up 13 hits in the past 9.1 innings, including two hits in six straight outings before last night. A few fly balls have been dangerously close to leaving the yard, too.
Some of that is he's relying on the fastball in some of these appearances, and last night was a good step in featuring the breaking ball to a greater extent. As he gets experience I also think he will adjust fastball velocity. At the higher velocity he can throw at, the fastball somewhat flattens out, so when it's caught up to, it goes a long way. He has more run and cut around 93. Again: high class problem currently but some tweaks needed.
Ryan Olenek has 12 hits in the past 5 games with a dislocated finger. He admitted last night it hurts to do most any baseball movement. He's the top of the lineup spark plug lately. Grae Kessinger and Thomas Dillard are a combined 2-for-15 with seven strikeouts in the series. Nick Fortes is 1-for-7, but the one was quite the important one last night.
Greer Holston has gotten past a back injury and is dealing the last couple weeks. More on him in the next couple days, but it makes the bullpen that much more dangerous. He hit 96 MPH last night.
Dallas Woolfolk topped out at 92 MPH last night, but he has lately relied on the other pitches to manage it. Huge strikeout last night.
Cole Zabowski's improvement year over year is really impressive. The at-bats look totally different against pitchers from both sides. I'll investigate that next week.
If he throws strikes, Will Stokes might be a good matchup against Arkansas. A bit of a different look in relief today.
FRIDAY SEC SCORES
Georgia 3, Texas A&M 0 (UGA 2-0; this is 6 straight UGA SEC series wins dating back to last year. I picked them as my surprise team)
Auburn 5, Mizzou 2 (AU 1-0)
Alabama 4, Kentucky 2 (Bama 1-0)
South Carolina 6, Tennessee 2 (USC 2-0)
State 4, LSU 1 (1-1)
Florida 8, Vanderbilt 4 (UF 1-0)
Nick Fortes last night commented that Ole Miss hasn't won a postseason game in a few years (it's been since 2014), and I think there's a chip on the Rebels' shoulders right now. They are incredibly tough -- even in losses -- and so is Arkansas. It's made for two really good games and some drama.
James McArthur has to locate and mix in his offspeed today. Arkansas won't miss a plethora of fastballs over the course of four or five innings. And Ole Miss has to stay on Kacey Murphy. The fastball is high 80s, but the pitch to not chase or make an issue is this 70s curve ball that can be sort of loopy. Murphy can also have release point issues, so selective aggressiveness is required. It's a profile that has given past Ole Miss teams trouble.
Brady Feigl's four walks were too many, but the stuff was really good last better. Better than box score shows. There was very little hard contact and there were three infield singles that contributed to the Arkansas production. Feigl showed a lot of early and middle-game changeups before going back to the fastball late. It was a scouting report change that should help him avoid tendency trouble in future weeks. Very effective.
I want to keep this in context. Ole Miss wouldn't be where it is without Parker Caracci. His ninth inning was incredibly impressive, as he hit 96 MPH and worked well on the knees with that fastball. He also mixed in the slider which I'll get to in a second. However, in saying that, he needs adequate rest, and he's been living dangerously. He's given up 13 hits in the past 9.1 innings, including two hits in six straight outings before last night. A few fly balls have been dangerously close to leaving the yard, too.
Some of that is he's relying on the fastball in some of these appearances, and last night was a good step in featuring the breaking ball to a greater extent. As he gets experience I also think he will adjust fastball velocity. At the higher velocity he can throw at, the fastball somewhat flattens out, so when it's caught up to, it goes a long way. He has more run and cut around 93. Again: high class problem currently but some tweaks needed.
Ryan Olenek has 12 hits in the past 5 games with a dislocated finger. He admitted last night it hurts to do most any baseball movement. He's the top of the lineup spark plug lately. Grae Kessinger and Thomas Dillard are a combined 2-for-15 with seven strikeouts in the series. Nick Fortes is 1-for-7, but the one was quite the important one last night.
Greer Holston has gotten past a back injury and is dealing the last couple weeks. More on him in the next couple days, but it makes the bullpen that much more dangerous. He hit 96 MPH last night.
Dallas Woolfolk topped out at 92 MPH last night, but he has lately relied on the other pitches to manage it. Huge strikeout last night.
Cole Zabowski's improvement year over year is really impressive. The at-bats look totally different against pitchers from both sides. I'll investigate that next week.
If he throws strikes, Will Stokes might be a good matchup against Arkansas. A bit of a different look in relief today.
FRIDAY SEC SCORES
Georgia 3, Texas A&M 0 (UGA 2-0; this is 6 straight UGA SEC series wins dating back to last year. I picked them as my surprise team)
Auburn 5, Mizzou 2 (AU 1-0)
Alabama 4, Kentucky 2 (Bama 1-0)
South Carolina 6, Tennessee 2 (USC 2-0)
State 4, LSU 1 (1-1)
Florida 8, Vanderbilt 4 (UF 1-0)
