Photo by Petre Thomas/Ole Miss Athletics
Fresh off of a thrilling Southeastern Conference series victory over then-No. 5 Arkansas, the No. 3 Ole Miss baseball team earned two individual honors from the league office.
Sophomore right-hander Parker Caracci was named SEC Pitcher of the Week, while third baseman Tyler Keenan shared Freshman of the Week honors with LSU right-hander Ma’Khail Hilliard.
Caracci earned saves in all three of the Rebels’ wins this week, all one-run contests against nationally ranked opponents. The third-year sophomore out of Jackson didn’t allow an earned run in 4.2 innings of work, walking two and striking out five along the way.
Caracci’s week began with a five-out save on Tuesday in which he stymied a strong offensive club in No. 14 Southern Miss to preserve a 7-6 win. The highlight of his week came in Game 2 against Arkansas, one of the best offensive teams in college baseball. Caracci struck out the side in the ninth inning as part of a six-out save. He was thrust back into action the next day, shutting the door on a wild 11-10 win to give Ole Miss its third straight SEC series victory.
Keenan was also instrumental to that Game 3 victory over the Razorbacks. The freshman out of Clayton, North Carolina, hit the game-winning 3-run home run and represented the game-deciding run in front of 11,146, the fifth-largest crowd ever at Swayze Field.
He was 3-for-4 in that game with three runs scored and three more batted in. He also went 1-for-3 with an RBI in Game 2’s 5-4 victory. For the week, Keenan slashed a team-best .583/.833/.615, totaling four runs scored and four RBI.
Caracci is the second Rebel hurler to earn Pitcher of the Week honors this season. Sophomore LHP Ryan Rolison got the nod in the opening week of the season. Keenan is the fourth Rebel on this year’s roster to have earned Freshman of the Week honors. Will Golsan won it in 2015, James McArthur in 2016 and Rolison in 2017.
For all Ole Miss Baseball news and information, visit the official athletics site OleMissSports.com. For more social media updates, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Baseball and on Instagram at olemissbsb.
Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports
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