There’s something to be said for a pitcher who knows exactly what he is and, maybe more importantly, what he’s become.
Taylor Rabe isn’t throwing the first pitch of Ole Miss’ postseason run.
That belongs to Hunter Elliott when the Rebels open the Lincoln Regional against Arizona State on Friday. Don’t let the rotation order fool you.
Rabe’s turned into the guy Mike Bianco and Joel Mangrum trust the most when it matters.
That didn’t happen overnight.
A year ago, Rabe was working out of the bullpen during the Oxford Regional. Now he’s one of the top starting pitchers on the staff. That’s a big jump in a short amount of time, and he’s got the late-season numbers to back it up.
From Reliever to Rotation Anchor
Rabe’s closing stretch of the regular season was hard to ignore. In his final two starts, he struck out 27 batters combined with 14 against Texas A&M and 13 against Alabama.
That Alabama start on May 15 was something else going six innings and giving up zero runs.
He talked about what that transition from bullpen arm to starting pitcher taught him heading into this weekend in Lincoln.
“Being in the bullpen, you know exactly what the bare minimum is you need to do to get ready to come in and pitch,” Rabe said Thursday. “Then when you start, you have so much time. It’s different.
“I’ve learned about scouting hitters better from starting, and I’ve learned about preparing my body to be ready quick from coming out of the bullpen. Combining both of those has been cool.”
That’s a pitcher who may have figured out how to get the best of both worlds. The quick-prep mindset of a reliever paired with the film-study habits of a starter. That combination is a tough thing to teach.
SEC Play Built His Foundation
His SEC numbers weren’t eye-popping on the surface. Rabe went 2-3 with a 4.70 ERA over 10 appearances in conference play. The way he finished is what matters most heading into a regional where Ole Miss has real College World Series aspirations.
Lincoln is about 55 miles from Omaha. Bianco and his staff know what’s at stake, and they didn’t shuffle the rotation. Elliott gets Friday. Rabe gets his shot Saturday or Sunday depending on how the opener goes.
The decision to keep things status quo says something. Bianco didn’t feel the need to bump Rabe into the Friday role even with the postseason beginning. That’s trust built over a full season of work.
The Road Regional Factor
For most of the Rebels roster, this is their first time playing a regional away from Oxford.
Players like Will Furniss, Judd Utermark and Hayden Federico have regional experience from last year, but that came at Oxford-University Stadium in front of a home crowd.
This is different. Lincoln is someone else’s turf.
But Federico, just a sophomore, talked about leaning on everything the SEC grind taught him.
“I know I’m only a sophomore, but being able to go through that 30-game gauntlet last year in the SEC and then the SEC Tournament run and the Regional at home, I learned a lot and I failed a lot,” Federico said. “That was a good thing. I’m excited to take those experiences with me and play good this weekend.”
If Federico’s buying in to the lessons of experience, so is Rabe.
He’s been through a regional. He’s been through the SEC. He knows what a big strikeout feels like in a moment that counts.
The Rebs didn’t put him on the mound first this weekend.
But when his name gets called, he’ll probably be ready.
