No. 25 Ole Miss needed only seven innings to dispatch Southeast Missouri on Tuesday with Will Furniss hitting a three-run home run to end the game early, 13-3.
Afterwards, Furniss and Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco spoke with reporters about the game, as well as their upcoming trip to Houston for the Bruce Bolt Classic.
Here’s everything they said.
Mike Bianco, Head Coach
On Owen Kelly’s pitching performance…
Yeah, it obviously wasn’t the best night overall for the staff, but they hung in there. One of the things you feel good about is having Owen in the mix. He was kind of the wild card tonight. We could bring him in if there was an emergency which happened early or we could have him sit and wait for his opportunity. He was definitely going to pitch tonight. I was excited for him. He pitched well, threw the ball in the strike zone, and it was a pretty clean outing.
On Marko Sipila’s pitching performance…
It’s tough your first time out. I’m sure he wanted more than that, but it was really good to see him out there. There’s a lot more in the tank. It’s baby steps. He’s been through a lot, and I’m glad he got back out on the mound.
On Cannon Goldin…
Yeah, and a lot of guys are. That’s one of the fun parts of this. I know for you guys, too, everyone’s always wondering what the lineup is going to look like. As I’ve shared with the team, it takes all 38 guys. I know that sounds like coach-speak, but it’s true. We have different pieces — guys who can defend, guys who can steal bases, guys who can bunt, guys who bring something different.
In Cannon’s case, it’s his speed. That’s a dynamic we don’t have across the board, and he’s played really well since he got to campus. He’s going to continue to get opportunities and help us in a lot of different ways. I’m really proud of how he’s playing.
On Daniel Pacella…
He’s terrific. He’s a great, great teammate. A lot of eyes are on him — that’s no secret. He’s a high-profile guy, and nobody wants to do well more than he does.
He’s gotten off to a slow start, but that happens in baseball. He’s not the only one. We’ve had a few guys deal with that. It’s a long season. As we said today, he’s only had 18 at-bats. There are a lot of at-bats and a lot of games left. He’s going to be just fine.
On upcoming road trip to Houston…
I know our guys are excited. We love playing at Swayze, but I think we’re ready to get on the road, play on another field, and compete against a really good group of teams. There are two Power Five teams and a team that played for the national championship last year. We’re playing in a Major League stadium. This is the trip we take every year before SEC play to work out the kinks — learning road routines, meetings, travel, and how everything flows. I know the guys are really looking forward to it.
Will Furniss
On his game-ending home run Tuesday…
Yeah, Cade Townsend looked at me when I was on deck, and he looked like he was ready to go home. He just said, “Furniss homer.” So I figured that was the moment to finally break out of my singles-only slump. I swung really hard. I was sitting dead red fastball, and he gave it to me thankfully. Because if he’d thrown me a curveball, I probably would’ve swung at it in the dirt. So yeah, that one worked out.
Townsend was very clear that he wanted to go home, and I was like, “Alright, I’ll try.” I’m a man of the people.
On Rebels’ offense…
We can win in a lot of different ways. Last year, we had a great offense, but most people would probably say we scored a lot of our runs off long balls and slugging. This year, it’s different. We can do it all. Against Missouri State on Saturday, we walked, stole a base, moved the runner, and then squeezed. I don’t think we squeezed once all of last year.
We’ve got guys who get on base, guys who hit for power — it’s just a really balanced lineup. And when you can win in different ways, and you have a pitching staff that can pick you up on days when the offense isn’t at its best — like giving up only two runs on Sunday in a 3–2 win — that’s huge. The offense is going to have off days. For the pitching staff to step up like they have all season has been huge. They’ve really been lights out so far.
On mindset going into the weekend…
We’re treating it like an SEC weekend. We’re facing Baylor, Ohio State, and Coastal Carolina — three really good programs. Baylor’s been really good, Ohio State’s been solid, and Coastal Carolina is always good. So we’re going to go down there, take care of business, and play the way we’ve been playing. Pitchers attacking the zone, offense doing its job. That’s really all you can control. It’s baseball — sometimes things don’t go the way you want — but we’re just going to play to the best of our ability and let the results be what they are.
On Owen Kelly…
He’s really good. I faced him during spring intersquads, and he runs his cutter really well off his sinker. He’s got a really good breaking ball and slider, and he just pounds the zone.
He’s a great pitcher, and I think he’s going to be really important for us long term — especially when we need someone to come in and attack hitters. His stuff plays really well, and it’s tough to get hits off him. I don’t think I got one off him this spring.
On offensive production early in the season…
It’s huge. Everybody knows their role. Dom, for example — he hit zero home runs last year, and now he’s got one, and he wasn’t even trying to hit it out. He’s got juice now. I think Swayze might be contagious. Judd’s obviously on a tear — six home runs in nine games. Then you’ve got guys like Randall, Fed, and Dom getting on base for hitters like Judd, Reuter, and Bissetta. Everything’s working together right now. The offense is meshing at the right times, and that’s what you want to see early in the season.
