Ole Miss Rebels pitcher Cade Townsend delivering a pitch against Nevada
Ole Miss Rebels pitcher Cade Townsend delivering a pitch against Nevada. | Dylan Cohron-HottyToddy.com Images

Everything to Know as Ole Miss Faces No. 2 Texas in Game 2 of SEC Series

BY Taylor Hodges

If Friday night’s slate of SEC games is any indication, we’re in for a wild two months.

Three of the eight SEC baseball games ended on walk offs and another ended with a road team winning by one run in 11 innings. That road team was Ole Miss, who handed No. 2 Texas its first loss of the season in exciting fashion. 

Tristan Bissetta hit a grand slam home run in the ninth inning to put Ole Miss ahead 8-7, but the Longhorns were able to tie the game in the bottom half of the inning, sending the game into extra innings. It took a while, but the Rebels pushed across the game-winning run when Owen Paino drew a bases loaded walk. Landon Waters shutdown Texas in the bottom half of the inning and Ole Miss celebrated a massive win.

But in baseball, there’s usually a game the next day that leaves little time to celebrate a win. That’s the case for Ole Miss who is back at it again Saturday against the Longhorns. Here’s everything to know about game two of the weekend series.

Weather Forecast

If the Rebels and Longhorns put on another instant classic of a game, they’ll do so in near-ideal weather conditions.

According to the National Weather Service, Saturday in Austin will be “partly sunny, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 85. South wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.”

How to Watch: Ole Miss at No. 2 Texas

The Opponent: Texas

Texas shows up this weekend looking every bit like a team that’s handled its business. The Longhorns are 16‑0 and have already run‑ruled six opponents, including a couple of shutouts.

They rolled through the BRUCE BOLT College Classic with wins over Coastal Carolina, Baylor and Ohio State, finishing with the best run differential in the field. Ole Miss was there too, so both sides have at least one shared measuring stick.

The strength of this Texas team starts with the lineup. The Longhorns are averaging just over ten runs per game and have already scored 162 on the year.

Seven regulars are hitting .300 or better, and Aiden Robbins has been the steady force at the top. He’s hitting .406 with 26 hits, and nearly half of those have gone for extra bases. Texas has also hit 30 home runs, with Robbins leading the way there as well.

On the mound, Texas plans to go with Ruger Riojas, Luke Harrison and Dylan Volantis. Riojas has been the Friday anchor and has the numbers to match it. He’s 4‑0 with a 1.23 ERA and leads the conference in strikeouts with 42 in just 22 innings. Harrison and Volantis have been solid behind him, combining for almost 50 strikeouts, and while Harrison has given up a few more runs, the overall staff has been one of the best in the league. Texas carries a 2.42 team ERA into the weekend, and the defense behind them has been sharp with a .989 fielding percentage.

Pitching Matchup

  • RHP Cade Townsend (2-0, 0.48 ERA) vs. LHP Luke Harrison (1-0, 3.06 ERA)

Notable Relief Pitchers

Ole Miss

  • Landon Koenig, RHP: 1-0, 1.17 ERA, 2 SV, 7.2 IP, 12 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 13 K, .353 Opp. BA, 1.70 WHIP
  • Taylor Rabe, RHP: 2-0, 2.03 ERA, 1 SV, 13.1 IP, 8 h, 2 R, 1 BB, 14 K, .174 Opp.BA, 0.68 WHIP
  • Hudson Calhoun, RHP: 1-0, 2.63 ERA, 13.2 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 22 K, .224 Opp. BA, 1.02 WHIP
  • JP Robertson, RHP: 2-1, 3.24 ERA, 8.1 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 16 K, .294 Opp. BA, 1.56 WHIP

Texas

  • Thomas Burns, RHP: 0-0, 1.24 ERA, 2 SV, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 11 K, .150 Opp. BA, 1.24 WHIP
  • Max Grubbs, RHP: 2-0, 3.37 ERA, 10.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 12 K, .216 Opp. BA, 1.22 WHIP
  • Brett Crossland, RHP: 1-0, 1.69 ERA, 5.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 50 K, .056 Opp. BA, 0.38 WHIP
  • Michael Winter, RHP: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 SV, 6.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K, .217 Opp. BA, 1.35 WHIP

Ole Miss Batting Lineup

  1. Dom Decker, 2B
  2. Judd Utermark, 3B
  3. Will Furniss, 1B
  4. Collin Reuter, DH
  5. Tristan Bissetta, RF
  6. Tate Sirmans, LF
  7. Brayden Randle, SS
  8. Austin Fawley, C
  9. Hayden Federico, CF

Texas Batting Lineup

  1. TBA

 

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