After losing two of three games to Georgia in an SEC series in Athens last weekend, the Ole Miss Baseball team hosted North Alabama on April 23 in a midweek match.
In a messy yet victorious outcome, Ole Miss topped North Alabama 9-4. This game was a reflection of a competitive Ole Miss team still working to improve.
The Rebels look to carry Tuesday’s winning mindset heading into their series against Alabama later this week.
What looked good
The team limited strikeouts, with six throughout the entire game.
Overall, the batting average of the team for the game was .251, meaning that the Rebels got a hit about every four at bats –– a pretty statistic to see on paper.
This feat was accomplished in spite of using 12 batters throughout the game, as Ole Miss Head Coach Mike Bianco did a good job at knowing when to substitute pinch hitters.
The pitching as a whole was much improved from the beginning of the season, with the staff as a whole totaling 14 strikeouts, allowing just eight hits. Despite giving up two home runs, the Ole Miss defense was able to stay composed and take care of business in every other way. Each pitcher might not have had a perfect performance individually, but they showed promise as a collective group.
What didn’t look good
The hitting was carried by only a couple of players and a few careless walks by North Alabama. Six batters, out of the 12 total, were held without a hit in their victory, making the .251 batting average even more impressive.
While Ole Miss did pull out the win, the overall performance was not up to par for a typical Ole Miss Baseball Team.
The Rebels left five runners on base, which luckily did not come back to haunt them because North Alabama also left five on base. Overall, a decent hitting performance but not a great one.
While a few pitchers struggled as a whole, a few pitchers struggled individually. Grayson Saunier got the start on the mound and only made it through four innings, striking out three batters and giving up a home run.
Despite having three strikeouts, Saunier struggled throughout all four innings, giving up four hits. The rest of the contributing pitchers, five other players, all pitched one inning each and had limited success.
Who’s next
The Rebels start a three-game series on Thursday, April 25 in another big SEC series against the No. 18 Alabama Crimson Tide in Oxford.
