Now, it’s okay to lose a game and even a series. But, when you are the supposed number one team in the country, you can’t get obliterated at home this bad. Tennessee is a very, very good baseball team. They have phenomenal pitchers, an even better offense and truthfully deserve the number one spot. Ole Miss just looked bleh on all accounts. Again, you don’t have to win every game, but you do have to look like you belong there.
1. It wasn’t a fluke; Tennessee’s offense is just really freaking good
Ole Miss starting pitcher Jack Dougherty came out strong with a strikeout to start the game. The next few batters didn’t go as easy. A hit-by-pitch and rare error on catcher Hayden Dunhurst gave the Volunteers the 2-0 lead in the first. They didn’t slow down from there, making it a miserable few innings with three runs in the fourth and another two in the fifth. Tennessee outscored Ole Miss 22-4 through two games.
2. Ole Miss can’t hit off these pitchers
For the second day in a row, the Rebels have been unable to get into their usual rhythm behind the plate. Captain Tim Elko and pitcher Dylan Delucia mentioned that the Rebs came out flat footed in game one, but after this performance, it might just be that the Vols are that good. I would be wrong if I tried to say that this Tennessee team wasn’t explosive and easily the best team in the country. But, great teams are never in short supply in the SEC. For a team that boasted throughout the entire off-season the dominance of the offense, Ole Miss looked a little flat.
3. It’s the hope that kills you
This can be used for a lot of different moments throughout the game, but the first one that comes to mind is in the bottom of the third. The Vols infield made two major errors that led to two Rebel runners on base. Only one out and instead of making anything happen, the inning ends with Peyton Chatagnier striking out while watching. This seemed to be a common theme throughout the entire series as they left countless runners on base. They just had no answer.
Ole Miss just got knocked off the pedestal…hard. It’s early in the year and Tennessee is a fantastic team, but now if the Rebels want any hope of playing in the postseason, they’re going to need to clock in and figure out what went so wrong this weekend.
