With the 2020 baseball season approaching, no other Ole Miss Rebel has a level of expectation equal to that of sophomore Doug Nikhazy.
Nikhazy caught fire during his freshman season to eventually become a fan favorite for the Rebels, making every Saturday ‘Doug Day’ as he shut down opposing lineups left and right.
The left-handed pitcher delivered electrifying performances toward the end of the season after taking control of the Saturday slot as a second ace behind Will Ethridge, his most dominant outings coming in the postseason.
Nikhazy went 8.0 innings with only three hits allowed and zero runs to ice out Texas A&M in the SEC Tournament. He came back to Oxford for an NCAA regional to strikeout nine Clemson Tigers in 8.0 innings in front of a frenzied Swayze crowd.
Nikhazy set a record for strikeouts for an Ole Miss freshman with 86 on his way to SEC Freshman All-SEC and Freshman All-American honors, as well as a spot on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
The Windermere, Florida native is back with the Rebels and said he’s ready to keep hitters off guard this spring.
“I was three-pitch mix last year, and this year I’m four-pitch mix,” Nikhazy said before the opening practice on Friday. “The slider, I had it last year but just didn’t throw it as much, so this year we’re going to see a lot more of that. I just wanted to be more deceptive, be able to get around left-handed hitters. I think my splits last year were better against righties, which is funny.”
He’s only a sophomore, but Nikhazy will be thrown into a leadership position, as he’s expected to be the Friday starter for the Rebels throughout the season. Joining him on the weekend rotation will likely be Gunnar Hoglund, who started on most Sundays last season. Nikhazy has been asked to act as a mentor to the new faces in the bullpen that could also see innings on the weekends.
“It’s been a lot of fun being somewhere where I can help guys,” he said. “I think we have a lot of guys with a ton of potential on this team, and we’re just going to get them in shape.
“I’ve seen more command than anything else,” Nikhazy said. “I think when I came in, I was just really trying to impress everybody, see how metrically different I could be, I don’t know if that makes any sense, but I was trying to have the biggest curveball possible or the craziest fastball.”
The freshman pitchers have garnered praise from Nikhazy since training began.
“They really listen to (head coach Mike Bianco) and try and get into the system of trying to throw it in the corner and trying to do things to get SEC hitters out and not just trying to impress people” Nikhazy said. “Guys like Drew McDaniel and Derek Diamond, those two just pick apart the corners.”
Nikhazy’s work doesn’t stop with his fellow pitchers. One of the many losses this team must replace is everyday catcher Cooper Johnson. Knox Loposer and and Hayden Dunhurst will fill in behind the plate and have already impressed in intrasquad scrimmages.
“Throwing to them, they’re just as good at handling the baseball, and they can really shoot guys down, also,” Nikhazy said. “They’re really good behind the dish. I don’t think it’s going to be a fall off or anything like that.”
Replicating the dominance from the end of his freshman year won’t be easy. The Rebels will face the toughest schedule in the nation this season with strong lineups paired with ace arms. There’s no easy matchup in this schedule, which begins with the first series of the season against Louisville on Feb. 14.
“It’s no waiting around. No feeling it out. That’s the way I want it,” Nikhazy said. “There’s been experiences where we’ve come and just tried to see what’s going to happen. If I can just dive in and get off to a good start, that’d be a great way to start the season.”
