After an exciting top-five series against Arkansas, the Rebels will travel to Memphis on Wednesday for a matchup with the Memphis Tigers. Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the game was moved to Wednesday because of the possibility of inclement weather. The Rebels currently find themselves at No. 3 in the nation, moving up one spot after this weekend’s series win.
In their first matchup earlier this year, the Rebels knocked off the Tigers in Oxford via an 8-6 win. Nick Fortes and Grae Kessinger dominated the game, accounting for seven of the Rebels’ 13 hits. In his first career start, Houston Roth helped Ole Miss take an early lead and never looked back. After amassing a 6-0 lead in the third, the Rebels controlled the rest and finished out their fourth win of the season.
Memphis enters the matchup struggling, sitting at 9-19 for the season. The Tigers are in the midst of a six-game losing streak, including series sweeps at Houston, at home against UCF and a 7-8 loss at home against No. 5 Arkansas. With losses in 10 of their last 12 games, the Tigers will look to gain some much-needed momentum, with a series at Cincinnati next on the schedule.
Ole Miss travels to Memphis coming off seven straight games against top-15 teams. After winning their series at No. 11 Texas A&M, the Rebels survived a shootout with No. 14 Southern Miss – thanks to a come-from-behind effort. This weekend, the Rebels hosted a highly anticipated series against No. 5 Arkansas. After dropping the first game 4-6, the Rebels bounced back, winning Game 2 off a 5-4 scoreline.
In Game 3 of this series, fans witnessed the Rebels’ most exciting game of the season. After trailing 0-1 through the third inning, the Rebs put up five straight runs to build a commanding four-run lead. After allowing one run in the sixth, Ole Miss put another three runs together. Over the final three innings, the game got significantly closer, but Ole Miss would eventually escape with an 11-10 win. Thanks to a clutch save by Parker Caracci, the Rebels were able to close the series – moving them to No. 3 in the nation.
Over their last few games, the Rebels have demonstrated their ability to control the offensive side of the game by scoring five or more runs in 13 of their last 14 games.
After an off weekend against Arkansas, power-hitter Thomas Dillard will look to get back in his groove, as he leads the Rebels with 28 runs and 27 RBIs. Quickly becoming the most dependable player on offense, however, is Ryan Olenek, who has one of the best batting averages among the Rebels (.358), hits (38) and doubles (12).
In the bullpen, there’s no pitcher who has impressed more than Parker Caracci. The redshirt sophomore has proven himself to be the most clutch closer in the lineup, especially after his performance Saturday night. Whether they start Brady Feigl or James McArthur, the Rebels will be in great hands starting with frame one.
First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CST on Wednesday night at Autozone Park in Memphis.
