Ole Miss baseball player Doug Nikhazy was arrested on a DUI charge early Monday morning as first reported by Rival’s Chase Parham.
“We are aware of the situation, and we will handle it appropriately and internally,” head coach Mike Bianco said in a statement.
Nikhazy became a fan-favorite of the Ole Miss baseball team during his first season, setting the program’s freshman record for strikeouts in a season (86) and earning freshman All-American and All-SEC honors after establishing himself as the Saturday starter.
The Windermere, Florida, native delivered some of his most dominant performances in the postseason, showing he could be a workhorse for the Rebels every weekend. Two eight-inning outings helped guide the Rebels to the SEC Tournament Championship game and an NCAA Regional win.
Nikhazy was also a part of the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team last summer.
The sophomore is slated to be the Rebels’ top arm and Friday starter, but he could see suspension time early this season because of the charge. If Nikhazy were sitting on the bench for the first weekend, it would leave the Rebels with one arm tied behind their backs against an extremely solid Louisville team.
The Rebels open the season with a weekend series against No. 1 Louisville starting Feb. 14.
