Ole Miss Baseball is one game away from advancing to a Super Regional after starting the Lincoln Regional 2-0. The final between Arizona State or Nebraska will begin tonight at 7 p.m. With the 1-1 teams needing three more wins to advance out of the regional, the Rebels are in a good spot.
Head coach Mike Bianco has used Walker Hooks, Hudson Calhoun, JP Robertson and Landon Waters (six pitches) in the first two games. Likely game three starter Cade Townsend will need to be sharp in the final, but the pitching staff has been excellent this weekend.
Hooks threw 75 pitches and was the first Ole Miss reliever out of the bullpen in game one, while he likely will not come into the game until the eighth or ninth, he could be used tonight.
Calhoun has thrown 59 pitches across two appearances this weekend. He got the save against the Cornhuskers and has been on his A-game in big situations, particularly in 3 ⅔ extra innings on Friday.
Robertson is the least likely top Rebel arm to see the mound. He threw 32 pitches last night. Waters appeared briefly in the ninth inning today, but will be good to go. He got unlikely with two well-placed singles earlier today and did not record an out.
“It’s unfortunate, he did what he’s supposed to do, threw it in the zone,” Bianco said in a postgame press conference. “A couple balls find holes, and I know the fans hate it, but it’s baseball. At that point you got to go with the best guy that you got available.”
Calhoun was up and ready in the ninth, but Bianco said it was a lot to ask of him to pitch and they were uncertain of how good he would be on back-to-back games.
Landon Koenig is the best, unused reliever available. Wil Libbert was warming up in the ninth inning against Nebraska. The lefty is certainly an option for tonight. Grayson Gibson has also been up and moving in the bullpen this weekend. Bianco said he is available as well.
The regional final hinges on Townsend bouncing back after two rough outings. He has not pitched out of the fourth inning in back-to-back starts and has 11 earned runs in that span. Townsend’s last outing was on May 16, so hopefully after 15 days of rest he can rebound in a crucial game three.
Either ASU or Nebraska will play two full games today. Depending on how long that contest goes, one of them could have a quick turnaround time to the regional final.
Ole Miss will have one less game played this weekend than both potential opponents tonight. The Rebel bullpen has seen its fair share of innings this weekend, but they are set up well for success tonight, especially against a heavier-taxed opponent.
If the Rebels lose tonight, they will play a winner-take-all rematch on Monday, June 1. A win gets them to a super regional. The Lincoln Regional is paired with the Auburn Regional, so the winners from those sites will face off.
Ole Miss is back in action tonight at 7 p.m. Shortstop Owen Paino spoke about the team’s plan until the game later today in a postgame press conference.
“Go lay in bed, watch some college baseball, get off our feet, but keep the mindset,” Paino said.
