Rebels complete the three-game sweep in dominant fashion as they run-rule Charleston Southern for the second time in the opening weekend. Here are three takeaways from the 12-2 series finale win.
This team is really really deep.
Mike Bianco may have the most depth he’s ever had at Ole Miss based on the way things are looking for this team. The Rebels saw production offensively from the guys that are expected to perform, but what makes this offense elite is the product that comes from the back-end of the lineup. The Rebels’ biggest problem offensively right now is that it can only send nine different players to the plate. Hayden Leatherwood, Ben Van Cleve, Kemp Alderman and Calvin Harris could all be starting in this lineup based on their offensive production, but only two are going to be in at a time because of how elite this lineup is. All four had hits and RBIs in the series and Alderman and Van Cleve’s performance helped propel the team on Sunday after it got off to a slow start. Figuring out which of the two will get the majority of the at-bats will be a tough one for the coaching staff, but it’s a good problem to have.
The pitching staff could also be really good in terms of depth. A number of newcomers took to the mound for the Rebels this weekend and Sunday’s game showed that this pitching staff has real potential. Freshmen Hunter Elliot and Dylan Delucia got some action on Sunday. Elliot didn’t allow a hit and retired three out of the four batters he faced. Delucia allowed a run in his only inning, but his fastball crept close to the mid-90’s, and his breaking ball broke like an SEC veteran’s would. All of the newcomers that pitched over the weekend handled the Charleston Southern hitters with ease and the Rebels didn’t need to pitch many of its veterans. Brandon Johnson, Jackson Kimbrell and Wes Burton are expected to give the Rebels some valuable depth this year and none of them pitched over the weekend. This shows the pitching staff has a number of good options to work with and it’ll be interesting to see who ends up settling into each role.
Sundays are going to be fun days for this team.
In a year where the SEC is down a little in terms of pitching talent, this lineup is going to destroy Sunday pitching all season. The lineup proved to be as good as advertised over the weekend, and if it can continue to be dominant, it won’t lose many Sunday games this year. There aren’t many teams, if any, with a starter on Sundays who can compete with this lineup when it’s having a good day. After the Rebels dig into the depth of an opposing team’s bullpen on Friday and Saturday, it is going to absolutely tear apart the backend of that team’s bullpen. It would not be a shock to see Ole Miss continue to score 10+ runs on Sundays in the SEC this year. The lineup is that good, and the league doesn’t have the pitching talent that it normally does. If the pitching staff can keep teams under seven or eight runs on Sundays, Ole Miss is going to win most of its Sunday games this year.
The competition for Sunday starter is still wide open.
Though Drew McDaniel didn’t have a particularly bad outing in his first start of the year, his outing was a little disappointing as he never seemed to fully get into a groove and pitch a clean inning. Although he only gave up one run, he went 3.2 innings on 60 pitches. You’d like your Sunday guy to be a little more efficient in terms of numbers. The Rebels have a number of guys who could step in for that role if McDaniel is unable to keep players off base. Jack Washburn will most likely start the midweek game, and he gave a solid inning in Friday’s game. Jack Dougherty struck out five of the six batters he faced in his two innings of work on Sunday, and several other relievers gave good outings as well. Bianco will most likely switch different players in and out of the role until he finds his star, but until then, the competition will be wide open.
