Ole Miss Baseball is slated to open the College World Series against No. 5 North Carolina in Omaha, Neb., on Friday, June 12 at 6 p.m. at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. Depending on the outcome and the other matchup in the bracket, the Rebels will play either Troy or No. 16 West Virginia on Sunday, June 14. ESPN will broadcast the games.
Taylor Rabe will start against North Carolina. Usual game one starter Hunter Elliott will likely pitch in game two. Getting the game one win is critical for the Rebels, and Rabe is one of the hottest pitchers in the country. In game two of the Auburn Super Regional, he threw seven innings, the longest outing by a Rebel starter all year, and gave up two earned runs.
The Tar Heels went 50-12-1 (22-8) in the ACC in the regular season. They have the No. 4 rating percentage index (RPI) in the country and No. 12 strength of schedule (SOS).
North Carolina made it through its regional without a loss. In the Chapel Hill Super Regional, UNC dropped game one, but defeated USC in three games.
The Tar Heels are a formidable opponent, regarded as a front runner by many analysts. In the regular season, they dropped only one series and boasted their best road win percentage in 92 years.
The Tar Heels’ pitching staff is one of the team’s biggest strengths, particularly ace Jason DeCaro, who carried a 2.28 earned run average through his 11-2 record. He also threw a complete-game shutout against USC in the super regional.
Offensively, Owen Hull leads UNC in batting average, on-base plus slugging and runs batted in.
The Rebels are No. 9 in RPI and No. 3 in SOS. They have yet to lose a game in the postseason, taking down Nebraska and Arizona State in the Lincoln Regional and sweeping Auburn in the Super Regionals.
After the UNC contest, the Rebels will face either Troy or West Virginia. Both schools are appearing in their first College World Series.
West Virginia went 45-15 and 21-9 in the Big 12. The Mountaineers lost to Kentucky in the regional before defeating the Wildcats twice to advance to the super regional, where they swept Cal Poly. The Mountaineers are No. 14 in RPI and No. 48 in SOS.
Troy finished the season 38-30 and 17-13 in the Sun Belt. The Trojans were a No. 3 seed in the Gainesville Regional and lost to Miami but then marched through eliminating the Hurricanes and beating host Florida twice to advance and host their first super regional. The Trojans are No. 25 in RPI and No. 8 in SOS.
If the Rebels beat North Carolina Friday night, they will face the winner of the Troy and West Virginia matchup Sunday, June 14 at 6 p.m. If they lose, they will face the loser Sunday, June 14 at 1 p.m.
The Men’s College World Series in Omaha, Neb., stretches from Friday, June 12 to Monday, June 22.
