The Rebels go for their fourth-straight weekend sweep at noon today.
The game was moved up from its scheduled 1:30 start with hopes of avoiding isolated afternoon thunderstorms. The noon forecast calls for cloudy skies, wind and 64 degrees.
Here’s Mike Mayers talking about his Saturday start:
Ole Miss has scored 18 runs in two games. Lipscomb is throwing its best pitcher today, at least statistically. Right-hander Will Blalock is 0-1 with a 2.65 ERA in 17 innings. He’ll be opposed by Ole Miss right-hander Sam Smith, who pitched six innings in a win at Florida International last weekend. Smith has a 1.46 ERA in 13 innings this season.
The mid-week starter last year, Smith has been pitching in place of sophomore Chris Ellis, who was the original Sunday starter but has been out with an abdominal pull.
Injuries to Ellis, Hawtin Buchanan and freshman Jacob Waguespack have kept the pitching staff from being even deeper than it has been in a successful start to the season.
The Rebels improved to 15-1 with Saturday’s 8-5 win. It was 8-0 when Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco pulled Mayers after six innings to get some work for relievers Austin Blunt and Scott Weathersby in the seventh. It was ultimately Aaron Greenwood who recorded the final out of the seventh and who pitched a scoreless eighth before Brett Huber pitched a scoreless ninth.
Denham Springs, La., native, Mississippian since 1989 with a stop in Meridian before arriving in Tupelo. Daily Journal beat writer since 1996, covering Ole Miss since 2002. Proud Northeast Louisiana alum. Follow me on Twitter @parrishalford and listen to Kory Keys and myself daily with The Ole Miss Beat on Rebel Sports Radio.
