A measuring stick series awaits Ole Miss
A look at Tennessee, what happened to the Rebels in the midweek, pro day and more.
A terrific weekend of sports awaits. We have a couple of new podcasts out.
Former Ole Miss recruiting specialist Weldon Rotenberg joined to discuss spring practice storylines, roster building in the age of the transfer portal, whether this team has more depth than last year and much more. You can check that out here or anywhere you get podcasts.
Collin Brister joined today’s pod to preview the Tennessee series and I took your Mailbag Friday questions after that. You can check that out here or anywhere you get podcasts.
We’ve got a ton of baseball, football and golf to get into today.
Ole Miss slogs past Memphis in 11-8 win
Ole Miss and Memphis were slated to play two midweek games this week. One in Memphis and one in Oxford. The one at AutoZone Park in Memphis was canceled in part due to rain, but also apparently because the tarp covering the field had a hole in it. I have many questions. David Kellum tweeted a photo of the mystery tarp and then deleted it. This may all be untrue, but humor me.
How does this happen at a Triple-A ballpark?
Who was responsible for explaining this to Mike Bianco — who I am not totally convinced believes rain actually exists and probably might thinks meteorology is some new fad like Orange Theory) — and is that person still alive and with us today?
What was Bianco’s reaction to all of this? Is it on video? It’s been a banner week for the “stuff Uptight Mike Bianco won’t handle well” between this and Derek Diamond forgetting his uniform in Hammond, Louisiana after the Southeastern Louisiana game and having to wear a different number during his Friday night start.
Thoughts and prayers to Bianco’s blood pressure and all of those who are testing its limits.
The game itself was hardly a thing of beauty
Ole Miss beat the Tigers, 11-8, on Wednesday in a game that served as a bullpen day for many arms on the pitching staff. It also included some things that are cause for concern.
Jack Washburn wasn’t good. He allowed five runs on four hits with two strikeouts and a walk. I will admit, I was podcasting, doing laundry and some other stuff during this game, so I wasn’t totally locked in, but it seemed like he missed up in the zone a lot (as he has often this year) and Memphis hit him. It’s not the end of the world, but as Ole Miss struggles to get its weekend rotation in order, Washburn is viewed a potential option to rectify the issue. He has yet to pitch well enough to justify putting him in the rotation and this outing raised more doubts about his ability succeed in such a role. Washburn has a decent fastball. He’s got a good, looping curveball that he has thrown for strikes most of the year, and it’s a different type of curveball than the slider-like breaker that most of this staff throws, which has potential to be a nice variation, but Washburn has yet to prove he’s up to the challenge of being a weekend starter. Until he does, if he ever does, the list of ways to fix the rotation is that much shorter.
Outside of that, I don’t put a ton of stock into much else from a pitching standpoint. It was largely a bullpen day. Riley Maddox looked really sharp once again. He’s a true freshman, but as this pitching staff searches for answers, no one can be ruled out of roles, no matter how big of a role and how experienced the guy is. I believe there is validity to giving a freshman more to bite off than he can chew, at a certain point, you have to try whatever gives the team the best shot to win baseball games. Expectations are sky high this year. There is little time to think about the long term. I am curious to see how he contributes this weekend.
The lineup was a little wonky on Wednesday. T.J. McCants didn’t play after tweaking a hamstring in Saturday’s win over Auburn. Mike Bianco apparently said McCants should be good to go for the weekend. Hayden Leatherwood was sick and is questionable for this weekend. Both are storylines to monitor this weekend as this team’s depth continues to get tested through injuries and ailments. Tennessee is arguably the best team in the country and the Rebels are already at less than full strength with Kevin Graham and Calvin Harris on the shelf. They need both Leatherwood and McCants this weekend.
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Tennessee scout
This is going to be an awesome series with great crowds. These are the weekends that make this sport awesome. Two of the best teams in the country going at it in front of 10,000-plus. If you are going, enjoy the environment. This time two years ago, the stadium was empty and there was no season. Soak it in.
This will be a measuring stick series for Ole Miss. I understand that sounds weird with the Rebels having the No. 1 ranking by their name, but we don’t know a ton about this team in terms of how it stacks up against quality competition. There are uncertainties that will be either be reassured or exposed this weekend. Ole Miss has one hell of a challenge on its hands.
The Volunteers are 20-1 on the season with that lone loss coming to Texas, who was ranked No. 1 at the time. Tennessee beat Oklahoma and Baylor in the Shiner’s tournament out at Minute Maid Park in Houston, but played a pretty weak nonconference schedule (similar to Ole Miss) outside of that. The Vols swept South Carolina last weekend. This team has some ridiculous offensive numbers as it currently stands. They lead the SEC in basically every statistical category. A lot of that is inflated because of a weekend series with Iona in February in which Tennessee scored 16, 27 and 29 runs in three games. I have no clue why a run-rule wasn’t in place. But, that series aside, this is still a really good offense and the Vols have by far the best rotation Ole Miss has faced this year, and it will likely end up being one of the better ones the Rebels face all season. Let’s have a look at them.
*It should be noted that Tennessee has been without its Friday night guy Blake Tidwell all season. Tidwell is battling a shoulder injury. The Vols expect him back at some point this year but not this weekend. If they do indeed get him back healthy, this rotation has a chance to be special.
Friday: RHP Chase Burns: This is a future Big League arm. Burns was one of the top high school pitchers in the 2021 MLB Draft, but ultimately elected to go to school. His fastball will hit 100 mph and he throws it for strikes more often than not. He has a changeup, slider and curveball as well. The slider and curveball are pretty average and the changeup lags behind those two. When he’s good, he’s throwing the changeup and slider for a strike. It makes him ridiculously hard to hit. Ole Miss is going to have its hands full on Friday. If you are looking for a positive spin, the Rebels rarely struggle with high-velocity guys. That’s a credit to Mike Clement and this staff. They beat Kumar Rocker last year and slapped Auburn’s Tanner Burns around pretty good a couple of years ago. This is also the first time (Chase) Burns’ life he will pitch in an environment like the one at Swayze on Friday. That stage has gotten to guys before, many of which were much more experienced than Burns. He’s a really talented pitcher. From a sheer baseball fan perspective, you are in for a treat. It will also be a fascinating contrast in styles on the mound this evening.
Saturday: RHP Chase Dollander
Dollander will sit 91-94 with the fastball and has a hard slider to pair it with. He was a Perfect Game 1st Freshman All-American at Georgia Southern last year before transferring to Tennessee after the season. He’s got real swing-and-miss stuff, but has been prone to having his pitch count spike a bit. That’ll be something I am watching in the first three innings on Saturday: can the Rebels get that number in the high 50s or 60s the first time thru the order and get into the bullpen by the sixth inning or so. Dollander threw 99 pitches in five innings against South Carolina last week. He is a good SEC arm.
Sunday: RHP Drew Beam
Beam true freshman has been pretty effective as the Vols’ Sunday guy. He’s 88-90 with the fastball with a breaking ball that is hit-or-miss in terms of him locating it. He spun a gem in the finale at South Carolina last week. Beam went 7.2 innings of one-hit, shutout baseball. He pitches to contact pretty well and throws strikes. Diamond is perfectly capable of being better than Beam, but Beam is less likely to compound mistakes. That’ll be a pretty interesting matchup on Sunday, particularly if it is a rubber game.
While the rotation may be young, Tennessee’s bullpen is more experienced. Their closer is a left-handed senior named Redmond Walsh who is a bit atypical in that he is a mid-to-upper 80s fastball guy with a terrific changeup. The guy simply throws strikes and gets people out. Camden Sewell is a senior right-hander with a really effective two-seamer that the Vols use a lot. There are four or five other arms that have been used pretty heavily. A guy named Ben Joyce made internet headlines last week when he touched 103 mph in a 10-0 game against South Carolina, but as best I can tell, that guy has yet to pitch in a close game this year and has only seven total innings of work in ten appearances. I guess that is something to keep an eye on?
The lineup is one of the four best Ole Miss will face in SEC play. It’s a lot of third and fourth year guys with power throughout the lineup. The Rebels’ pitching staff is going to be tested in a way it hasn’t yet been tested this year. We will learn a lot about the state of this pitching staff, how it compares to the top of the league and how big of a liability it may be down the stretch. If the Rebels are going to win this series, they are going to have to pitch it better than they have all year.
Final random thoughts:
Tennessee has a freshman catcher. Opponents have stolen 26 bases in 32 attempts on the Vols this year.
I think Ole Miss will hit Tennessee just fine. Burns and Dollander are good, but the Rebels don’t struggle with velocity and the UT bullpen isn’t terrifying. Where I see trouble for Ole Miss is the Vols obliterating the Rebels’ pitching. I think that is where the series is won or lost. Maybe the offense hits well enough to overcome all of it, but if this goes poorly for Ole Miss, Tennessee likely scored double-digit runs in one, maybe two of the games.
Prediction: It wouldn’t remotely surprise me if Ole Miss won this series. These are two good teams that will be in contention for a top eight national seed. The Rebels are historically pretty good in this spot at Swayze, but until I see more on the mound, I think I am taking the Vols to win two in a close series. If that irritates you, thank me for the reverse jinx later.
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Around the SEC
Let’s take a look at some of the other series:
LSU at Florida - The Gators were impressive in Tuscaloosa last weekend while LSU was nearly swept at home by Texas A&M. LSU has been decent on the mound and its lineup will hit as well as anyone in the league, but it’s the Tigers’ defense that is plaguing them. Florida takes two.
Alabama at Mississippi State - A sneaky good March series here. Alabama missed an opportunity last weekend getting Florida at home, but grinded out a Sunday win to not get swept. Injuries on the mound are hurting Mississippi State as the Bulldogs lost two at Georgia last weekend. This is a tough one for me. Alabama looks like the better team right now, but State has its back up against the wall a bit. I know that is weird to say in March, but the Bulldogs go to Fayetteville next week and they likely don’t want to head up there 2-4 in the league. I think that ends up being the case though. Alabama takes two.
Georgia at Kentucky - The Wildcats need to make the NCAA Tournament this year for Nick Mingione to feel good about his job security. They looked pretty terrible last week at Arkansas and got swept. Georgia can really pitch it but I think the Wildcats rebound here and take two at home.
Arkansas at Missouri - Missouri technically fields a team. Arkansas sweeps.
Auburn at Texas A&M - Another good one here. The Aggies pulled the surprise of opening weekend and nearly swept LSU in Baton Rouge. I think Auburn is a borderline NCAA Tournament team. But the Tigers really don’t need to fall in a 2-4 hole. I think A&M pitches it too well for Auburn to win this. Aggies take two.
Vanderbilt at South Carolina - Pretty brutal schedule for the Gamecocks to start SEC play. I think this is a close series in all three games, but Vanderbilt is just better. Commodores take two.
Ole Miss began spring practice this week
Lane Kiffin had is opening press conference and a couple of players were made available. I’d encourage you to go read Neal McCready’s ‘What He Said vs What He Meant’ piece up here on RebelGrove. It’s a really good regular content item deciphering Kiffin’s quotes. I really don’t have a ton to add on spring football so far, but here are some random thoughts.
I got a kick out of Kiffin giving a politically correct answer on the quarterback battle, saying “all three guys” will have a fair shot at it to include Kinkead Dent, only to have Jonathan Mingo mention something about the “two young quarterbacks” in the competition. I get what Kiffin is doing. They need bodies in the quarterback room and having some leave before or during spring isn’t ideal from a sheer depth and practice standpoint. He gains nothing from excluding Dent from the conversation, it just cracked me up to hear those two say that back-to-back.
Kiffin seemed to genuinely feel spring was important from a chemistry standpoint. Ole Miss two new coordinators, a slew of new assistant coaches and a bunch of new faces on the field. In the age of the transfer portal, spring football has increased importance as it provides guys time to work together and gel. Fall camp is a daily grind. Spring is a little more spread out and isn’t as physically taxing. I think guys getting to know one another and how they fit in the basics of scheme is valuable when there are so many new faces.
I remember covering spring football during the Matt Luke era. I sort of dreaded it. What was there to write about aside from the canned clichés after practices none of us watched? But this one feels different. We can learn a little more about the newcomers at receiver and who might play where on defense. There are storylines about cohesion and fit. It is truly a different era in Ole Miss football.
Cedric Johnson was asked about the pressure placed on him to become a better player with Sam Williams gone: “I believe there is pressure,” Johnson said. “But I feel like I put more pressure on myself than anyone else to even better and accomplish my goals.”
What are those goals? “Be better than Sam. Break his records.”
Johnson is a guy to keep an eye on. He took a leap in his development last year playing opposite of Williams. He is physical, fast and seemed to mold into a more complete pass rusher with the help of Randall Joyner. Weldon recruited Johnson pretty closely and has been super high on the kid since he stepped on campus.
Nick Broeker was asked about the transition of moving inside to guard with the addition of Western Kentucky transfer Mason Brooks. Kiffin said the move was both better for the team and for Broeker’s NFL future. I wondered how true that was. Obviously, the staff thinks it is better for the team and it may end up being better for Broeker, but I was curious how much stock to put into it actually helping Broeker at the NFL level. On Thursday, he said a good bit of the feedback he got from NFL scouts this offseason was bout potentially moving to guard, so it seems legitimate enough. I also tend to agree with the thinking that Ole Miss will be a better football team because of it.
Is Ole Miss a deeper team from top to bottom than it was in 2021? Of course it is impossible to forecast the Rebels being better without Corral and Sam Williams, but when you look at this roster, it’s an interesting debate as to whether this team has more depth. I tend to lean yes. I doubt spring will change my opinion much. But I wonder what the answer will be when we revisit it six months from now when the Rebels are a few games into the season.
Ole Miss had Pro Day on Wednesday
I covered four pro days. Outside of understanding what is and is not a good 40-yard dash time, I have zero clue how it’s determined whether someone had a good pro day or not. Guys are running cone drills in shorts. I am not a scout. I have no idea how that translates to passing, throwing, catching and tackling in an NFL game. I usually just wandered around the facility, watched the drills and pretended like I knew what the hell I was looking at until we got to the interview part. At least in that portion we could learn who some of the teams various players had talked to.
With that said, it sounds like Matt Corral had a pretty good Pro Day.
This has been your official Ole Miss Pro Day recap. This is why you subscribe.
Magnolia State Golf Update
I have been slacking on this but I promise to get back in tune with it starting this week. Here we go.
The PGA Tour has two events this week: a World Golf Championship match play event in Austin, Texas and the Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic. Given that none of the three Mississippian rookies are top 60 in the world yet, none are in the match play in Austin. Two are in the Dominican event.
Tupelo native and Mizzou alum Hayden Buckley shot 68-74 and is currently T-32 as of this writing. Buckley was the lone Mississippian to get into The Players two weeks ago and he made the cut. He missed the cut at the Valspar last week. Buckley is currently 82nd in the FedEx Cup standings thanks to T-4, T-8 and T-12 finishes in three of his first six events.
Fulton native and Mississippi State alum Chad Ramey is surging. As I write this, he followed up an opening round 2-under 70 with a 4-under front nine on Friday. He is currently 6-under for the tournament and just three back of the lead with nine holes left in his second round. Ramey is currently 120th in the FedEx Cup standings. This would be a huge leap forward for Ramey, who already has 1 top-10 finish this year. Keep in mind, the top 125 at the end of the season make The Playoffs and retain their PGA Tour card. It is still early, but opportunities for rookies are limited. A good finish this week will do wonders for Ramey.
A few days after losing in a playoff to Sam Burns at the Valspar, Hattiesburg native and Alabama alum Davis Riley appears to have taken the week off. It is well-deserved and makes sense. Riley jumped from 121st to 41st in the standings with his solo 2nd place finish last week. It sucks that he didn’t lock down his first PGA Tour win, but I would wager that is coming soon.. like this year soon.
The Korn Ferry Tour is in Lake Charles, Louisiana this week for the inaugural Lake Charles Championship. One Mississippian is in the field. Olive Branch native and Ole Miss alum Braden Thornberry is on a tear. He shot a 5-under 66 on Thursday and is 1-under thru eight holes as of this writing, he is in 6th place and is just three back of the lead. Last week, Thornberry entered the third round in Lafayette one back of the lead. He shot a costly 78 on Saturday and sputtered to a T-41 finish. Thornberry will almost certainly be in the mix again this weekend and would do well to capitalize. Opportunity is scarce on the Korn Ferry Tour and a single sour round like the one he had last Saturday can change your season. Here’s to hoping he finishes the job this week and earns a win.
On the horizon
Sunday baseball pod with Collin Brister recapping the Tennessee series
Spring football, baseball and golf content in the newsletters as it warrants
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