Rippee Writes: Tuesday Scoop
Ole Miss is headed to a super regional and two Mississippians are in the U.S. Open
A happy Tuesday to you all. A lot has happened since we last caught up. We've got two new podcasts out. Collin Brister and I recapped Ole Miss' slugfest win over Southern Miss yesterday, what it means for the program, Bianco's tenure, the resiliency of this team and much more. Check that out here or anywhere you get podcasts.
Chase Parham and I covered the some of the same and more on the Oxford Exxon Podcast this morning. Check that out here or anywhere you get your podcasts.
There's a ton to dive into today. Let's go.
Ole Miss wins winner-take-all game vs USM to advance to a super regional
The Rebels are headed to a super regional. Pushed to the brink, this team answered the bell once again — this time in a game seven with its season on the line. Bianco called this team the most resilient group he's ever coached, and for those of you reading this thinking he’s regurgitating a common platitude other coaches parrot frequently, he is not. Bianco hates comparing current teams and players to previous ones and the fact that he's openly admitted this multiple times this season is telling. This is a relentless group that's never blinked, no matter what's gone on around them. Arizona will be a tough task, but I am not counting this team out against anyone.
We have so much to get to, I am just going to start listing thoughts.
1. Ole Miss lost a tough game on Sunday after a disastrous start and then ran into a buzz saw in the form of Tanner Hall's two-seam fastball. That pitch had so much run to it the broadcast was confused by what it was. It dipped away from left-handed hitters and into right-handed hitters like Cael Baker and Peyton Chatagnier. It proved to be the team's kryptonite as the Rebels mustered just one hit over the final five innings.
Fans lost their collective minds about the choke job that loomed the next day, when in reality, hosts get pushed to a game seven all the time. Two seeds are good baseball teams more often than not. It happens. Ole Miss played poorly and then ran into a match up issue. So it goes. It's why it is a double elimination event. The narrative of forecasting of doom heading into yesterday was much more of a fan-centric one that centered around the man wearing No. 5 in the dugout more so than anything else. There was no evidence from this season to suggest this team would play tight and succumb to the moment, and shockingly, that didn't happen.
2. The team in yellow was the one who seemed a bit paralyzed by the stage early on in Monday's game. Ole Miss put up a zero, bashed a pair of dingers and was dancing in the dugout while Southern booted pop ups and went to its ace in the third inning. The Golden Eagles quickly recovered and gave the Rebels a fight because they're a pretty damn tough team too, but again, the idea this team would get wrapped up in the spotlight with its back against the wall was just silly. Does this look like a club that would play tight?
3. If you need something to point to with regard to how tough this team is, the Rebels putting up a zero to start the game and then following it with a four spot in their first at bat is a great example. After a frustrating day at the plate on Sunday, Ole Miss responded by issuing the first punch. Justin Bench’s and Peyton Chatagnier's home runs were huge in terms of getting the team settled into the game, and Jack Dougherty sandwiching two zeroes between it was just as huge.
4. So about Jack Dougherty. Man, what a story. This kid thought he was redshirting in mid-April, and then two months later found himself starting the most important game of the year with his team's season on the line. He gave Ole Miss exactly what it needed on Monday. His two scoreless innings afforded the Rebels a chance to take an early lead, and the six outs he collected after that — despite allowing a couple of runs — were critical in managing the pitching the rest of the way. Look at it like this: Dougherty collected 12 massive outs yesterday. Broadway and Nikhazy -- the two most trusted arms on the roster -- gathered 10 more with little drama (aside from Doug giving up a pair of solo shots) compared to the rest of the game. How long did those nine remaining outs in the middle feel? One hell of a roller coaster ride, right? Imagine how differently the game is if Dougherty is only able to get ten or even eight outs? The freshman was nails when the stage couldn't have been bigger.
5. There's credit that goes to Mike Bianco for Doughtery's performance too. If you're going to crush him for his flaws, you have to be fair and give him credit for his strengths. Dougherty threw 60 pitches on Friday night. You figured he would factor into this game somehow, but was not a bluntly obvious option to start. Most figured it would be Cody Adcock, Jackson Kimbrell or Derek Diamond on short rest, but Dougherty was the perfect option. The ballpark was a launching pad yesterday. Of the 22 combined hits, 11 were home runs. You know who has given up the most home runs this year? Derek Diamond (12). Dougherty has surrendered just two. Southern Miss is a really good offense and Dougherty's high-velocity fastball and knack for filling up the zone was the perfect initial strategy to tame the Golden Eagles. It was only temporary, of course, but it allowed Ole Miss to build a 9-0 lead. Imagine if Diamond or Adcock started and the Rebels go down 5-0. You think the game plays out the same? It was a smart decision and Bianco deserves credit.
6. What else can you say about Tim Elko at this point? Ole Miss is at home today without him. The senior launched two grand slams, three total home runs and drove in 10 runs on the weekend. It's redundant to keep calling him a legend. I am running out of adjectives and ways to articulate it. His value to this team from a strategic, production and emotional standpoint cannot possibly be overstated. Make no mistake about it, he's hurting. He moved more gingerly around the basepaths at the end of the weekend than he did in the beginning. He may not show it or want you to know he is hurting, but what he is doing is heroic stuff and the fact that his storybook season will have another chapter is a treat to all viewers.
Beyond the two grand slams, I thought his solo shot in yesterday's game was huge. It came at a great time. Southern Miss had just gotten on the board and regained its footing to make it 9-2. Elko hit them over the head once more. Of course the Rebels needed the grand slam in a 6-3 win on Friday, and his second slam yesterday was a devastating early blow, but the solo shot to answer the Golden Eagles' initial counter was just as paramount.
7. On to legend No. 2 whose name is Doug Nikhazy. All Nikhazy did this weekend was go 7.1 innings with 16 strikeouts on a night in which he couldn't throw a breaking ball to save his life in the first five innings. His fastball fell flat by the fourth and he uncharacteristically gave up a lead, only to find another gear as he so often has this season to keep Ole Miss in the game -- both literally and from an emotional standpoint. You've gotten used to Nikhazy finding a way to go seven innings when he doesn't have his best stuff, to the point of it becoming commonplace. It is anything but that and it is just remarkable to watch. Nikhazy is one of the biggest badasses to ever take the ball at Swayze field and it's fitting his final out in the ballpark in which he became a legend was a strikeout.
Saturday wasn't enough for this team's fiercest warrior. Nikhazy texted Mike Bianco Sunday evening that he'd "do anything needed tomorrow. Start, come on in relief, close, whatever," and Bianco quipped that Nikhazy would have fought him had he denied him the chance to play a role in this game. Nikhazy recorded the game's biggest out with the bases loaded in the 6th inning in a 12-7. It got the Rebels off the field when a hit (in a game in which half the hits were home runs) could've turned the game sideways. He clearly didn't have it yesterday. The fastball didn't have much on it and the curveball liked its usual bite. But Nikhazy got four outs and bridged the game to Broadway. He found a way, just as he has on so many occasions in his career. He's willed two teams to a super regional and is one of the most important pieces in program history. It's only fitting he gets at least one more to push his team forward, like he's done from the first time he toed the rubber in an Ole Miss uniform.
8. For all the deserved attention Nikhazy and Elko get, Taylor Broadway is authoring a historic stretch of baseball too. He's given up one run in his last 15 innings and has not allowed a runner to cross home plate since May 16. He earned a save in all three wins this weekend and all three were at least five outs. It's hard to articulate how dominant his fastball has been in this stretch. Instead of trying to do that via spin rate and other analytics I don't fully grasp the scope of myself, I'll point you to his outing yesterday compared to everyone else's. Broadway retired six of seven batters. The only man that reached came on an infield single. Look at the carnage on the mound around Broadway on both sides. The ballpark was a trampoline and a red hot Southern offense couldn't do anything with the Rebels' rock solid senior. Ole Miss wouldn't still be playing baseball without Broadway. You all don't need me to tell you this, but it bears repeating given the adventure the rest of the bullpen has been at times this year. There are only two other teams in the sport that can feel pretty confident in the game being over when their closer exits the bullpen gates. It's a tremendous luxury that Ole Miss has desperately needed to reach this point.
9. Here's a section to merely articulate how bonkers that game was. There were 11 combined home runs, 22 hits and 21 runs. Ole Miss used its Friday starter on two day’s rest and Saturday starter on one day’s rest. Southern Miss used its Friday Starter on two day’s rest and Saturday starter on one day's rest. Ole Miss led by as many as nine and as few as three. Calvin Harris hadn't had a hit since May 15 and took USM's ace deep to right. Tim Elko hit more home runs than he has functioning knees.
You get the point. Ole Miss needed every piece of its team to earn this win and passed test after test. From Elko, Nikhazy and Broadway to Adcock and Harris, it took the entire village to live to play another day.
10. Ole Miss' stars played like stars and that's why it is still playing baseball today. Nikhazy earned two wins, Elko drove in 10 runs and Broadway notched three saves. If the Rebels want to advance past next week, the supporting cast will need to be better. More on that later.
11. The Black Monday debacle against Tennessee Tech will likely never be topped in terms of home regional disappointment, but yesterday had a chance to be the slightly less miserable sequel for Ole Miss fans. But it wasn't and that's a credit to Bianco and the team. There's real buzz about Bianco's candidacy for the opening at LSU. Neal McCready reported over the weekend that Bianco and Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan are the two most desired candidates for the job and that power brokers are split on who they favor. I am not a reporter anymore, but rather some clown with a newsletter and podcast. I have no sources on the ground in Baton Rouge and I have no idea whether or not Bianco would take the job if offered or how the rest of this season factors into his candidacy.
What I do know is that regardless of how this plays out, this is one of his best coaching jobs and maybe the best of his 21 years in Oxford. He lost his best pitcher and hitter with a litany of other injuries in-between and still has this team in a super regional for the second consecutive season. The best gauge of a program is how regularly it is making supers (don't argue with me on this, I concede the lack of Omaha trips is an issue, but two things can be true at once) and Bianco has done that back-to-back years now. He needs to break through at some point within the next two years and get back to the College World Series, but that also shouldn't negate from the job he's done this year and the level of consistency he's reached with this program. I have no idea if this is his final ride in Oxford, but if it is, it's a damn fine final act.
DEAL ALERT: You can still get a 16 oz. prime strip for $10 bucks and $2 off any fish in the freezer, but he’s also adding $5 off any frozen sausage purchase this week. Go by and see the man. Best place in Mississippi to get meat.
Onward to Tucson
The Rebels will face No. 5 national seed Arizona after the Wildcats blew through the Tucson Regional. We'll get into it more tomorrow and Thursday, but Ole Miss is facing a potent offense that leads the sport in many major statistical categories. It's a winnable series, but the Rebels will need to play clean defense and be much more consistent 1-9 at the plate. Here are the times for the regional games:
A couple quick initial thoughts: Ole Miss didn't receive any favors by getting a Fri-Sun regional rather than a Sat-Mon. I don't think Nikhazy will be ready to throw game one and I think Tyler Myers is your third starter should it come to that. I'll have a lot more thoughts on this tomorrow, but I think the Rebels have a pretty good shot to advance despite the arduous challenge in front of them.
Oh, and shoutout to all the servers and bartenders on the square working 9 p.m. first pitches. Not all heroes wear capes.
Two Mississippians are U.S. Open bound
Yesterday was the peak of my content-related existence with regionals culminating and a pair of Mississippians surviving The Longest Day in Golf and making it through U.S. Open sectional qualifying.
Jackson native Wilson Furr tied for first at the Hilton Head, South Carolina, qualifier at Long Cove Club. Eighty-four men competed for five spots over 36 holes and Furr's story is just remarkable. He didn't even have a spot in the field and was an alternate. He showed up the day of the tournament with no practice round or caddy, got in the tournament and tied for first carrying his own walking golf back for 36 holes in a qualifier littered with Tour pros. Furr turned professional two weeks ago and will make his professional debut at Torrey Pines in two weeks. I could not be happier for my friend. He's a remarkable talent that had incredible success at a young age but fell on some hard times (as it relates to his golf game) over a three-year stretch in college. Furr earned All-American honors in his final collegiate season and the pieces are starting to come together for this one-time youth phenom. His future is bright and I cannot wait to watch him tee it up in California in a few weeks.
Tupelo native and Mizzou alum Hayden Buckley made it through the Atlanta sectional qualifier at Piedmont Driving Club. This similar-sized field also offered five spots. Buckley fired a pair of 67s and was a shot off the lead. A winner on the Korn Ferry Tour earlier this year, Buckley's on the cusp of earning a PGA Tour card with a strong finish to the season. He too is a great story in his own right, a former walk-on with no D1 offers and the last man in the field at the event he went on to win in February.
Mississippi golf continues to kick ass and will soon have a handful of players at the game's highest levels.
SkyBox just wrapped up their NASCAR Coca Cola 600 promo. They did not pick the winner of the race correctly, so no $1000 giveaway, but if you threw down $100 per unit on their entire card, you profited $900. Not a bad consolation prize. More promos are on the way. Go check these guys out. They have a picks package for your preferred sport that will fit your price range. Use the promo code “Rippee” for 20 percent off any purchase. You’re wasting free money if you don’t.
Content for your perusal:
Chase Parham's coverage yesterday was great. Here's a story on Taylor Broadway's excellence and stability in a rocky bullpen, and here's his story on the resiliency of this team.
On the horizon:
- Mailbag Friday and super regional preview
- back to our regularly scheduled newsletters after a few busy and travel-filled days.
- more deals on the horizon for subscribers.
Thanks for reading. Send to your friends and tell them to subscribe. Back with more tomorrow.