Rippee Writes: Wednesday Scoop
NCAA attendance news, a midweek loss and a golf update
Happy Wednesday to all. Collin and I will have a Georgia series preview podcast out later today with the series beginning tomorrow, so be on the lookout for that. We've got baseball, golf and an NCAA news nugget to dive into today.
Let's go.
Ole Miss loses to UT-Martin
This mid-major Tennessee school did not need their right fielder to come in and close out the Rebels like Tennessee Tech did. The Skyhawks had more than enough offense to put the game away. I am joking, sort of, but this was a pretty lethargic performance. It's also not a consequential one. There's a difference. Ole Miss played poorly. The back end of the pitching staff is not good and the trickle-down effect of all the injuries has deprived the team of a reliable midweek starting option. We all already knew both of these things. It's why the last two midweeks, and plenty of others along the way, have been a struggle. It's actually quite fortuitous this group only lost one midweek game this season with the state of its pitching staff. Josh Mallitz struggled, Cody Adcock won't be seeing weekend action and Austin Miller gave up another back-breaking home run that proved to be the difference. Not great, but again, not really consequential.
As best I can tell, Ole Miss' RPI dropped one spot after losing to this 18-27 UT-Martin club. Any drop in RPI is suboptimal, but a one-spot drop is not really significant. What matters for this team this week is what they do in Athens beginning tomorrow night. Yes, it's not great foreshadowing, but I struggle to draw a lot of negative conclusions from this other than that Mike Bianco better hit the transfer portal for some pitching in 2022. It's an annoying loss for fans but one that no one will remember two weeks from now. Onward to Georgia with the slim margin for error on the mound this team already possessed before the game last night. So it goes.
I will close with this: Ole Miss may have found something with Brandon Johnson. He threw 2.2 innings of one-hit, shutout relief. UT-Martin isn't good, but at some point throwing 95 with a decent second pitch has to matter. Bianco may not trust him, but he may want to start mulling the idea given this embattled bullpen's continuous search for competent arms. Don't be surprised if Johnson gets a shot this weekend. He almost certainly will next week in Hoover. Keep an eye on this storyline. The Rebels could use another Jack Dougherty-like midweek discovery.Â
PROMO ALERT: Skybox is currently running a deal on their monthly NASCAR package. If you buy it and it doesn’t profit in the month of May, you get refunded. Additionally, if they successfully pick the winner of the Coca-Cola 600 on May 30, they’re giving away a free $1000 to one monthly NASCAR subscriber. So to be qualified, go buy the package and then like and RT their promo tweet and you’re all set. Go check out the site. These guys will lead you to profit.
NCAA Reverses course on capacity restrictions.
Well, would you look at that. It is almost as if this organization values money more than amateurism, or something like that. Snark aside, this is great news for the sport and great news for all of you if Ole Miss and Mississippi State end as hosts, which they will. This will make for a much more entertaining and exciting postseason in a sport that's rapidly growing. I am biased because I enjoy baseball more so than anything else, but NCAA Baseball Regional weekend is one of the most underrated TV weekends on the calendar. Postseason baseball at any level always delivers when it comes to drama and theatrics. Now, we'll have full grandstands to add to it. This is a win for everyone. Enjoy this. Every last pitch of it. After the last year we all endured, we deserve it.Â
Magnolia State Golf Update
- Ole Miss Men's golf failed to make it through its regional in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The 10th-seeded Rebels finished in 10th place, ending their 2021 season.
- Mississippi State will play its final round of Cle Elum Regional (University of Washington host) today. The Bulldogs sit in 12th place. The top 5 schools advance.
- No Mississippians in the field at the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island this week, to my knowledge. Let's hope that changes in 2022
The Korn Ferry Tour is in Kansas City this week.
Four of the five Mississippians on this tour are in the field.
1. Tupelo native and Mizzou alum Hayden Buckley tees off at 12:42 tomorrow and 7:27 Friday morning. Buckley has yet to find consistent form after his February win in Florida and sits at 38th in the standings. He's still in decent position but needs a couple of strong results to sneak into the top 25.
2. Brandon native and Ole Miss alum Jonathan Randolph tees off at 7:16 tomorrow morning and 12:31 Friday afternoon. At 96th in the points standings, Randolph should be eyeing creeping into the top 75. That would get him into the Korn Ferry Tour finals where an additional 25 Tour cards are awarded over a month-long stretch.
3. Hattiesburg native and Alabama alum Davis Riley is in the field after a week off. Riley has already accrued enough points to guarantee himself a PGA Tour card next season. Riley won twice before the COVID shutdown and was really a victim of the wraparound season. He's now seeking out another win, which would be his third, and equate to an immediate battleground promotion to the PGA Tour effective the next week. Congrats to Riley on a remarkably quick ascent in professional golf. He tees off at 12:31 tomorrow and 7:16 on Friday morning
4. Tupelo native and Mississippi State alum Chad Ramey tees off at 12:52 tomorrow and 7:37 Friday morning. Ramey is putting together an insane 18-month run of consistency. He's missed a total of three cuts in 31 events in this wraparound year, which is how he sits at 10th in the standings despite not having a win, an incredibly impressive feat. He is in good position to remain inside the top 25 and graduate to the PGA Tour
5. Ole Miss alum Braden Thornberry posted a top-10 finish last week, but is not listed as in the field for this event. This is one of the few popular spots on the schedule for guys to take a week off on this tour. Thornberry is now 47th in the standings and within striking distance of cracking the top 25.
The 16 oz prime strip for $10 deal is still rolling but you can now get a second one for $15 bucks if you want more than one. Also, you get $2 off any fish in the freezer. Thanks for subscribing and enjoy. Go by LBs. They’re the best.
On the horizon:
- preview pod tomorrow and a potential live show during Thursday's game. Stay tuned.
- Georgia scout in tomorrow's newsletter as well as an NBA playoff preview
- That feature story I have been teasing will be published before the end of the week.
That's all from me today. Thanks for being a loyal subscriber. Send to your friends and tell them to join in on the fun. Enjoy the perks that come with it and have a wonderful Wednesday