RebelFaithful.com

The Rebels’ NCAA Tourney resume needs some polishing over the final month of the season.

Ole Miss baseball sits precariously atop the NCAA Tournament bubble, which means a daunting final month of its regular season schedule presents the opportunity to slide either way. With nine of the Rebels’ final 12 games coming on the road against RPI top-25 opponents, Mike Bianco’s club faces both an intimidating challenge and a golden opportunity over the next four weeks.

Ole Miss was able to avoid a disastrous backslide over the weekend, fighting back from a Friday-night beatdown to take the final two games and the series from a middling Mizzou team. A superb pitching performance by freshman Ryan Rolison helped carry the day on Saturday and the bats woke up to pound out nine runs on nine hits to take the rubber game on Sunday. The series win keeps Ole Miss afloat at 9-9 in the SEC.

Even with the series win, the Rebels dropped two spots to No. 40 in the RPI thanks to a midweek home game against terrible Arkansas-Pine Bluff. That, combined with their current conference record, makes for one bubbly resume. Coming into last week, Ole Miss was considered one of the first four in by D1 Baseball and one of the first four out by Baseball America.

Ole Miss resume snapshot

RPI: 40
Overall: 25-15
SEC: 9-9
vs. RPI top 50: 6-11
vs. RPI top 100: 11-12
Strength of schedule: 22

It’s generally accepted that it takes at least 14 or 15 conference wins to get an SEC team into the NCAAs, meaning Ole Miss probably needs to win at least half of its final 12 games to feel comfortable heading into the conference tourney.
Sounds easy enough, yea? A quick glance at the final four weekends might change your mind:

at Arkansas (No. 12 RPI)
at Florida (No. 7 RPI)
vs. Texas A&M (No. 42 RPI)
at Auburn (No. 22 RPI)
(There’s also the Tuesday night Governor’s Cup in Pearl against Mississippi State, the No. 19 RPI team.)

The silver lining is that if Ole Miss can win six or seven of those final conference games, the RPI will take care of itself. It’s just a matter of finding those wins.

http://www.redcuprebellion.com/2017/4/2 ... e-miss-rpi

Off to a bad start. Lost to Miss Stake again. First time since 1997 they've swept us 4-0 in baseball.

We were given 7 walks and 2 hit batsmen. Had 4 walks the first 2 innings, and couldn't score. The Ole Miss baseball team continue to make little league mistakes while trying to run the bases. You have runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out and your No. 3 batter at the plate. He hits a deep fly-ball to right-centerfield and the runner on second has his head down running toward third base. By the time he retreats back to second base there is no time to advance to third base. The next batter hits a slow roller to shortstop but no run scores. This does not happen once a year, it happens game-after-game, poor base-running.

Tv announcer pointed out 1 important thing about most of our hitters-we have no patience at the plate. We had several chances to score and can't put the ball to the opposite side, can't hit a ball in the air to advance the runner from third . In the 9th, their pitcher is throwing all breaking balls and our batters didn't move up in front of the box. These decisions are on staff not teaching hitters to make right decisions. Walked 7 batters,hit 2 players -score no runs-absolutely no excuse.

rebeljim wrote: ↑Wed Apr 26, 2017 8:48 am Tv announcer pointed out 1 important thing about most of our hitters-we have no patience at the plate. We had several chances to score and can't put the ball to the opposite side, can't hit a ball in the air to advance the runner from third . In the 9th, their pitcher is throwing all breaking balls and our batters didn't move up in front of the box. These decisions are on staff not teaching hitters to make right decisions. Walked 7 batters,hit 2 players -score no runs-absolutely no excuse.

A first year coach, with one hand tied behind his back, has owned MB. I'm not a fire Bianco guy, but changes must be made. Absolutely pathetic at the plate. This has been a miserable sports cycle..