Ole Miss Baseball Faces No. 7 Southern Miss in Key Road Game

Ole Miss baseball travels south to face No. 7 Southern Miss on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Hattiesburg. The matchup marks the start of a four-game road stretch before SEC play begins.

The Rebels enter the game with a 15-2 record after going 5-0 last week. They secured wins over Memphis and North Alabama in midweek games and swept a weekend series against Evansville. Freshman pitcher Grayson Gibson earned a win over Memphis, tossing four hitless innings with five strikeouts. Marko Sipila, in his first start, struck out seven over three innings against North Alabama.

Judd Utermark led Ole Miss hitters last week, batting .412 with four home runs and 10 RBIs. He now has 10 homers this season, ranking second in the SEC for home runs. Dom Decker drew 11 walks last week, bringing his season total to 23 and leading the SEC in walks and walks per game. Ole Miss pitchers have accumulated 213 strikeouts this season, tied for the SEC lead and second in NCAA Division I.

Southern Miss, under head coach Christian Ostrander, boasts a 14-2 record and is ranked as high as No. 6 nationally. The Golden Eagles began the season with a loss to UC Santa Barbara but then won 11 straight games, including victories over four Power Five teams. They swept North Alabama in three games last week, outscoring opponents 24-7.

Senior outfielder Joey Urban leads Southern Miss hitters with a .373 batting average and five home runs. The team features four players hitting over .300, including Kyle Morrison, Davis Gillespie, and Seth Smith. On the mound, pitcher Sutherland holds a 1.00 ERA with 24 strikeouts in five appearances, while Dylan Causey has a 0.00 ERA in two starts.

Ole Miss will send RHP Taylor Rabe (2-0, 2.53 ERA) to face Southern Miss RHP Thomas Crabtree (0-1, 4.32 ERA). The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Jason Baker and Cliff Russum calling the action. Fans can also listen on the Ole Miss Radio Network with David Kellum and Brad Henderson.

Source: Original Article