Oxford Trip Pits Alabama against Seventh-Ranked Ole Miss this Weekend

[Diamond Tide]

4/7/2022


TUSCALOOSA, AL – Alabama baseball takes to the road for a weekend in Oxford as the Crimson Tide squares off with seventh-ranked Ole Miss from Friday through Sunday. The series opener is set for 6:30 p.m. CT with the final two games scheduled for 2 p.m. at Oxford-University Stadium. Games one and two will air live on SEC Network+ with the series finale scheduled for a national broadcast on SEC Network.

Follow the Tide
Fans can follow this weekend's games via the below outlets:

Watch: SEC Network+ (Friday/Saturday) | SEC Network (Sunday)
Listen: 100.9 FM / CTSN / The Varsity App
Twitter: @AlabamaBSB
Live Stats: OleMissSports.com

Probable Starting Pitching Matchups

• Friday: UA – Garrett McMillan (Jr., RHP) vs. OM – Hunter Elliott (Fr., LHP)
• Saturday: UA – Jacob McNairy (Sr., RHP) vs. OM – TBA
• Sunday: UA – Grayson Hitt (So., LHP) vs. OM – TBA

Leading Off

• Alabama and Ole Miss will meet for the 368th time in history when the two teams open the series on Friday night at Oxford-University Stadium. The Crimson Tide holds the all-time advantage, 211-154-2, including a 76-70-1 mark in Oxford.
• The Rebels are carrying a four-game winning streak over the Tide heading into this weekend's conference matchup. That streak includes a series sweep of UA the last time the two teams met from March 26-27, 2021, in Tuscaloosa.
• The most recent series in Oxford came from March 15-17, 2019, with Ole Miss clinching a 2-1 win across the weekend's three games. The Rebels opened the series with a 1-0 win with UA countering for the 8-6 victory on Saturday. The series finale finished at 11-6 in favor of Ole Miss.
• Alabama continues with the weekend rotation of Garrett McMillan, Jacob McNairy and Grayson Hitt. McMillan gets the nod on Friday with McNairy following on Saturday. The pair of righties are followed by Hitt, a left-hander, for the series finale.
• Ole Miss will send freshman left-hander Hunter Elliott to the mound on Friday. The Rebels' final two starters are still to be announced.

About Alabama

• Alabama heads to Oxford having won five of the last six games, including a 3-1 mark over the most recent week. The Crimson Tide secured a 2-1 series win against Texas A&M last weekend and followed that up with a dominant 10-1 victory over Samford on Tuesday night in Tuscaloosa.
• The bullpen has played a key role in the Crimson Tide's success over the recent four-game stretch. A total of 10 relievers combined to go 3-0 with a save while maintaining a 1.53 ERA (3 ER/17.2 IP). The group also recorded 22 strikeouts while limiting opposing hitters to a lowly .188 average in the four games.
• Alabama's offense used 12 hits and seven walks to post 10 runs in UA's 10-1 win over Samford on Tuesday. The Tide scored four runs apiece in both the fourth and fifth innings while adding two in the sixth to cruise to the midweek victory.
• The Crimson Tide offense was led at the plate by William Hamiter and Bryce Eblin. Hamiter finished 2-for-4, including his first home run of the season, to go with a team-high four RBI and two runs scored. Eblin paced the Tide with three hits as part of a 3-for-4 night that included an RBI, a walk and a pair of runs to match Hamiter.
• Ben Hess was solid in his fifth start of the season, working 3.1 scoreless innings and allowing four hits and a walk to go with three strikeouts. Braylon Myers was first out of the pen, logging 1.1 innings for his first career win. The freshman allowed one unearned run on one hit with a strikeout.
• Myers was followed by Jake Leger, Luke Holman and Brayden Gainey with the trio combining for six strikeouts compared to one walk while holding the Bulldogs scoreless and hitless over the final 4.1 frames.
• UA and A&M matched up for a pitchers' duel last Friday night with the Aggies coming out on top, 3-2.
• Alabama's pitchers surrendered three runs and combined for 14 strikeouts with Texas A&M's arms countering for 11 punchouts and two runs allowed by night's end. Garrett McMillan suffered the loss, allowing three runs on six hits and a walk with an Alabama season-high nine strikeouts.
• The Tide gained a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the second thanks to an RBI-double from Andrew Pinckney. The Aggies matched UA with a run in the top of the fourth before a Texas A&M two-run home run in the sixth broke the tie.
• Alabama battled for one run in the bottom of the seventh and had the bases loaded with a chance to tie, but a groundout ended the rally. The Crimson Tide was able to load the bases once again, this time in the eighth, but a strikeout kept the game-tying run at third.
• A wild back-and-forth contest saw Alabama outlast Texas A&M, 10-9, last Saturday afternoon.
• Both teams posted crooked numbers for a majority of their runs in game two. Alabama's offense recorded four runs in the fourth to go with three runs apiece in the fifth and seventh on the way to 10 runs, while A&M used a seven-run sixth to go with single tallies in the fourth and eighth for nine runs.
• The Aggies had the tying run at third with one down in the eighth but two huge strikeouts from Dylan Ray ended the rally. Texas A&M also reached the tying and go-ahead runs in the ninth and had both runners in scoring position with two down, but another inning-ending strikeout from Ray sealed the win for Alabama.
• Ray earned his third save of the season, working the final 2.0 innings and allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts. The win went to Tide reliever Antoine Jean, with the junior contributing 2.0 innings and allowing two unearned runs on one hit and a walk with one strikeout.
• The Tide's offense was led on Saturday by Caden Rose who finished a perfect 2-for-2 with two walks, a run and a team-high three RBI from the nine-hole. Hamiter also contributed a multi-RBI effort, delivering a two-run single in the seventh for what would prove to be the difference in the game.
• Alabama used a five-run fourth inning against A&M to put the game out of reach early, finishing with an 8-4 victory last Sunday to clinch the series win.
• Texas A&M got out front first with two runs in the second. Alabama would answer two innings later, plating five in the fourth on five hits and a pair of walks to put the game out of reach. The Tide added two more in the seventh and one in the eighth while A&M posted single tallies in the eighth and the ninth to finish things at 8-4 in favor of UA.
• Eblin led the Alabama offense in hits with a 4-for-5 showing that included a double, one RBI and a stolen base. Zane Denton was close behind with a 3-for-4 day as the junior doubled, scored a run and contributed a team-high tying two RBI. Also totaling two RBI was Hamiter, who made his first start since Feb. 26, going 1-for-2 with a double, two walks and a run to go with his pair of RBI.
• Hunter Furtado picked up the series-clinching win, tossing 3.0 scoreless frames. The sophomore allowed two hits and a walk while striking out three in his relief outing.

About Ole Miss

• Mike Bianco is in his 22nd season at Ole Miss and his 25th season as a collegiate head coach. Bianco entered the
• 2022 campaign with an 812-462-1 mark in Oxford as part of a 912-533-1 career record. A 1989 graduate of LSU, Bianco is joined on staff by assistants Carl Lafferty and Mike Clement along with volunteer assistant Chris Cleary.
• The Rebels finished 2021 campaign at 45-22 overall, including an 18-12 mark in Southeastern Conference play. Ole Miss emerged from the NCAA Oxford Regional before falling to Arizona in the NCAA Tucson Super Regional.
• Ole Miss was selected to tie for second in the West and finish tied for second overall in the SEC in the league's preseason poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches.

On Deck
Alabama returns home for a midweek matchup with Belmont on Tuesday, April 12. The Crimson Tide and Bruins are scheduled for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Sewell-Thomas Stadium with the game airing on SEC Network+.

-UA-


RTR,

Diamond Tide