Diamond Rebs found creative ways to get work in after COVID-shortened season
OXFORD, Miss. — Of the many challenges the Ole Miss baseball team faced following the sudden end to the 2020 season due to COVID-19, one main impediment became how the athletes could get in the work they needed with no spring season or summer ball.
It must have seemed like an endless summer of sorts, with each player pretty much on his own when it came to practicing his craft and many facilities shut down as a result of the global pandemic.
Although the team did participate in fall practice last November, the last time Ole Miss took to Swayze Field for an actual game was March 11, 2020 when the Rebels beat Louisiana-Monroe 18-7.
When the team returned to Oxford this spring, it found itself with a preseason No. 4 ranking by Baseball America. That is a direct result of the success the Rebels had in their abbreviated 2020 year.
After compiling a 16-1 record in the 17-game season, COVID-19 forced the team to shut down and the players scattered to all parts of the map to await whatever would come next in their baseball futures. But they did not sit idly by, they all continued to work. Just the work did not come in normal ways.
Nikhazy found creative ways to get work in
Junior pitcher Doug Nikhazy, a First Team Preseason All American as designated by Perfect Game, found some interesting ways to keep himself occupied.
“I had to get really creative, do a lot of fun stuff, I mean it was hard to get into a gym even, so I found ways,” Nikhazy said of his break at his home in Windermere, Fla.
“Thank God I had my brother to throw with because I wasn’t really hanging out with anybody, so I would throw with my brother pretty much every single day in this open field. There was this outdoor gym that we’d go to…so I would go work out over there and just find ways to keep busy.”
Ole Miss pitcher Doug Nikhazy
Doug Nikhazy on challenges due to COVID: "Really didn't even have a mound that often to throw off of. It was back to the old school and I like that. It was a little difficult but a fun challenge."
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) January 29, 2021
Not all his work was physical, however. Nikhazy said he also kept mentally sharp via Youtube.
“Really, coach (Carl Lafferty) says it best: ‘Try to constantly learn and find ways to get better,’ so I would surf YouTube all day, look at stuff, call Laff and run it by him, so just little things like that.”
Hoglund fine-tuned his pitches
Fellow pitcher Gunnar Hoglund used his time to fine-tune his craft, too. “It’s definitely good with new technology nowadays,” Hoglund said.
“And my big emphasis was working on bettering the breaking balls, specifically my curveball and changeup—those were the two pitches I wanted to improve on, and then fastball velocity and getting that ticked up again. Just working on moving better and stuff like that.”
Ole Miss pitcher Gunnar Hoglund
There is not much room for improvement as Hogland, like Nikhazy, was also recently named a preseason All-American. Last season he finished 3-0 and struck out a team-leading 37 batters. Oh, and his velocity? That’s looking pretty good, too.
Gunnar Hoglund on his velocity: "In bullpens, it's been anywhere from 90-95."
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) January 29, 2021
Hayden Dunhurst stressed his hitting
Catcher Hayden Dunhurst, who classifies himself as a COVID-freshman, may have had the easiest transition from training in Oxford and in his hometown of Carriere, Miss.
“We have a facility back home where I got to train and everything during COVID season and the summer and when the season got cancelled. So you know it really hasn’t been that big of a difference besides just being up here and being around everybody,” Dunhurst said of his return to school.
“It basically kind of goes back to the way it was in high school. You know, you’re kind of by yourself when you’re working on things, but it’s pretty easy to translate to.“
Ole Miss catcher Hayden Dunhurst
Dunhurst also addressed what he focused on during the time back home.
Hayden Dunhurst on what he worked on: "Hitting, being more consistent. Using the left side of the field more, being able to hit breaking balls better.."
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) January 29, 2021
Now the Rebels must translate the off-season work to the 2021 campaign.
State Farm Showdown
Ole Miss begins the season at the State Farm College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas, a veritable who’s who of the nation’s best teams. The Rebs will open with No. 10 TCU Feb.19, followed by games with No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 9 Texas.
The Rebels return to Swayze Field for the 2021 home debut Feb. 23 when Ole Miss hosts Arkansas State.
(Feature image credit: Ole Miss Athletics)
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
