Nikhazy Named First Team Preseason All-American

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa –  Doug Nikhazy ended last season as an All-American, and he’ll enter the 2021 campaign as a First Team Preseason All-American, earning the elite designation from Perfect Game on Tuesday.

Nikhazy was previously chose as a Second Team Preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball. This is also his second appearance on a Perfect Game All-American team, having earned Freshman All-America honors in 2019.

In 2020, Nikhazy worked to a 3-1 record and 2.35 ERA with 31 strikeouts and nine walks over 23.0 innings pitched. The sophomore out of Windermere, Florida, went at least 5.0 IP in every single start as the team’s Friday night arm.

The 2019 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team member started his season going 5.1 innings with four runs allowed in Rebels’ only loss of the year in the season opener vs. No. 1 Louisville, working against the Cardinals’ ace and first team All-American Reid Detmers. Nikhazy bounced back and was named SEC Pitcher of the Week after going 6.0 no-hit innings with nine strikeouts in combined no-hitter of Xavier. Nikhazy picked up his second win of the year the following week vs. High Point, which sparked a Rebel sweep of the Keith LeClair Classic. He closed his season with another no-hit outing, notching 6.0 scoreless and hitless innings in rout over Princeton.

(Courtesy of Ole Miss Media Relations)

(Feature image credit: Ole Miss Athletics)

Evelyn Van Pelt

Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.