RPI Crunch Time: Rebels Cancel Midweek Date with Arkansas State

OXFORD, Miss. — Tuesday’s baseball game between Ole Miss and Arkansas State in Jonesboro has been canceled as announced by Ole Miss athletics Monday. The move comes  “…due to travel and scheduling circumstances” and the game will not be rescheduled.

The Rebels are the latest in a series of teams cancelling matchups, a move that will help preserve teams’ RPI at the end of the regular season. Ole Miss (31-19, 13-14 SEC) was slated to take on the Red Wolves (11-35, 5-21) in Jonesboro Tuesday night.

A Look at the RPI Numbers

The Rebels are riding a seven game winning streak and have improved their RPI to 39 after a sweep of LSU in Baton Rouge over the weekend.

Arkansas State sits at 231 out of just 301 teams. Had the Rebels even started the contest, their RPI would’ve dropped and potentially cost them a spot in the NCAA tournament.

The cancellation not only saves the RPI, it also allows the Rebels to rest and have their entire pitching staff available for the weekend vs. A&M.

Next Up:

The red-hot Aggies, fresh off a sweep of Mississippi State, come to Swayze Field for a three-game set beginning Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT. The Aggies (33-16, 17-10 SEC) are tied atop the SEC West standings with Arkansas and have risen to No. 6 in the nation overall.

(Feature image credit: Chris Muller, The Rebel Walk)

Austin Eldridge

Austin has more than ten years in sports media, including sports talk radio, play-by-play broadcasting and journalism. He has followed Ole Miss athletics for his entire life and has covered the Rebels and the rest of the SEC while working in the Memphis media market. Outside of sports media, Austin is a musician and outdoorsman. Before a serious accident forced him to be medically discharged, he was a multi-media journalist with the Mississippi National Guard.