Let’s Play Ball! Rebels old and new rock Swayze, sweep Delaware
OXFORD, Miss. — Can a series home-opener in defense of the national championship be any more perfect than what No. 4-ranked Ole Miss experienced against Delaware?
The temperatures for the three games in Oxford were perfectly February-funky; the crowds were stupendous and joyous; the only showers were of the liquid hops-and-barley variety; and all the 0’s hitting the scoreboard for the Blue Hens were simply mesmerizing.
There will forever be comparisons to the individuals and the Rebel team that won it all in 2022, and it certainly didn’t take long to harken back to their collective greatness.
Ole Miss ace Hunter Elliott picked up where Brandon Johnson left off while clinching the 2022 championship when he struck out the side in the first inning. The Tupelo lefty would go five rather breezy innings to register the first win of 2023, collecting a series-high nine strikeouts in the process.
Strong start to the 2023 season for our ace.
5.0 IP
3 H
2 R
1 BB
9 K pic.twitter.com/7ojA5orBzq— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 17, 2023
Who can forget then-freshman Elliott’s very first inning to pitch in an NCAA tournament game as he took the mound against the Miami Hurricanes in Coral Gables? Bases loaded, you’ll recall, with one out, and Elliott calmly and masterfully strikes out the next two hitters. Tim Elko, much later in that classic pitcher’s duel, would knock in the Rebels’ only two runs of the game — and they’d be enough for the victory.
No such dramatics were necessary in this game or the series against Delaware, but head coach Mike Bianco did make a couple of mound visits to visit with two relief pitchers before this game was over. There were men on base and nobody out on both occasions, and immediately after jogging off the field (there’s a clock on coaching visits now), both of his pitchers struck out the side. How’s that for a Midas Touch in getting your point across?
Games two and three were both run-rule victories. Team captain Garrett Wood got the “walk-off” RBI that put the Blue Hens away on Saturday, and the Sunday game was called after the top half of the seventh inning was completed with the Rebels holding a 10-run lead.
Both of the new starting pitchers, freshman Grayson Saunier (Saturday) and Indianapolis transfer Xavier Rivas (Sunday), were quite impressive in their Ole Miss debuts. Both are flamethrowers with that uncanny poise about them. They recorded 13 strikeouts in their combined 8.1 innings, working brilliantly around eight walks, with Rivas surrendering the only run between them.
That's how you start your college career! @GraysonSaunier fans the first batter he faces. pic.twitter.com/xxAwJzSjRC
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 18, 2023
Four innings, no runs, one hit, eight Ks. @XavierRivas33 is feeling it. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/WWgMSgVYBp
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 19, 2023
Between the first game and the third game, Rebel pitchers hurled 18 consecutive shutout innings. And boy, does that take you back!
You’ll recall when the Rebs arrived in Omaha from Hattiesburg, they’d thrown 20 consecutive shutout innings. DeLucia then put up another six goose eggs in the opener against Auburn. Pitching is a hallmark of Ole Miss baseball.
As a former pitcher, myself, the highlight of the entire weekend was watching one of the biggest heroes from last year step onto the mound in the middle of those 18 shutout innings. Of course, I’m talking about Jack Dougherty.
Jack came into game two with the bases loaded and a 4-0 lead and got out of the inning unscathed. He struck out five of the seven hitters he faced without allowing a baserunner while earning the save, rekindling memories of his five innings of perfection in the championship series against Oklahoma.
JACK DOUGHERTY. pic.twitter.com/jU9n11EMfs
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 18, 2023
And speaking of scoring, the eight three-game starters were, as a group, pretty darned impressive, going 31-for-79 — a hearty .392 average.
They were led at the plate by familiar stalwarts Peyton Chatagnier (.625, 2 homers, 1.375 slugging percentage), Kemp Alderman (.425, 1 homer), Calvin Harris (.400), TJ McCants (.400), and Jacob Gonzalez (.333, Grand Slam). Newcomers Anthony Calarco (.375), Ethan Lege (.300, and Ethan Groff (.300) all started hot.
Are we feeling good? pic.twitter.com/RSjtPhQf7M
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 18, 2023
Those who started but one game or entered as pinch-hitters were strong at the plate as well, going 7-for-18 collectively for a .389 average. They were led by two still-wet-behind-the-ears freshmen who each hammered home runs in their first-ever plate appearances as Rebels. They’re Judd Utermark and Will Furniss, and we’ll be hearing much more from them as the season evolves.
The team as a whole hit .392. That’s big-time good. For reference, the 2022 championship team’s batting average was .280 and ranked 125th in the country.
While it’s a long season, we’d all rather see this kind of start than one filled with drama. The drama can wait for another day, possibly this weekend against No. 13 Maryland.
Despite outscoring Delaware 35-6, the Rebels stranded 23 base runners, one more than the Blue Hens.
Yet, in every regard, the returning standard bearers and the new players brought in by Coach Bianco and his staff were equally awesome, making for one heck of a debut series for the defending national champions.
Defend the Title!
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
David Walker
David Walker was named Louisiana’s High School Player of the Year at just 16 years old and, at 17, became college football’s first quarterback to earn Freshman of the Year honors. He remains the NCAA’s youngest-ever starting quarterback, a distinction that has stood for decades.
Transitioning from a wide-open high school offense to Emory Bellard’s renowned wishbone triple option, Walker excelled as a dual-threat quarterback. He graduated as Texas A&M’s all-time winningest quarterback and served as a two-time team captain, helping to transform a program that had endured 15 losing seasons in the previous 16 years.
After his playing career, Walker coached and taught algebra at six Texas high schools before moving into private business. In 2011, he published his memoir, “I’ll Tell You When You’re Good,” a title inspired by the coaching philosophy of Shannon Suarez, the Sulphur High and Louisiana High School Hall of Fame coach who was a significant influence on Walker’s life and career.
Walker’s compelling storytelling in his autobiography reflects the breadth of his experiences in high school and college football, and it is an undeniable fact that he saw more action than any athlete in the history of the NCAA. Since 2013, he has contributed to The Rebel Walk, sharing his insights and expertise with readers.
