Bats stay hot as Rebels beat Southern Miss in Mid-Week Action
OXFORD, Miss. — What a night it was for the Ole Miss faithful at Swayze Stadium as the Rebels led off Week 4 of the 2023 season with an 11-5 win over Southern Miss.
The No. 22 Golden Eagles, perennially a strong baseball program and the Rebels’ opponent in last year’s Super Regional, struck quickly, managing to score in the top of the first inning on a bases-loaded infield error.
That run ended an Ole Miss pitching streak of 80 consecutive outs without surrendering a run against Southern Miss dating back to April of 2022. That’s just one out short of three complete games, with 54 of the outs coming in Hattiesburg in the Super Regional.
But little good the unearned run did this USM club as the Rebs quickly established their superiority. Ole Miss captured the lead for good in the bottom of the second with solo shots by Anthony Calarco (2) and Peyton Chatagnier (4), and never looked back.
.@antcalarco gets the Rebels on the board with a bomb!💣 pic.twitter.com/Jd8qRRL7Rf
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 8, 2023
May I have another?🧨 @peytonchat5 pic.twitter.com/iRZkFFBVrx
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 8, 2023
The Rebs would add six more runs over the next three innings, the first of which, adding insult to injury, trotted home on a balk. Ethan Lege singled in the next run and then Ethan Groff, the tournament MVP in Minnesota and current team leader in RBI’s with 24, doubled in a run.
Big double by @ethangroff12 💥 pic.twitter.com/ascF4IpvSg
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 8, 2023
The hot-hitting Calvin Harris brought in two more with a single, and TJ McCants went deep for the third time this season to complete the 8-run onslaught.
Shining bright under the lights! @mccants_tj pic.twitter.com/Uzxl3PMsGE
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 8, 2023
Starting and winning pitcher JT Quinn’s night was over after four standout innings and 74 pitches, turning the baseball over to Jordan Vera with an 8-1 lead. Quinn moves to 3-0 on the season.
An inning later, things got a bit dicey. In the top of the sixth, Southern Miss hit a leadoff homer, a batter was hit and an infield error occurred — all in succession. These situations don’t normally end well.
Three pitchers took the mound in the 6th and four USM runs were ultimately scored, but with the bases loaded and only one out, Ole Miss pitcher Jackson Kimbrell coaxed a soft come-backer that started an inning-ending, 1-2-3 double play. Kimbrell earned his first save of the season.
.@jacksonkimbrell with the big play to get the Rebels out of the jam. pic.twitter.com/AG8oeOroPF
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 8, 2023
The rest of the game was a mere formality as the Rebels’ offense put up three more runs, and the pitching staff and defense completely shut the Golden Eagles down for the final nine outs.
It was the fourth ranked win of the season for the Rebels, and they now look forward to their matchup against Purdue.
That’s right, the 11-2 Rebels have B1Gger fish to fry.
By the Numbers
The USM game drew 10,551 fans, the 3rd-largest attendance of this young season behind the Delaware opener (11,242) and Game 2 against Maryland (10,778).
For the season, Jacob Gonzalez (.420), Ethan Groff (408), Calvin Harris (.400) and Peyton Chatagnier (.400) are all hitting .400 or better, with Anthony Calarco (.390) and Kemp Alderman (.353) among the leaders.
The team’s power is also evident with Groff, Chatagnier and Alderman all owning slugging percentages of over .700 and with the team at .606.
The Rebs entered into the Southern Miss game with a nationally-4th-ranked batting average of .352 and .352 is where it stood afterwards. Ole Miss pitching is allowing opponents a .218 batting average and a slugging percentage of .379.
Bring on the Boilermakers!
(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.
