Weekend Preview: Diamond Rebs Look To Stay Hot, Welcome Iowa To Oxford
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss baseball is on a roll. After starting the season 2-4, the Diamond Rebs have reeled off four consecutive wins and have scored 61 runs in those four games. The bullpen has been electric, and it seems the pieces of the puzzle have started to come together on the field.
But things aren’t going to get any easier. Ole Miss plays in the SEC, the premier conference in college baseball. But you can’t put the cart before the horse, and this weekend will see a solid Iowa Hawkeyes team come to town.
Hello, Hawkeyes
Ole Miss and Iowa have met just seven times on the diamond, with the Rebels holding a 4-3 advantage. The most recent meeting was way back in 1997, with the Rebels defeating the Hawkeyes by a final of 11-6. But that was 27 years ago, and it’s safe to say both teams look pretty different since then.
Iowa comes into the weekend at 4-4, but don’t let the .500 record fool you. This is a team that was selected to finish No. 1 in the Big Ten Preseason Coaches Poll. And the losses they’ve suffered haven’t been bad ones. While they have suffered two upsets to Lehigh and Wichita State, the Hawkeyes held their own in a close 7-5 matchup with SEC West foe Auburn and suffered a narrow 12-9 defeat to No. 13 Virginia. Most recently, they pummeled Northern Illinois on Tuesday by a final of 14-6.
Hawkeye Hurlers
The Iowa starting rotation is no joke, and the hot bats the Rebels have had of late are going to get a stiff test this weekend. Iowa is set to go with RHP Brody Brecht on Friday, RHP Marcus Morgan Saturday, and LHP Cade Obermueller on Sunday.
Brecht enters Friday’s matchup with an ERA of just 1.74 in 10.1 innings. He has allowed just three hits and three runs, and has struck out 22 while walking only 10. And he possesses nasty stuff, as well as immense confidence on the mound.
🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥@brody_brecht x #Hawkeyes
— Iowa Baseball (@UIBaseball) March 31, 2023
😮💨@brody_brecht x #Hawkeyes
— Iowa Baseball (@UIBaseball) March 13, 2023
Morgan, Saturday’s projected starter, has posted a 4.15 ERA in 8.2 innings. He’s allowed four runs on five hits, with 13 strikeouts to just seven walks.
Solid first start from @Marcus_Morgan20 🐥#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/5Kq3zsVVmH
— Iowa Baseball (@UIBaseball) February 17, 2024
But there’s a reason Cade Obermueller is Iowa’s Sunday guy. He simply gets it done on the mound. In nine innings, his ERA doesn’t exist. 0.00 with no hits, no runs, and 13 strikeouts, while walking only four. Obermueller is a sidearm starter as well, making his delivery even harder to pick up, and his pitches are a force to be reckoned with.
🤮🤮🤮
Career high 7 Ks for @CadeObermueller
M4 | Iowa 1, Lehigh 0 #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/ZnE34dzzxQ
— Iowa Baseball (@UIBaseball) February 18, 2024
Yeah that is gross 🤮@CadeObermueller x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/jxq5n8Zgx9
— Iowa Baseball (@UIBaseball) May 18, 2023
Yellow And Black Bats
While the starting pitchers know how to put on a show, the Iowa offense features some pop as well, and will make the Rebels’ staff work very hard throughout the weekend. The Hawkeyes hit .304 as a team, and have just one player in their starting lineup batting below .200. But the biggest name to watch is going to be Sam Petersen.
Petersen is a junior that does it all. He hits dingers, he gets on base, and he steals bases. He leads Iowa with three big fly’s to this point in the season to go along with eight RBI’s. And when he gets ahold of one, it goes a long way.
TWO 2-run home runs to get things started 👀🔥@Petersen11Sam + @dcop38 put the #Hawkeyes up 4️⃣ pic.twitter.com/BDHasJso3O
— Iowa Baseball (@UIBaseball) February 27, 2024
𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣’ 𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙮@Petersen11Sam x #Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/HPRIlfsrQx
— Iowa Baseball (@UIBaseball) February 28, 2024
Petersen is a huge threat on the basepaths as well, going 8-8 in stolen base attempts so far in 2024.
But Petersen isn’t alone providing offense for Iowa. Davis Cop and Kyle Huckstorf each have nine RBI’s, while Raider Tello has 12. Huckstorf and Tello each have two homers as well, while Tello is batting .361 at the plate. Close behind is Ben Wilmes, hitting .308 on the season so far.
Rollin’ Rebs
While Iowa brings a prolific squad into Oxford, Ole Miss has been on a tear at the right time. In the last five games, the Rebels have scored 61 runs and have hit 14 homers. The Rebels are coming off of a 12-6 victory over Little Rock Tuesday, and a 12-3 win over Missouri State on Wednesday. Doing most of the damage has been “Sergeant” Jackson Ross, who has been on an absolute tear. He leads the Rebels with a scorching .438 average, boasting 15 runs on 14 hits, with five homers and 16 RBI’s. He has also walked 11 times, while striking out only four times.
5 homers in 4 games for @Jackson_Ross55 pic.twitter.com/vFiJlTc98c
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 28, 2024
SEC Player of the Week picking up where he left off @Jackson_Ross55 pic.twitter.com/ezptRfFZ0H
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 27, 2024
As a whole, the Rebels have upped their batting average to .263 as a team, with 18 home runs and 77 RBI’s. Ethan Groff has been thriving since being moved into the leadoff spot, upping his average to .325. He’s also started to show his prowess on the bases, going 4-4 in stolen bases on the year. Andrew Fischer, the transfer third baseman from Duke, is also starting to see the ball well, and Ethan Lege has been a steady presence at the plate all season.
While Mike Bianco said he and his coaches are still trying to figure out the roles for the pitching staff, the Rebel hurlers are starting to come into their own. Collectively, they’ve lowered their ERA to 4.18, which is an incredible improvement from the start of the season. Gunnar Dennis, a JUCO transfer, has been the surprise of the season so far, transitioning into his weekend starter role nicely, posting a 3.12 ERA through 8.2 innings thus far, allowing just four runs on 10 hits, while striking out nine and walking just five.
Six up, six down, three Ks for @dennis_gunnar pic.twitter.com/bzhelr4fCk
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 24, 2024
And while Josh Mallitz has shown no signs of regression despite missing all of 2023 due to injury, sophomore Mason Nichols has been the star of the show out of the bullpen. In 6.1 innings, he has yet to allow a run, has allowed just two hits, and has nine strikeouts to just four walks.
Strikeout, strikeout, strikeout
🔥🔥🔥 @masonichols11 pic.twitter.com/6U6DgvG9Nl
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 29, 2024
Mike Bianco has made a slight change to the pitching rotation for the weekend, moving Gunnar Dennis to Friday, JT Quinn to Saturday, and keeping Grayson Saunier in his Sunday role.
Looking Ahead
This is an absolutely huge series for Ole Miss. This will be their first look at a true SEC-caliber pitching staff and will also give the Rebel hurlers a chance to face a very talented lineup top to bottom. While the Rebels have been beating up on teams they’re supposed to beat of late, a series win over Iowa would go a long way in both building the team’s confidence, and building the team’s postseason resume.
Friday’s game is set for a 6:30 PM first pitch, Saturday is slated for 1:30 PM, and Sunday is set for noon. All three games will be streamed on the SEC Network+. As always, stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for all your updates.
Feature image credit: Ole Miss Baseball
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.
