Scouting Missouri State Ahead of Ole Miss Baseball’s Second Series of the Season

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss baseball got its season off to a hot start over the weekend, sweeping its series with Nevada and outscoring the Wolf Pack by a total of 29-6. It then kept its win streak alive after completing a late 7-6 comeback win over Arkansas State on Tuesday, which was followed by an 18-0 dismantling of Jackson State on Wednesday.

The Rebels will now shift their focus to the Missouri State Bears, the second series of the season, and the last regular series that Ole Miss will play before it heads to Houston for the Bruce Bolt College Classic, which begins on Feb. 27.

Missouri State currently holds a 4-1 record after winning two of three games in its opening series at Louisiana, from which it traveled to Tulsa to blow out Oral Roberts, 11-0, on Tuesday before it makes the trip to Oxford.

The Bears are led at the plate by senior second baseman Bryce Cermenelli, a transfer from Central Arkansas, who was second in the conference with a .395 batting average last year. Through 10 at-bats, he leads the Bears with a .500 BA and one RBI.

Junior catcher Charlie Carter sits close behind, though, with a .429 BA. However, he had made more of an impact with fewer appearances, with three RBIs, one home run and a team-leading OPS of 1.556 in just seven at-bats.

Missouri State starts Bobby Atkinson, who fields well but hits poorly, at first base. While he’s been perfect in fielding the ball through four games, with 21 at-bats, tied for the most on the team, he has the worst BA at .143 and OPS with a .563.

Filling the bases out, junior Curry Sutherland occupies third base. After starting all four games for the Bears, his performances so far have been relatively average, both in terms of fielding and batting. He’s recorded three RBIs and a homer in 18 at-bats.

Shortstop Logan Fyffe helps keep the bases secure, and he does well at it. However, in terms of batting, he’s only ahead of Atkinson, as he’s not hit well. Stepping up to the plate six times, he’s recorded a .167 BA with only one hit.

Missouri State then starts senior Gabe Roessler in left field, junior Caden Bogenphi in center field and senior Taeg Gollert in right field. Bogenphi and Roessler hit third and fourth-best on the team with .389 and .333 BAs, respectively. Together, they’ve been perfect at fielding the ball and have also combined for 12 RBIs and two home runs.

Gollert has fielded well, but hasn’t managed to find the ball at the plate as well as his outfield counterparts. With a .286 BA, he sits right behind Max Knight, Missouri State’s designated hitter, who’s been hitting .333 for two RBIs and a HR.

From the mound, the Bears have sophomore Michael Yusypchuck leading the team through four games. Through six total innings pitched, Yusypchuck has secured four strikeouts, a .83 WHIP and allowed just a .150 BA with an ERA of 0.

Pitchers Ross Felder and Tyler Charlton have also put some decent performances on showcase, but nothing great. Overall, Missouri State’s pitching situation is not ideal, but it may prove to be better in conference play.

What to expect

Considering recent performances by both teams, Ole Miss should not struggle to sweep the series. The Rebels have had some minor issues, but have proved to be superior against the three teams they’ve played so far.

This series should be no exception, as Ole Miss should take care of the Bears with ease. With Nevada arguably having more talent than Missouri State, and after getting off to a hot start with five straight wins and a dominating performance last game, fans should expect nothing less than exceptional performances over the three-game series.

Game info:

Ole Miss Baseball (5-0) welcomes Missouri State (3-1) to Swayze Field for a three-game series this weekend. First pitch on Friday is set for 4 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., and the finale on Sunday at 1:30 p.m.