Unfortunately for the ninth-seeded Rebels, to will have to rough up D.J. Baxendale if they’re to remain alive in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

Today’s 9:30 a.m. game is televised on SportSouth/ESPN3.com.

The winner of today’s game will face the loser of top-seeded LSU and seventh-seeded Mississippi State on Thursday at 9:30 a.m. The loser goes home to await their fate with the NCAA Tournament selections Monday.

Earlier this year Ole Miss took two of three from the Razorbacks in Oxford, claiming the first two games 1-0 and 8-2 before losing the third 11-3.

Although Baxendale earned a no decision after allowing one run in 3.2 innings of work in the Hog win in Oxford, he has been a reliable right-hander for Arkansas throughout the season posting 7-3 record and a 3.14 ERA. In 80.1 innings, Baxendale has collected 74 strikeouts against 17 walks. Opponents are also hitting .240 off of the 6-foot-2 junior.

In four career games against Ole Miss, Baxendale is 0-2 with one save and a 3.68 ERA. Baxendale has also racked up 12 strikeouts against six walks in 14.2 innings.

Ole Miss will turn to sophomore right-hander Mike Mayers to keep their postseason hopes alive.

The Ohioan has had success against Arkansas this season. On April 21, Mayers earned a win in Ole Miss’ 1-0 victory by pitching 6.1 scoreless frames against the Razorbacks. It was one of two scoreless performances for Mayers this year.

On the season, Mayers is 4-3 with a 3.84 ERA. In 77.1 innings, Mayers has struck out 52 and walked 225 with opponents hitting .228 off of him.

SHUFFLING THE LINEUP: Ole Miss has a brand new lineup today with plenty of changes. Senior Zach Kirksey has been used almost exclusively as a designated hitter against right-handed pitchers but was inserted into left field today and is batting fourth in the order.

Against Arkansas this season, Kirksey was 1-for-7 with one RBI and three strikeouts.

With Kirksey in left, junior Tanner Mathis has been shifted to right field and freshman Sikes Orvis has been inserted into the DH spot.

Orvis is hitting .286 on the year in spot duty and has been mostly used as a pinch hitter.

It’s probably worth noting that against Arkansas, Orvis was 1-for-2 with an RBI on April 22.

The other move of note is catcher Will Allen was dropped from the middle of the order to seventh.

After being one of the Rebels’ most reliable bats against conference foes, Allen has fallen on hard times and is hitless in his last four games and six of the last seven.

During that seven-game stretch, he is 2-for-26.

HOW’D WE GET HERE: Ole Miss earned a second straight 9:30 a.m. game by losing to Kentucky 2-0 on Tuesday to open the tournament. The Rebels tried a number of things against the Wildcats to push a runner across home plate but were unable to ditch the goose egg. Arkansas, meanwhile, was hit around by Mississippi State in the tournament’s second game Tuesday and eventually lost 9-1 after surrendering six runs in the ninth.

———STARTING LINEUPS———

No. 9 OLE MISS REBELS (34-23 overall)
RF Tanner Mathis (.348 BA/.447 OBP/ .397 SLG)
2B Alex Yarbrough (.381/.436/.513)
1B Matt Snyder (.340/.406/.581)
LF Zach Kirksey (.288/.383/.648)
CF Auston Bousfield (.281/.357/.362)
DH Sikes Orvis (.286/.405/.429)
C Will Allen (.306/.337/.399)
3B Andrew Mistone (.233/.299/.290)
SS Blake Newalu (.351/.386/.455)
RHP Mike Mayers (4-3, 3.84 ERA)

No. 6 ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS (39-18)
SS Tim Carver (.314/.353/.404)
1B Dominic Ficociello (.313/.406/.463)
3B Matt Reynolds (.347/.459/.546)
LF Brian Anderson (.298/.417/.417)
DH Jacob Mahan (.272/.333/.288)
2B Bo Bigham (.282/.333/.350)
RF Sam Bates (.250/.342/.444)
C Jake Wise (.243/.337/.314)
CF Matt Vinson (.222/.381/.293)
RHP D.J. Baxendale (7-3, 3.14)

———SCORING SUMMARY———

OLE MISS 1, Arkansas 0 (Botton 4): Zach Kirksey led off the third with a triple that banked off of the wall in right-center and after Auston Bousfield was rung up on a strikeout, Sikes Orvis scored the left fielder on a groundout to second base. The run, which was Ole Miss’ first of the tournament, drew almost comical applause from those in attendance at Regions Park.

OLE MISS 2, Arkansas 0 (Bottom 7): After chasing Arkansas starter D.J. Baxendale, the Rebels jumped on Razorback right-hander Colby Suggs with three straight singles to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Kirksey then muscled a fly ball to center field to score Tanner Mathis from third. Bousfield hit into a double play in the next at-bat to end the inning.

———LOOKING BACK———

 After Rebel starter Mike Mayers (5-3) left the game having limited Arkansas to five hits and one walk over four scoreless innings, Ole Miss turned to junior closer Brett Huber.

The sometimes-closer allowed one hit but struck out three over the final two innings to earn his 10th save of the season and 26th of his career. His career mark ties him with former Rebel All-American and current assistant Stephen Head for first all-time in Ole Miss’ record books.

Rebel head coach Mike Bianco went as far as to say Huber has pitched as well over the last three weeks as he has at any other point in his collegiate career.

Baxendale fell to 7-4 on the year after allowing one run on four hits and three walks in six innings.

Having struggled at the plate recently, Rebel second baseman Alex Yarbrough had a big day offensively with three hits to bump his batting average back up to .393.

Ole Miss will return to the diamond tomorrow to face the loser of LSU-Mississippi State at 9:30 a.m.

During his post-game press conference, Bianco said senior R.J. Hively was not available to pitch today due to tenderness in his throwing arm and would be a game time decision.

———QUOTABLES———

Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn:

*”I thought D.J. threw really well and Mayers was outstanding. We didn’t score on him during the regular season, either.”

*”Mayers came out and just got after us and Huber came in and finished it off in the eighth and ninth.”

*”Yesterday’s game, I don’t know. It just wasn’t a good game for us. We didn’t swing the bat well and today we kind of picked up right where we left off. There’s some older guys that have to get it going. You can’t just depend on these younger guys in the lineup.”

*”We were going to swing. He’s a strike thrower. He throws everything for a strike. He came out and threw that breaking ball for a strike and spotted the fastball pretty good. We didn’t want to get behind in the count and some guys it took them a time or two to figure it out but that was the game plan going in, to go up there and hit. If it’s a four-pitch inning it’s a four-pitch inning but lets get a swing. We just didn’t get it done. He just whooped us.”

Arkansas 2B Bo Bigham:

*”He just really mixes his pitches well. You can’t sit on anything. He throws all his pitches for strikes and just keeps the hitters guessing. That’s been tough on us.”

*”We just weren’t putting very good swings on balls this weekend. They just kept us off balance and we just had a bad weekend.”

Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco:

“It’s been a rough 10 days for us. I thought the guys today played really outstanding in one of those grind-it-out games.”

“I’m proud of the way the guys hung in there because it’s been a tough 10 days.”

“He has been terrific and pitching mostly in the two spot and sometimes on Sunday earlier in the year. It’s hard for me to think of games where he’s had a bad day. Usually when you think of aces, guys like Bobby Wahl and down the line, with guys we’ve had here like (Lance) Lynn and (Drew) Pomeranz, there aren’t many guys that every time they go out there they get deep into the game and the score is intact to give you a shot to win and that’s what Mike has done. Even beyond that he has had games like this, games where he absolutely shut them down. He pitched terrific last weekend (at Vanderbilt). I look down his record and it’s shocking he only has five wins when you look at his numbers. It’s amazing. He deserves a lot more credit than he’s probably gotten to this point.”

On lineup shuffle:
“Just looking for something to happen. Obviously with the right-hander you knew Kirksey would play, but was there a way to get Orvis into the lineup? So we moved Kirksey to left field and it was just a chance to get another guy that I think is swinging well (into the lineup)… Orvis has had a couple good pinch hits at Vanderbilt. Baxendale is good. He’s so good and pitches in so many big games for them. Last year,  I considered him maybe the best in the SEC when we faced him at the end. This year, I know his numbers are great but maybe not as great as they were last year but he pitches big games for them and you could see the emotion out there. We knew we needed a lift and fortunately both those guys swung it great today.”

On walking Ficociello to get to Reynolds:
“I don’t know if Reynolds is really 100 percent. We respect both of them and both of them are terrific. It had more to do with Mike and how he pitched to Reynolds in the first at-bat. Reynolds came out of the game last night and we weren’t sure if he was going to start today. I’m sure he’s not 100 percent, still good, but if you had your choice rather than mess around with Ficociello we thought we would just go after Reynolds and hope for the best and he made some good pitches.”

On Huber:
“Today somebody mentioned when we were walking off the field that he hit 94, 95 with his fastball. He had good command with a great fastball and great slider. He’s been as good the last few weeks as anytime in his three-year career. Obviously with tying the record he’s been very special the last couple of weeks.”

On Orvis:
“In the first with the bases loaded, Ficociello is a shortstop playing first. He’s terrific and makes a great play where I’m not sure if every first baseman makes that play. That’s a tough play he makes. Another foot either way and that’s a double down the line.”

“…That’s a lot of pressure. I think he’s only had three or four starts the entire season, to be inserted into the lineup and then compounded by our issues with scoring runs and he’s been in a couple of those tough situations and had great at-bats.”

Was it a relief to get the win?
“I’d like to say no, but I think the truth is yes, it’s been tough. When you lose five in a row, it’s amazing you walk off the field Sunday against Tennessee and feel good about yourself looking to the future and then all of a sudden a tough game against Arkansas State and you don’t play terrible at Vanderbilt but you don’t play great and they play terrific. The first two games were pretty close games and even the third game was only 6-3. Just not playing well and have to beat a team that is playing really well. And then a tough game for us yesterday. It hasn’t been where we’ve been terrible, I don’t know if that’s better or worse. We’ve been in them. When you’re in the SEC, we’ve always said it’s a very unforgiving league and you have to play well to win or you lose in this league unlike any other league. Every weekend. I think it was a relief to play well again and have some success. It was one of those grind-it-out games. We told them the baseball gods aren’t going to let it be easy, you’re going to have to work every at-bat on both sides of the ball. I think that’s why I was proud of them. It wasn’t just that we went out and had 15 hits and scored 10 runs, it was one of those where Baxendale was terrific and Suggs did a great job and gets out of (the jam) with only one run. We just hung in there and I thought in all three phases of the game we played well.”

Set up with pitching?
“R.J. has some tenderness and wasn’t available to pitch today. He has been getting better each day but we’ve leaned on him a lot the last couple weeks of the season. We’ll see. If he doesn’t throw there’s several options, as many as we could sit here and mention. We’ll go back to the hotel and see. It may be something where we won’t know until tomorrow. I think that’s likely. It has nothing to do with gamesmanship, it has more to do with seeing how he feels in the morning.”

Important to win today to get into NCAA Tournament?
“I think every time you win it’s important and you get closer. Only those 10 guys know. I’ll say this, if you look at our resume it’s pretty darn good. Probably the most unfavorable thing would be the last five games. If you look at the RPI and big wins, I think it’s pretty good but anytime you can win is another notch on the resume.”

Ole Miss closer Brett Huber:

“I haven’t talked to Stephen but it’s obviously an honor. He’s a three-time All-American. We give him some grief for that, but it’s exciting to have my name up there with someone like that and at a school like this. It’s really exciting.”

Ole Miss right-hander Mike Mayers:

“They have a great lineup, it’s just one of those things that I felt great both times I’ve gone out there. I filled up the zone and just attacked their hitters”

Ole Miss second baseman Alex Yarbrough:

On offensive struggles & finally scoring:
“It felt really good, especially since we were able to put pressure on them in the first inning.”

“It was a good start. We’ve been struggling to get chances at all really and then when we do get chances we haven’t been able to cash them in.” (May 23, 2012)

The first game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament at Regions Park in Hoover, Ala., will be televised on SportSouth.

Checkout today’s print edition of the Oxford EAGLE for Bobby Wahl‘s take on starting for ninth-seeded Ole Miss against the Wildcats. Both Wahl and Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco agree it’s not that big of a deal.

“I feel great. I’m sure there will be plenty of adrenaline going — even at 9:30 in the morning,” Wahl said prior to Monday’s practice at Oxford-University Stadium. “I’m excited for it. I really am. I’m not much of a morning person, but I don’t think that’ll matter, especially when you’re playing baseball.”

Bianco said the bigger issue is having a long gap before the ace’s next start.

“Everybody talks about short rest, but one of the things that concerns me and always has with the SEC Tournament is the earlier you throw your number one the longer he has to wait to pitch again in the NCAA Tournament,” he said. “Sometimes that’s a tough thing and we’ve had some issues with that before where guys have had 10 days off and so sometimes that might be a bigger concern. But right now I think it’s more important for us to have success in the tournament and to win some baseball games after we finished last weekend.”

Who has the toughest jobs in the Southeastern Conference? Kevin Scarbinsky of the Birmingham News says it’s the league’s baseball coaches.

———TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE———

Game 1: No. 4 Kentucky vs. No. 9 Ole Miss, 9:30 a.m. (SportSouth)
Game 2: No. 6 Arkansas vs. No. 7 Mississippi State, TBD (SportSouth)
Game 3: No. 3 Florida vs. No. 10 Auburn, 4:30 p.m. (CSS)
Game 4: No. 5 Vanderbilt vs. No. 8 Georgia, TBD (CSS)

**If Ole Miss wins Game 1, it will play No. 1 LSU on Wednesday following Game 5. If Ole Miss loses, it will case the loser of Arkansas-Mississippi State at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Both games will be televised on SportSouth.

———STARTING LINEUPS——

No. 9 OLE MISS REBELS (34-22 overall)
LF Tanner Mathis (.350 BA/.450 OBP/.400 SLG)
2B Alex Yarbrough (.386/.439/.520)
1B Matt Snyder (.327/.396/.573)
C Will Allen (.311/.339/.406)
CF Auston Bousfield (.282/.359/.364)
DH John Gatlin (.282/.440/.385)
RF Preston Overbey (.268/.327/.362)
3B Andrew Mistone (.233/.300/.291)
SS Blake Newalu (.360/.395/.467)
RHP Bobby Wahl (6-2, 2.20 ERA)

No. 4 KENTUCKY WILDCATS (41-15)
CF Austin Cousino (.330/.415/.542)
3B Thomas McCarthy (.300/.390/.448)
1B Luke Maile (.319/.426/.556)
LHP A.J. Reed (.295/.383/.399) + (4-2, 3.00 ERA)
C Michael Williams (.297/.373/.390)
RF Cameron Flynn (.284/.345/.497)
2B J.T. Riddle (.286/.364/.413)
LF Zac Zellers (.287/.440/.460)
SS Matt Reida (.245/.305/.328)

———SCORING UPDATE———

KENTUCKY 1, Ole Miss 0 (Bottom 4): Fresh off of throwing just five pitches in the top of the inning, Kentucky southpaw A.J. Reed swatted a 2-0 offering from Rebel ace Bobby Wahl over the right field wall to put the Wildcats ahead 1-0.

KENTUCKY 2, Ole Miss 0 (Bottom 6): Right fielder Cameron Flynn singled past Rebel first baseman Matt Snyder with one out to score first baseman Luke Maile.

———THE NUMBERS GAME———

Wahl pitched well for the Rebels, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while also striking out six in the losing effort. Reed did it all for Kentucky, allowing just five hits and one walk in 5.2 innings to improve to 5-2. Reed was also 4-for-4 at the plate with what ended up being the game-winning solo homer in the fourth. Taylor Rogers closed out the game by allowing two hits in the next 3.1 innings to earn his first save on the season.

Snyder led the Rebels with a 4-for-4 day (all singles). Tanner Mathis, Auston Bousfield and Andrew Mistone each had one hit apiece.

With the loss, Ole Miss will have to turn around and play the loser of Arkansas and Mississippi State on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.

Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said the Rebels will start right-hander Mike Mayers.

 (May 22, 2012)

BLOG

Lewis said he informed the team of his decision Wednesday.

In five seasons after taking over for Richy Harrelson, Lewis posted a 92-52 overall record and made the playoffs each season.

For more on Lewis’ decision, see today’s print edition of the EAGLE. (May 17, 2012)

First pitch on this overcast Mother’s Day is set for 1:30 p.m.

HELLO HIVELY: When Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco opted to move R.J. Hively to the bullpen it was with the intention of having him close out either Friday or Saturday and then turn around and start on Sunday. The way the last couple of series have played out, that initial game plan hasn’t been available. After three weeks, Bianco and the Rebels finally had a weekend play out like they wanted. Hively pitched two scoreless innings Friday to earn his third save of the season. Following Saturday’s 11-inning win, one in which Mike Mayers, Tanner Bailey and Brett Huber pitched, the team announced Hively would indeed start today with the Rebels looking for their first conference sweep of the season.

Hively is 4-4 with a 2.84 ERA. In 66.2 innings, the senior right-hander has struck out 79 and walked 15. Opponents are hitting just .215 off of him.

Tennessee will counter today with Joseph Vanderplas. The left-handed freshman has appeared in just three games previously and is 0-0 with a 14.73 ERA. In 3.2 innings, the Fairfax, Va., native has allowed eight runs (six earned) on nine hits and one walk while also striking out three. Opponents are hitting a more-than-healthy .450 off of the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Vanderplas.

MR. 300: Tennessee entered this weekend with one regular hitting above .300. After going 1-for-9 in Friday and Saturday’s games, Vol second baseman Will Maddox is now hitting .297. Nick Powell, a reserve, is hitting .385 but only has 13 at-bats on the season. By comparison, Ole Miss second baseman Alex Yarbrough enters today’s game .401 (81-for-202).

LYNN-SANITY IN THE PROS: Former Ole Miss ace Lance Lynn is looking for an MLB-best seventh win today against the Braves.

———STARTING LINEUP———

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (24-26 overall, 8-18 Southeastern Conference)
2B Will Maddox (.297 BA/.375 OBP/.380 SLG)
SS Zach Osborne (.264/.327/.320)
1B Davis Morgan (.286/.344/.373)
DH Drew Steckenrider (.244/.385/.433)
CF Chris Fritts (.250/.362/.372)
RF Steve Weaver (.214/.333/.250)
LF Chris Pierce (.269/.374/.347)
C Ethan Bennett (.198/.306/.368)
3B Zach Luther (.237/.323/.266)
LHP Joseph Vanderplas (0-0, 14.73)

OLE MISS REBELS (33-18, 13-13)
LF Tanner Mathis (.343/.449/.379)
3B Andrew Mistone (.237/.302/.295)
2B Alex Yarbrough (.401/.450/.545)
1B Matt Snyder (.346/.412/.618)
C Will Allen (.338/.371/.438)
DH John Gatlin (.333/.488/.455)
CF Auston Bousfield (.274/.345/.346)
RF Preston Overbey (.268/.326/.370)
SS Austin Anderson (.233/.347/301)
RHP R.J. Hively (4-4, 2.84)

———SCORING SUMMARY———

TENNESSEE 1, Ole Miss 0 (Top 1): Tennessee once again jumped ahead early. UT shortstop Zach Osborne scored from third on a double by center fielder Chris Fritts that dropped over Preston Overbey‘s head in right field.

OLE MISS 1, Tennessee 1 (Bottom 1): Tennessee allowed Ole Miss’ first two batters to reach base via error and after Alex Yarbrough walked to  load the bases, Matt Snyder was called out via an infield fly before Will Allen flew out to deep center field to score Tanner Mathis from first. John Gatlin popped up to end the frame with two Rebels still on base.

OLE MISS 3, Tennessee 1 (Bottom 2): Auston Bousfield led off the bottom of the second with a triple and scored on a single to left by Overbey. The Rebel right fielder later came around to score on a single up the middle by Andrew Mistone.

Ole Miss 3, TENNESSEE 2 (Top 5): Zach Luther scored from third on Mistone’s second throwing error of the game. Will Maddox then got caught in a rundown between third and home to end the frame.

OLE MISS 4, Tennessee 2 (Bottom 8): Allen hit a sacrifice fly to center field that scored Mistone and pushed Ole Miss’ lead to 4-2.

———BY THE NUMBERS———

After pitching 3.2 scoreless innings in relief of Hively, right-hander Aaron Greenwood was pulled in favor of junior Brett Huber with a Volunteer on first base and two outs. Huber got a fly ball to right field to end the game and earn his ninth career save.

Hively improved to 5-4 on the year by allowing two unearned runs on four hits and one walk in five innings. Hively also struck out five in his first start since moving to the bullpen four weeks ago.

UT starter Joseph Vanderplas was hit with the loss, allowing three runs (two earned) in 1.2 innings.

With the win, Ole Miss improves to 34-18 overall and 14-13 in the SEC, which places the Rebels in fifth place in the league.

The sweep also make Ole Miss’ first SEC sweep since taking three from Kentucky at home in 2011.

Next up for Ole Miss is a midweek game at Arkansas State Tuesday before closing out the regular season at Vanderbilt this weekend.

 (May 13, 2012)

First pitch for the Senior Day game, which will be televised on SportSouth, is set for 4 p.m.

TAKING THE MOUND: Ole Miss will send Mike Mayers to the mound. The right-handed sophomore is 4-2 on the season with a  4.01 ERA. In 67.1 innings, Mayers has struck out 46 and walked 20. Opponents are also hitting .224 off of Mayers.

In his last start, Mayers surrendered four runs in four innings against No. 4 LSU.

Tennessee will turn to Nick Williams. The right-hander is 3-4 with a 3.67 ERA. In 61.1 innings, Williams has struck out 51 and walked 23. Opponents are also batting .246 off of the sophomore.

PROFESSIONAL BROTHERS: MLB.com has a story on former Ole Miss ace Drew Pomeranz and his older brother, Stuart, on its website entitled “Baseball a family affair for Pomeranz brothers.” Check it out HERE.

———STARTING LINEUPS———

TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS (24-25 overall, 8-17 Southeastern Conference)
2B Will Maddox (.299 BA/.379 OBP/.385)
SS Zach Osborne (.264/.325/.316)
DH Davis Morgan (.287/.347/.376)
LF Drew Steckenrider (.248/.390/.441)
CF Chris Fritts (.252/.367/.364)
RF Jared Allen (.190/.355/.298)
3B Chris Pierce (.272/.378/.352)
C Ethan Bennett (.188/.303/.327)
1B Parker Wormsley (.281/.391/.298)
RHP Nick Williams (3-4, 3.67 ERA)

OLE MISS REBELS (32-18, 12-13) 
LF Tanner Mathis (.340/.442/.376)
3B Andrew Mistone (.243/.309/.302)
2B Alex Yarbrough (.404/.449/.551)
1B Matt Snyder (.348/.410/.610)
C Will Allen (.344/.373/.446)
DH Zach Kirksey (.288/.383/.667)
CF Auston Bousfield (.280/.348/.354)
SS Austin Anderson (.224/.345/.296)
RF Will Jamison (.262/.300/.354)
RHP Mike Mayers (4-2, 4.01)

———SCORING SUMMARY———

TENNESSEE 1, Ole Miss 0 (Top 1): Rebel starter Mike Mayers had an up and down start to the game. After striking out UT second baseman Will Maddox on three pitches, Mayers surrendered a walk, single and sacrifice fly to left field in order. Drew Steckenrider‘s SAC fly scored Zach Osborne from third to put UT ahead 1-0. Mayers closed out the frame by striking out Chris Fritts.

TENNESSEE 2, Ole Miss 0 (Top 3): Maddox recorded a one-out single, stole second and third and then scored on a passed ball after taking a very long lead off of third base that put him about half way down the base path.

TENNESSEE 3, Ole Miss 0 (Top 4): Vol center fielder Chris Fritts hit a one-out triple into the right field corner and two at-bats later scored on a single to left field by third baseman Chris Pierce.

Tennessee 3, OLE MISS 2 (Bottom 7): Ole Miss finally broke through in the seventh, scoring two runs on two hits and a walk. Rebel center fielder Auston Bousfield led off the frame with a walk and then advanced to third on an Austin Anderson single before scoring on a single through the right side of the infield by right fielder Will Jamison. Anderson scored in the next at-bat on a groundout by left fielder Tanner Mathis.

TENNESSEE 4, Ole Miss 2 (Top 9): Tennessee catcher Ethan Bennett hit a solo homer off the left field foul pole to extend the Vols’ lead to 4-2.

OLE MISS 4, Tennessee 4 (Bottom 9): Anderson led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and then scored on a home run by Sikes Orvis, pinch hitting for Jamison, that landed in the visitor’s bullpen. It was Orvis’ first collegiate homer. Ole Miss would load the bases on two walks and an intentional walk, but Austin Knight and Zach Kirksey struck out in back-to-back at-bats to end the threat.

OLE MISS 7, Tennessee 4 (Bottom 11): The 11th inning ended up playing out almost identical to the end of the ninth,but with one major twist. After Mathis led off the frame with a walk and Mistone successfully sacrificed him to second, the Vols intentionally walked second baseman Alex Yarbrough to get to designated hitter Matt Snyder with the double play possibility. Snyder walked in the ninth inning to load the bases. In the 11th, Snyder made the Volunteers pay by blasting a three-run homer into the Tennessee bullpen.

BY THE NUMBERS: Rebel junior Brett Huber earned the win to improve to 2-2 on the year by throwing two scoreless innings after Tanner Bailey had allowed just one run in five innings of relief work. Tennessee right-hander Drew Steckenrider was hit with the loss after allowing five runs in 4.1 innings in relief of starter Nick Williams…Mayers earned a no decision after allowing three runs (two earned) in four innings… Mathis, Anderson and Jamison each had two hits for Ole Miss in the game.

READY TO GO? Following the game, Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco was noncommittal when asked if R.J. Hively would start on Sunday when the Rebels look for their first sweep of a conference foe on the season. Bianco said he would talk to R.J., who pitched two scoreless frames Friday to earn the save, and see if he would be alright to start. Bianco added that if Hively can’t start they have several other options.

First pitch on Sunday is set for 1:30 p.m.

 (May 12, 2012)

First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m.

TRY No. 3: R.J. Hively has been successful in his move to the pen. The Rebels, however, are 0-for-2 in Sunday games since the switch.

After Sam Smith and Tanner Bailey struggled against Arkansas and Mississippi State respectively, the Rebels  (31-17 overall, 11-12 SEC) turn to former setup man Dylan Chavez.

The left-handed junior is 3-3 on the year with a 3.27 ERA. In 33 innings, the JUCO transfer has struck out 35 and walked four. Opponents are hitting just .244 off of him.

Last weekend in Starkville, Chavez relieved Bailey in the first inning and after plunking two he regrouped and was charged with zero earned runs over 4.1 innings. Against the Bulldogs, Chavez struck out three while allowing one hit in the season-long outing.

LSU will send freshman Aaron Nola to the hill.

After starting the season in the bullpen, Nola has made 10 consecutive starts for the Tigers (37-11, 15-8) and is 5-2 on the year with a 3.90 ERA. In 55.1 innings, Nola has struck out 54 against four walks. Opponents are hitting .243 off of the freshman.

In his last two starts, Nola has seen his ERA increase after surrendering four runs on 0 hits in five innings at Kentucky April 22, and then another four runs on 10 hits in 4.2 innings against Georgia last weekend.

For what it’s worth, Nola has not fared well against Magnolia State teams. Against Mississippi State on March 18, Nola surrendered six runs (five earned ) in six innings. On April 11, Nola was one of eight Tigers to pitch during the mid-week game and surrendered two runs (one earned) on two hits in one inning.

———STARTING LINEUPS———

No. 4 LSU TIGERS (37-11, 15-8)
CF Arby Fields (.247BA/ .292 OBP/ .360 SLG)
SS Austin Nola (.298/.412/.435)
1B Mason Katz (.329/.429/.559)
LF Raph Rhymes (.497/.537/.617)
RF Alex Edward (.281/.343/.312)
DH Jordy Snikeris (.306/.352/.408)
C Ty Ross (.302/.359/.389)
3B Tyler Hanover (.289/.376/.361)
2B JaCoby Jones (.256/.304/.361)
RHP Aaron Nola (5-2, 3.90)

No. 24 OLE MISS REBELS (31-17, 11-12)
LF Tanner Mathis (.339/.446/.376)
3B Andrew Mistone (.252/.311/.313)
2B Alex Yarbrough (.400/.447/.553)
1B Matt Snyder (.348/.409/.619)
C Will Allen (.338/.365/.444)
DH Zach Kirksey (.299/.395/.692)
CF Auston Bousfield (.274/.346/.321)
SS Austin Anderson (.232/.354/.305)
RF Will Jamison (.254/.297/.356)
LHP Dylan Chavez (3-3, 3.27)

———SCORING SUMMARY——— 

LSU 2, Ole Miss 0 (Top 2): As was the case at Mississippi State last weekend, early freebies hurt the Rebels against LSU. After left fielder Raph Rhymes and designated hitter Jordy Snickeris reached on a single and HBP, second baseman JaCoby Jones scored them with a double past Ole Miss third baseman Andrew Mistone. Rebel LHP Dylan Chavez also plunked LSU third baseman Tyler Hanover during the frame.

OLE MISS 2, LSU 2 (BOTTOM 3): Ole Miss first baseman Matt Snyder tied the game with a two-run single off the right field wall. Mistone scored easily from third. Second baseman Alex Yarbrough, running hard from first, would have been out at home but catcher Ty Ross dropped the relay throw. It would have been a bang-bang play regardless.

LSU 7, Ole Miss 2 (Top 4): It didn’t take long for LSU to retaliate. Ross planted a 1-0 pitch from Chavez into the Ole Miss bullpen to lead off the third. Ross’ third homer of the season ended Chavez’s day. Tuesday’s hero against Southern Miss in Pearl, Josh Laxer, took over in place of the southpaw. The switch didn’t slow the Tigers. After a groundout, Laxer surrendered back-to-back singles before shortstop Austin Nola blasted a three-run homer over the left field wall. Ole Miss’ third pitcher of the inning, Aaron Greenwood, didn’t have a perfect introduction to the game either, walking in LSU’s fifth run of the frame before getting a fly out to end it.

LSU 12, Ole Miss 2 (Top 6): First baseman Mason Katz led off the sixth with a solo homer over the left field wall. Four batters later, Ross extended LSU’s lead with a fly to shallow center that scored Tyler Moore from third. Later in the inning, Jones hit a three-run homer into the Ole Miss bullpen.

LSU 12, OLE MISS 3 (Bottom 7): Center fielder Auston Bousfield hit his second homer in as many days to lead off the bottom of the seventh.

THAT’S A WRAP: LSU starter Aaron Nola (6-2) earned the win after allowing three runs in seven innings, while Chavez (3-4) was saddled with the loss… Jones, a Mississippi native, had a big day for the Tigers going 3-for-5 with five RBIs and two runs scored. Jones’ three-run homer was his third long ball of the season. He also hit a double… Yarbrough led Ole Miss at the plate with a 3-for-4 day… Relief pitcher Casey Mulholland was the lone Rebel pitcher to not allow a run. The freshman right-hander pitched two scoreless frames to cap the weekend.

COULD HIVELY RETURN TO BEING A STARTER? Asked if former starter R.J. Hively could return to his former role, Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said it wasn’t likely.

“I’m sure you could say we could have (used) Hively today, but I think Hively is so good at the end of the game that it’s smart to keep him where he is,” Bianco said. “It’s nice to have (Brett) Huber when Hively gets extended.”

With it being finals week, the Rebels will have the next couple of days off and won’t return to the diamond until hosting Tennessee for a three-game set this weekend.

 (May 6, 2012)

Today’s Western Division showdown will be televised on SportSouth.GETTING THE NOD: Taking the mound for Ole Miss will be sophomore right-hander Mike Mayers.

The Ohioan enters this weekend coming off of back-to-back solid outings against No. 12 Arkansas and at Mississippi State in which he gave up two runs in 11.1 innings combined.

On the season, Mayers is 4-2 with a 3.69 ERA. In 63.1 innings, Mayers has struck out 43 and walked 19. Opponents are hitting .222 off him him.

In his lone relief appearance against at LSU last season, Mayers pitched 2.1 scoreless frames, allowing one hit while striking out two.

LSU will turn to Ryan Eades. The sophomore right-hander is 5-2 with a  3.29 ERA. In 65.2 innings, Eades has struck out 47 and walked 17.

Unlike Mayers, Eades did not fare well in his lone appearance against Ole Miss last season. Eades allowed three earned runs on a single, double and triple, and did not record an out in his relief appearance.

 ———STARTING LINEUPS———

No. 4 LSU TIGERS (37-10 overall, 15-7 SEC)
CF Arby Fields (.259 BA/.304 OBP/.376 SLG)
SS Austin Nola (.299/.416/.439)
RF Mason Katz (.335/.433/569)
LF Raph Rhymes (.500/.538/.622)
1B Tyler Moore (.276/.337/.414)
DH Grant Dozar (.274/.371/.500)
C Ty Ross (.301/.355/.390)
3B Tyler Hanover (.294/.378/368)
2B JaCoby Jones (.249/.298/.356)
RHP RYan Eades (5-2, 3.29 ERA)

No. 24 OLE MISS REBELS (30-17, 10-12)
LF Tanner Mathis (.331/.442/.370)
3B Andrew Mistone (.252/.312/.314)
2B Alex Yarbrough (.403/.448/.559)
1B Matt Snyder (.348/.407/.624)
C Will Allen (.345/.368/.453)
DH Zach Kirksey (.288/.389/.663)
CF Auston Bousfield (.273/.342/.303)
SS Austin Anderson (.220/.349/.297)
RF Will Jamison (.255/.300/.345)
RHP Mike Mayers (4-2, 3.69)

 ——— SCORING SUMMARY———

OLE MISS 1, LSU 0 (Bottom 1): Left fielder Tanner Mathis led off the frame with an infield single, took second on a wild pitch, was advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by third baseman Andrew Mistone and then scored on a groundout by second baseman Alex Yarbrough.

LSU 4, Ole Miss 1, (Top 4): An RBI-single by first baseman Tyler Moore scored right fielder Mason Katz, and a perfectly  executed safety squeeze by designated hitter Grant Dozar scored left fielder Raph Rhymes in the next at-bat to put LSU ahead 2-1. After third baseman Tyler Hanover walked to load the bases, second baseman JaCoby Jones put LSU ahead 4-1 with a single to center field that scored Moore and Dozar.

LSU 4, OLE MISS 4 (Bottom 4): Ole Miss designated hitter Zach Kirksey got the home team back on the scoreboard in the fourth with a one-out solo homer over the 365-foot sign in right-center. The round tripper was Kirksey’s team-leading 12th home run of the season. Like Mayers, Ryan Eades fell apart a bit in the fourth. Following the Kirksey homer, the LSU right-hander walked center fielder Auston Bousfield and then surrendered a single to shortstop Austin Anderson. After right fielder Will Jamison flew out to left field, back-to-back singles by Mathis and Mistone scored Bousfield and Anderson to tie the game.

OLE MISS 5, LSU 4 (Bottom 6): Jamison hit a one-out double to center field and then easily  scored on a single to shallow center by Mathis.

OLE MISS 7, LSU 4 (Bottom 7): Bousfield made the most of his first career home run, hitting a two-run shot well off the left field foul pole.

THAT’S A WRAP: Ole Miss starter Mike Mayers was chased after just four innings of work, but Tanner Bailey, Chris Ellis and Brett Huber combined to throw five shutout innings to preserve Ole Miss’ 7-4 victory… Bailey didn’t make record an out last Sunday in his first SEC start, but was very good against LSU. As the first guy out of the pen for Ole Miss, Bailey allowed just two hits in two innings while also striking out two… Huber earned his eighth save of the season and 24th of his career with his two scoreless frames in the eighth and ninth, allowing two base runners on a hit and a walk while also striking out two. With his 24th career save, Huber moves into a tie with Justin Huisman for second in Ole Miss’ career record book. Current Rebel assistant Stephen Head holds the all-time mark with 26 saves… LSU relief pitcher Kurt McCune was hit with the loss after allowing one run on three hits and one walk in 1.2 innings. Bailey improved to 2-1 with the win… Mathis had a team-high three hits and tied Bousfield with a team-best two RBIs.

Taking the mound tomorrow for his first start of the season will be junior left-hander Dylan Chavez. The JUCO transfer is 3-3 on the year with a 3.27 ERA. In 33 innings, Chavez has struck out 35 and walked four. Opponents are hitting .244 against Chavez.

LSU will turn to right-hander Aaron Nola. The freshman is 5-2 on the year with a 3.90 ERA. In 55.1 innings, Chavez has struck out 54 and walked four. (May 5, 2012)

Aided by six Bulldog errors and a multitude of walks, the Commodores rallied from an early two-run deficit to defeat New Albany 12-3 in Game 1 of the MHSAA Class 4A quarterfinals series at the New Albany Sportsplex.

Trailing 3-1, Lafayette batted around in the fifth thanks to four New Albany errors and surged ahead 5-3.

In the seventh, three NAHS pitchers combined to issue six walks. The end result was another seven Lafayette runs and a 12-3 advantage for the visitors.

Senior right-hander Luke Stanley went the distance, allowing three runs on eight hits and four walks while also striking out five.

Freshman right-hander Eli Murphree is set to start Game 2 Saturday at Lafayette’s W.V. Brewer Field.

First pitch is scheduled for noon. (May 5, 2012)

According to the award’s website, the award has been annually presented to the top amateur baseball player in the country  ”who best exhibits exceptional on-field ability and exemplary sportsmanship” since 1978.

The field of 60 will be narrowed to 30 on May 29 and three on June 5 before a winner is announced on MLB Network on July 6.

Yarbrough had his hitting streak ended at 22 games on Sunday at Mississippi State and is currently among the Southeastern Conference leaders in batting average (.420; second), slugging percentage (.586; sixth), on-base percentage (.463; fifth), hits (73; second), RBIs (38; ninth), doubles (16; third), and total bases (103; fourth).

The Rebel second baseman is also fielding .995 (one error in 43 games) and is ninth in the SEC with 127 assists.

Like Yarbrough, Wahl ranks among the SEC’s leaders in several categories, including ERA (2.09; third), opposing batting average (.211; eighth), strikeouts (67; fifth), wins (five; eighth) and batters struck out looking (21; ninth).

Drew Pomeranz and Stephen Head were finalists for the award in 2010 and 2004 respectively.

Recent winners include Buster Posey (2008), Steven Strasburg (2009), Bryce Harper (2010) and Trever Bauer (2011). (May 1, 2012)

First pitch for today’s CSS televised game is set for 1:35 p.m.

GETTING THE NOD: Drawing his second start of the week for Ole Miss will be junior Tanner Bailey.

Against Memphis on Tuesday, the right-hander took a perfect through a career-long four innings before being pulled because of a pitch count.

Against the Tigers, Bailey struck out four, tying a season high.

On the season, Bailey has a 1-0 record with a 2.95 ERA. In 18.1 innings, Bailey has struck out 21 and walked four. Opponents are also hitting just .100 off of the junior.

Mississippi State will turn to left-hander Luis Pollorena.

The junior boasts a 2-0 record and a 1.86 ERA on the year. In 19.1 innings, the 5-foot-7 Pollorena has stuck out 10 without walking a batter.

Pollorena threw a season-long 5.1 innings in relief in MSU’s 6-3 loss to Ole Miss in the Governor’s Cup on April 17, allowing just one run in the process.

Last season, Pollorena threw a career-long 6.2 innings against Ole Miss in the Bulldogs’ 7-6 victory on April 12. Pollorena got a no decision in the game after allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks while also striking out four.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?: Several Rebel-related opportunities are on the line today. For starters, a win would give the Rebels their fifth consecutive series victory in Starkville. Also, a victory would at least tie Ole Miss with Arkansas for second in the SEC West with an 11-10 overall record (the Hogs wrap up their three-game set at Florida today on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. CT. Arkansas lost Friday 3-2, but won Saturday 5-1.).

———STARTING LINEUPS———

No. 18 OLE MISS REBELS (28-15 overall, 10-10 Southeastern Conference)
LF Tanner Mathis (.344 BA/.460 OBP/.374 SLG)
3B Andrew Mistone (.255/.317/.324)
2B Alex Yarbrough (.429/.473/.600)
1B Matt Snyder (.346/.409/.626)
C Will Allen (.336/.362/.448)
CF Auston Bousfield (.276/.351/.309)
DH John Gatlin (.333/.520/.500)
RF Preston Overbey (.268/.333/.375)
SS Blake Newalu (.365/.412/.460)
RHP Tanner Bailey (1-0, 2.95 ERA)

MISSISSIPPI STATE BULLDOGS (26-17, 9-11)
SS Adam Frazier (.349/.466/.428)
C Mitch Slauter (.233/.365/.322)
DH Trey Porter (.281/.413/.437)
3B Daryl Norris (.314/.407/.392)
CF Hunter Renfroe (.247/.324/.380)
RF Brent Brownlee (.224/.264/.286)
LF Tyler Fullerton (.246/.324/.311)
1B Wes Rea (.268/.381/.430)
2B Matthew Britton (.140/.269/.140)
LHP Luis Pollorena (2-0, 1.86)

———SCORING SUMMARY——— 

MISSISSIPPI STATE 4, Ole Miss 0 (Bottom 1): The game couldn’t have started off much worse for the Rebels. After recording just one hit in the top of the inning, Rebel starter Tanner Bailey struggled mightily in his second start of the week. After loading the bases on a walk, single and HBP, Bailey walked third baseman Daryl Norris to score a run. Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco immediately pulled the right-hander in favor of the left-handed Dylan Chavez. After the southpaw struck out center fielder Hunter Renfroe, he hit former Oxford Charger Brent Brownlee in the leg to push another runner across home plate. Chavez then plunked left fielder Tyler Fullerton to score another run. First baseman Wes Rea hit a sacrifice fly to score MSU’s fourth run of the frame before second baseman Matthew Britton grounded out to mercifully end the frame.

Mississippi State 4, OLE MISS 1 (Top 8): After both staffs combined for a pitchers duel through the middle innings, Rebel designated hitter Matt Snyder put the visitors on the scoreboard with a double off the base of the center field wall that scored pinch runner Jake Overbey from first.

Mississippi State 4, OLE MISS 2 (Top 9): Zach Kirksey tacked on Ole Miss’ final run of the day to lead off the ninth, hitting his 11th home run of the season.

Bailey took the loss for Ole Miss, allowing four runs on one hit, two walks and one HBP.

Pollorena earned the win to improve to 3-0, pitching 5.1 scoreless innings while also striking out a career-high seven.

Right-hander Caleb Reed allowed two runs over 3.2 innings to earn his eighth save of the season.

Rebel second baseman Alex Yarbrough was 0-for-4 with a strikeout ending his hitting streak at 22 games.

Next up for Ole Miss is a trip to Pearl on Tuesday to face Southern Miss. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.

 (April 29, 2012)