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Ole Miss Rebels vs. Auburn Tigers
If the Rebels are to have any chance of hosting it must win or sweep this series. Kentucky proved to be a match up challenge last weekend with the left handed starters and plenty left handed hitters in the lineup to counter our all right handed starting pitching. With that being said, the Rebels had adequate opportunities to win all 3 games in that series. The defensive performance in the losses we disappointments and frankly I believe bigger reasons as to why they lost.
Game Times
- Friday - 6:00 PM
- Saturday - 2:15 PM
- Sunday - 1:00 PM
Auburn Probable Starters
Friday - Conner Kendrick (Jr. LHP) - Conner will be making only his 6th start of the season, but he has a total of 15 appearances thus far. Kendrick is currently 3-2 with a 1.94 ERA. Through 55.2 innings pitched, Kendrick has allowed 23 runs (12 earned) off 51 hits. He currently has struck out 56 batters to go along with 23 walks. Kendrick also has 2 saves on the season. Opponents are currently hitting .252 off him.
Saturday - Michael O'Neal (Jr. LHP) - Michael is currently 8-3 with a 2.34 ERA this season through 11 starts. Through 69.1 innings, O'Neal has allowed 28 runs (18 earned) off 56 hits. O'Neal has struck out 30 men while walking 16. His WHIP of 1.04 is one of the better WHIPs in the conference amongst starting pitchers. Opponents are hitting .220 off him this season.
Sunday - (TBD) - The Sunday pitcher has yet to be determined as Auburn has used two different pitchers on Sundays this year. Daniel Koger (Soph. LHP) is more likely to get the start. He is currently 0-2 this season with a 4.04 ERA through 10 appearances (7 starts). Through 42.1 innings pitched, Koger has allowed 21 runs (19 earned) off 31 hits. He has 19 strike outs to go alone with 16 walks. Opponents are hitting .208 against him. There is a chance that Will Kendall (Jr. LHP) could get the start, but I personally would be surprised if he did. He is currently 0-5 with an 8.35 ERA over 8 appearances (7 starts). Through 18.1 innings pitched, Kendall has allowed 19 runs (17 earned). He has 15 strike outs to go along with 9 walks. Opponents are hitting .310 off him.
Team Pitching Ranks in Conference:
- 8th in ERA (3.27) (OM 5th at 2.61)
- 7th in opposing batting average (.250) (OM 5th at .230)
- 14th in strikeouts (247) (OM 6th with 334)
- 6th in hits allowed (351) (OM 5th with 350)
- T-8thth in runs allowed (187) (OM 5th with 155)
- 7th in walks allowed (137) (OM 11th with 164)
- 6th in HR allowed (16) (OM 8th with 18)
Just like Kentucky, Auburn's numbers don't just jump out at you as they are middle of the pack in most categories, but there is one thing that sticks out. Auburn will probably be using 3 lefties this weekend. Ole Miss is 7-9 this year when a left handed pitcher starts. It doesn't help the Rebels that the Friday and Saturday pitchers are not only left handed, but have damn good numbers. This could be another shaky weekend for the Rebel bats.
From the Auburn University Official Athletic Site
- When scoring 5 or less runs on the year, Auburn is 8-16,
- When scoring 2 runs or less, 1-14,
- Auburn is also 11-2 when hitting 1 or more home run in a game,
- Auburn is scoring 4.7 runs per game,
- Auburn is 19-2 when leading after 6 innings and 3-16 when trailing,
- Auburn strikes out 1.57 times for every walk they draw,
- Auburn is stealing bases at 59% success rate this year but they are not a big running team as they are only averaging slightly over 1 attempt per game (1.07).
Auburn Bats
Name Avg HR RBI SLG% OBP% SB/ATT SO/BB
Garrett Cooper - .347 6 33 .556 .469 0/0 24/27
Cullen Wacker - .340 2 29 .469 .410 0/1 23/16
Ryan Tella - .287 1 29 .377 .354 12/14 37/17
Jordan Ebert - .278 2 12 .358 .339 3/6 19/14
Patrick Savage - .265 0 12 .316 .330 1/1 12/10
Team - .267 18 183 .371 .356 27/46 272/173
Your open thread begins now, y'all.
