Ole Miss Rebel Baseball takes on Georgia in an SEC Weekend Series

This weekend, our Ole Miss Rebels will look to make their push toward hosting a regional and gaining a national seed, playing host to the Georgia Bulldogs in the final home games of the regular season. Both teams come into the weekend off of SEC series wins over Arkansas and South Carolina respectively. The Bulldogs carry an RPI of 47 coming into the weekend, while the Rebels boast an RPI of 11.

Being a very young team with only three seniors, the Bulldogs have struggled this year with a 24-23-1 (9-14-1 SEC) record. Georgia has won only a single SEC series this year (last week's upset over South Carolina in Athens). They have, to their credit, played much better at home than on the road this year, with 21 of their 24 victories coming as the home team. Yes, you just did the math, and yes, they have only won three games on the road. Three.

The Rebels, on the other hand come into the weekend with a record of 35-14 (15-9 SEC) and sole possession of the lead for the SEC West. The Rebs are all but a lock to host a regional, and could play themselves into contention for super regional hosting with the remainder of their schedule. All teams left for the Rebs this year currently sit inside the top 50 of the RPI: UGA (47), Ark St (49), and Texas A&M (32). Wins are important, but avoiding losses is more important I would wager. With a talented Arkansas State and a surging Texas A&M team to finish the season, this weekend's series is almost a "must-sweep" for the sake of the team's NCAA resume.

Offensively, the Bulldogs sit at bottom half or at the bottom the SEC in most categories. The Rebels, as a nice contrast, sit at the opposite end of those same statistical categories. Here, see for yourself:

Friday starter Ryan Lawlor, a left handed sophomore, is 4-4 on the year in 12 starts with a 3.31 ERA. Through 70.2 innings of work, Lawlor has allowed 32 runs (26 earned) off 66 hits (11 extra base hits). Opponents are hitting .259 off Lawlor this season. Ryan has 52 strikeouts on the season to go along with 23 walks. He can be a bit out of control with his pitches, throwing four wild pitches and hitting a team leading six batters. Lawlor also has pitched Georgia's only three complete games this year.

Lawlor will face off against righty Chris Ellis who is 7-0 with a 1.90 ERA for the Rebels. Chris has 48 strikeouts in 75.2 innings pitched, and opponents are hitting .247 against him this season.

Saturday starter Robert Tyler, a right handed freshman, has a 4-4 record with a 2.92 ERA. In 64.2 innings of work, Tyler has allowed 31 runs (21 earned) off 49 hits (six extra base hits). Opponents are hitting just .202 off Robert this season. He has a team leading 57 strikeouts to go along with 22 walks. According to a tweet from Perfect Game's Kendall Rogers, Tyler has been sitting 94-97 on his fastball and reaching 98 when he needs to.

Robert Tyler will face off against lefty Christian Trent who is 7-0 with a 2.57 ERA. Through 77.0 innings, Trent has struck out 62 men while only allowing 12 walks. Opponents are hitting .237 this season off of him.

Sunday starter David Sosebee, a right handed sophomore, will be making only his fourth start of the season. He is 1-3 on the year with a 3.30 ERA. Over 46.1 innings of work, Sosebee has allowed 17 runs (all earned) off 50 hits (nine extra base hits). Opponents are hitting .286 off David this season. Like Lawlor, Sosebee is also a little wild on the mound with a rotation leading five wild pitches and three hit batters.

David Sosebee will be facing off against Sam Smith. Sam is currently 5-4 on the season after a couple of rough outings with a 3.19 ERA. In 67.2 innings of work, Sam has 37 strikeouts to go along with 14 walks. Opponents are hitting .268 against Sam this season.

Team Stats:

• ERA: Georgia 4.12 (13^th in SEC)
  Ole Miss 2.65 (5^th in SEC)
• Opposing Batting Average: Georgia .263 (12^th SEC)
  Ole Miss .240 (7^th SEC)
• Strikeouts: Georgia 299 (12^th SEC)
  Ole Miss 365 (5^th SEC)
• Runs Allowed: Georgia 239 (13^th SEC)
  Ole Miss 160 (4th SEC)
• Hits Allowed: Georgia 427 (10^th SEC)
  Ole Miss 397 (7^th SEC)

Predictions:

• @Fit4LifeLLC: Rebs take two, Red Cup takes two, Blue Cup takes one.
• @BlakeKirbyReb: Rebs sweep, Yellow Cup somehow gets a win.
• Ghost: Rebs sweep, Red Cup sweeps, Freedom rings