Ole Miss vs. Missouri baseball 2015: Online streaming and game times

The Jekyl and Hyde routine continues for the Rebels as they lost to a surprisingly tough Memphis squad 10-5, whipped lowly Alabama 14-2 in two games and then get whipped by the same lowly Tide 13-4 in the finale. They followed that up with an absolute drubbing of Mississippi State in Pearl, Miss. in the midweek to the tune of 11-1 to swipe the Governor's Cup.

[exhale]

Now, as we turn our attention to this weekend, there is still plenty of work to be done as Ole Miss (24-22, 10-11 SEC) takes on No. 21 Missouri (26-19, 12-9 SEC) this weekend at Taylor Stadium in the Show Me State. As we have been telling you for weeks now, the margin for error is razor thin. And after series wins over former No. 1-ranked Florida and Vanderbilt and a top five strength of schedule, the train wreck that would ensue if the Rebs were to stumble down the stretch would be more horrifying than an adidas windbreaker with old artwork on it.

Heading into Columbia, Mo. this weekend, the Rebels must find a way to steal two from the host Tigers as they are coming off five-straight losses to the likes of No. 10 Vanderbilt (series sweep) and No. 16 Missouri State (midweek). The Tigers are going to be led by their pitching, pure and simple. Tim Jamieson's staff is headlined by the one-two punch of Reggie McClain and Tanner Houck.

McClain is going to be an arm that Ole Miss fan's are familiar with as he brings a similar skill set to the mound as Christian Trent does. The 6'2 junior from Duluth, Ga. will hover around 85-90 with his fastball and has a lethal change-up, curveball combo that he is willing to throw whenever and wherever. McClain will look to command the strike zone and pitch to contact to allow his defense to work. Speaking of Jekyl and Hyde, McClain and Houck could be considered that as well as the comparison is night and day.

Houck, who has been compared to former Missouri greats Aaron Crow and Max Scherzer, has electric stuff off the bump. His fastball will sit in the low to mid 90s and his 3/4 delivery creates sick movement on all three of his pitches (fastball, change-up, slider). Not enough to convince you of his potential? Well, alright then, the 6'5 freshman from Collinsville, Ill. only had a no-hitter through six innnigs against No. 4 Texas A&M earlier this season. No big deal, right?

To round out the Tigers staff is 6'6 junior Peter Fairbanks. The St. Louis, Mo. native was the Friday starter for the Tigers earlier this season and will also tote a low to mid 90s fastball to the mound this weekend. A rhythm pitcher, Fairbanks works extremely fast once the ball is in his hands and will work off his velocity as his curveball and change-up sit in the 70s.

Oh, by the way, the Tigers have a junior closer who is 4-2 with 10 saves and an ERA under 2.00. Breckin Williams not only has an awesome first name, but also an awesome arsenal to baffle hitters with. The SEC's second-leading door slammer will look to get ahead in the count with his plus fastball (low to mid 90s) and then use his curveball as his go to out pitch. Coming into the season, Williams was one of the top prospects in this year's draft and so far he has not disappointed.

At the dish, Missouri doesn't wow you with the sticks (.256 team average), but they handle the bats fairly well as they sit middle of the conference in sac bunts (21) and sac flies (17). Where Mizzou excels is when they are on the base paths as they are third in the SEC in stolen bases as they have gone 60-83 as a squad. Jamieson's club is led by sophomore shortstop Ryan Howard (.295, 30 RBI, 20 R), junior third basemen Josh Lester (.284, 32 RBI, 5 HR) and freshman catcher Brett Bond (.291, 16 RBI, 4 HR).

The name of the game this weekend for the Rebels will be "insurance". Ole Miss will have to capitalize on base runners and opportunities to score. Tuesday night saw the Diamondbearz go 10-for-23 with runners on and 8-for-15 with runners in scoring position against the Dawgs and that trend will need to continue this weekend as Missouri has only allowed six or more runs 10 times this season.

How to watch

Game 1

When: Friday, 6 p.m. CT
TV: NONE
Online: WatchESPN.com
Ole Miss: LHP Christian Trent (6-4, 3.75 ERA, 50 K, 19 BB)
Missouri: RHP Reggie McClain (5-5, 3.79 ERA, 64 K, 13 BB)

Game 2

When: Saturday, 2 p.m. CT
TV: NONE
Online: WatchESPN.com
Ole Miss: RHP Brady Bramlett (5-2, 2.18 ERA, 68 K, 17 BB)
Missouri: RHP Tanner Houck (6-2, 2.88 ERA, 58 K, 7 BB)

Game 3

When: Sunday, 1 p.m. CT
TV: NONE
Online: WatchESPN.com
Ole Miss: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Missouri: RHP Peter Fairbanks (4-3, 2.48 ERA, 54 K, 15 BB)