Ole Miss kicks off its SEC home opener on Thursday -- no, not Friday -- with a top-20 showdown with South Carolina. The biggest news heading into the weekend? A possible shakeup to the Rebs' starting pitching rotation.
The starter for Game 3 on Saturday is TBA, the first time all season Sean Johnson hasn't been penciled into that spot. It's not an entirely surprising move -- a lot people thought Johnson, who may not be completely back from last year's Tommy John surgery, needed a break after sloppy control limited him to just three innings last Sunday against Tennessee. Still, the guy is 3-0 with a 1.96 ERA on the season.
The leading candidate for his replacement would be freshman, Andy Pagnozzi, who's posted a 2.42 ERA through four relief appearances and two midweek starts. That number was a lot better before last Sunday, when he coughed up three earned runs in relief of Johnson.
Whoever throws on Saturday won't have it easy. The Gamecocks are third in the SEC with a .325 team batting average and are top four in slugging percentage and scoring.
How to watch
Thursday
First pitch: 6:30 p.m. CT
TV: nope
Online streaming: WatchESPN.com
Game-time weather: 62°, partly cloudy, 0% chance of rain
Projected pitchers
Ole Miss: RHP Brady Bramlett (4-0, 2.03 ERA)
South Carolina: RHP Clarke Schmidt (5-0, 1.27 ERA)
Friday
First pitch: 6:30 p.m. CT
TV: nope
Online streaming: WatchESPN.com
Game-time weather: 59°, sunny, 0% chance of rain
Projected pitchers
Ole Miss: RHP Chad Smith (2-1, 3.91 ERA)
South Carolina: RHP Braden Webb (4-1, 1.71 ERA)
Saturday
First pitch: 2 p.m. CT
TV: SEC Network
Online streaming: WatchESPN.com
Game-time weather: 66°, sunny, 0% chance of rain
Projected pitchers
Ole Miss: TBA (!!)
South Carolina: RHP Adam Hill (4-0, 2.42 ERA)