Ole Miss vs. Georgia baseball 2016: Online streaming, preview and game times

Ole Miss' path to hosting a regional in Oxford is simple: win the next next two series against middling conference opponents and you're in.

That starts this weekend against Georgia, which is 7-14 in the SEC and a game under .500 overall. Take at least two of three from the Dawgs in Athens and the Rebs could probably lock themselves into a host spot the following week at home against Kentucky, a team that roared out of the gates in conference play but has lost its last three weekend series, including SEC West cellar-dwellers Arkansas and Auburn. The Rebs close the regular season with a trip to No. 3 Texas A&M, so they need to pile up as many wins against Georgia and Kentucky as possible.

Ole Miss—currently 12-9 in the SEC with the No. 7 RPI and a 15-12 record against the RPI top 100—is projected by both D1 Baseball and Baseball America to be the fifth SEC host team behind Florida, A&M, South Carolina and Mississippi State (all of which are in good position to be national seeds). D1 currently has six host spots reserved for SEC teams, but that seems iffy. To be safe, the Rebs need to be fifth in the pecking order, in front of Vandy and LSU. They just took a series from LSU and are six spots ahead of Vandy in the RPI, so winning two of the final three series should be enough for Ole Miss to stay out front, regardless of what the other two do down the stretch.

This weekend could change that. If Vandy takes a series in College Station (though the 'Dores lost Game 1 on Thursday night) and the Rebs fall in Athens, Vandy likely takes the lead as the fifth host.

3 big questions

1. Can J.B. Woodman stay on his tear?

After destroying the LSU Tigers practically by his lonesome, The Carpenter turns his sights to the Georgia Bulldogs. The reigning NCBWA National Hitter of the Week and SEC Player of the Week has been on an absolute tear as of late, bumping his average up to .325 (.346 in conference play). Mr. Woodman isn't limited to success only at the plate—he now has nine outfield assists on the season after we saw him hose not one, not two, but three runners in the LSU series.

2. Can the bullpen keep rolling?

The starting pitching has been somewhat of a roller coaster this season, but the bullpen has been about as consistent as a lazy river thanks to Wyatt Short (seven saves), Will Stokes (six saves), Andy Pagnozzi (7-2 record), Brady Feigl (2.30 ERA) and Connor Green (2.08 ERA). Those five fellas have helped to keep the Rebels perfect after six inning with the lead. That's right, the Diamondbearz are 30-0 when leading after six innings.

3. Can Errol Robinson stay hot?

The .260 batting average still won't wow you, but the Rebel shortstop's approach and attitude have improved dramatically after a rocky start. Robinson has notched a hit in 18 of his last 19 games, swinging at a .342 clip over that span.  Along with the improved at-bats and statistics, his play in the field has been nothing short of brilliant over the past two months. Errol just seems to build more and more swagger with each great play he makes and each extra base hit he collects. Eazy may be showing up to the party a little bit late, but it's just what this lineup needs heading into the home stretch.

The numbers

Complete Ole Miss stats | Complete Georgia stats

Team pitching

Team batting

How to watch

Friday

First pitch: 6 p.m. CT
TV: nah
Online streaming: WatchESPN.com
Projected pitchers
Ole Miss: RHP Brady Bramlett (6-2, 2.61 ERA)
Georgia: RHP Robert Tyler (3-4, 3.34 ERA)

Saturday

First pitch: 1 p.m. CT
TV: nope
Online streaming: WatchESPN.com
Projected pitchers
Ole Miss: LHP David Parkinson (2-2, 2.38 ERA)
Georgia: LHP Connor Jones (5-4, 5.02 ERA)

Sunday

First pitch: noon CT
TV: still no
Online streaming: WatchESPN.com
Projected pitchers
Ole Miss: RHP James McArthur (5-0, 2.64 ERA)
Georgia: TBA