Rebels pitching rotation is revamped as Ole Miss and Southern Miss face off

It took an 0-6 SEC start and losing seven of its last eight games, but head coach Mike Bianco is shuffling up the Rebel baseball pitching rotation.

Freshman JT Quinn will be the new Sunday starter after some solid starts in the midweek while Xavier Rivas will move to Saturday. Veteran Jack Dougherty will continue to hold down the Friday starter role as Hunter Elliott continues to be on the mend.

For the midweek start, Sam Tookoian enters to face a very scrappy Southern Miss squad Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Trustmark Park. Tookoian is 1-0 with a 6.35 ERA, but the freshman pitched two perfect innings against the Mustard Buzzards earlier this season. He has shown flashes of brilliance against non-Power 5 competition, so maybe midweek is the right spot for him.

For the rest of the lineup, Ethan Lege (.221 BA, 1 HR, 9 RBI) will get a break as freshman Judd Utermark (,167 BA, 1 HR, 4 RBI) takes his spot at third base on Tuesday. Will Furniss is back in the batting order at the DH as he has shown some decent power and hitting nearly .300 on the season.

Fans have to hope this is a rebound week for Ole Miss. A win against in-state foe USM plus a road trip to Texas A&M (15-9, 1-5 SEC) gives at least the optics of a possible 3-1 week that is desperately needed.

If you’re in the Jackson metro area at least you can go see Ole Miss baseball in person Tuesday night without driving very far. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.