Ole Miss pitching staff still a work in progress after opening week
The college baseball season is the longest of any collegiate sport so making assumptions after the opening weekend, let alone four games, is a fool’s errand with all the pieces still being sorted out.
Still, most of the major players within No. 3 Ole Miss’ pitching staff took the mound and got their initial appearances for the season completed, giving an idea of how the next month of non-conference play might go.
Last weekend against Charleston Southern saw presumed ace Derek Diamond toe the rubber on Friday followed by John Gaddis on Saturday and Drew McDaniel on Sunday. Each were on a per-determined pitch count and did not go a full outing, making the sample size small.
Still, the rotation combined for four runs, all earned, off seven hits while walking six batters and striking out 15 others in 12.2 innings pitched.
“I was a little pumped up and adrenalized to start the game but then I kind of settled down,” Gaddis said after his start last Saturday. “I realized it was still just pitching and everything just kind of went from there once I got in the flow of the game.”
Gaddis noted it was the largest crowd he’d pitched in front of saying there was probably 500 people at the Texas A&M – Corpus Christi games while there was at least 500 people in right field.
While it was against Charleston Southern, the numbers are a solid foundation to build on heading into the second weekend of the season.
Following Wednesday’s rain-shortened 15-5 win over Arkansas State, head coach Mike Bianco did not commit to keeping the rotation how it was nor divulged if any changes would be made.
Keeping Diamond, Gaddis and McDaniel as the starting three seems the obvious move after Jack Washburn went on Wednesday even though it was only a three-plus inning appearance asking him to go again after a day or even two days rest does not seem like an option.
Then there is the bullpen that has been touted by Bianco and the staff itself as having a lot of depth this season.
Over the weekend, the bullpen was solid with debuts from Hunter Elliott, Dylan DeLucia, Riley Maddox and Mason Nichols. Washburn also made his debut coming out of the bullpen on Friday prior to Wednesday’s start.
The bullpen allowed only two runs combined on the weekend. Again, the opponent was not a world-beater but the outs still have to be gotten and strikes must still be thrown. The relievers did just that.
Key pieces such as Wes Burton and Brandon Johnson have yet to make their season debuts, which is mostly attributed to two run-rule games and another that did not make it out of the bottom of the fifth before rain intervened.
Look for Johnson to get some action at some point this weekend, according to Bianco.
“It was difficult (on Wednesday) to not get him in,” Bianco said of Johnson. “I promise you’ll see him this weekend. In one of the three games.”
The Rebels (4-0) host VCU (2-2) for a weekend series starting on Friday at 4 p.m. CT. Saturday and Sunday’s games are scheduled a Noon CT first pitch with all three games airing on SEC Network+.
