As anyone who watched last week could have predicted, Ross Massey will enter the rotation on Saturday in place of White, with Kaleb Roper remaining the Friday starter and Keagan Gillies getting another Sunday start.
That was exactly what I anticipated. Roper looked strong against Wright State, and Massey had the single best performance of the weekend in the last three innings of Saturday's game.
"He came in and for three innings limited them to nothing at a very important time," coach Travis Jewett said. "It was a high-pressure situation, and I thought he handled it well. I liked his composure. He was around the glove. Even the first batter that he walked, he was around it. He might even have struck him out if you want to ask for a little help. He didn’t let that fold him and for the next three innings he was on top of it.
"We think maybe him and a Roper 1-2, that could probably be a pretty good combination."
Although Gillies had a rocky first inning (which I did not see after they moved the start time up 30 minutes), he settled down nicely Sunday and pitched better than his poor numbers ( 4 runs in 4.2 innings, 4 hits, three walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch) indicated. He'll need to be sharper in Oxford, but he actually retired 11 out of 13 batters at one point after allowing the first four to reach base, getting four pop-ups caught by infielders, striking out a guy looking and getting a double-play grounder. That's more than enough to warrant another start.
Look for Ty Johnson to be the catcher on Friday, and if not then, definitely for one game this weekend. Friday makes the most sense because Ole Miss will throw sophomore lefty Ryan Rollison (five innings, one hit, 12 Ks in a win against Winthrop), and normal starting catcher Acy Owen is a left-handed batter.
Said Jewett: "We can’t make Acy catch them all, and Ty’s good, too, so we have to get him back there and continue to cross train him like we have been."
At some point soon, I will do some research to see if I can find any other catchers who have been the leadoff hitter in a lineup, as Johnson will be when he catches.
When Johnson is behind the plate, either Matt Rowland or Tyler Heinrichs will get the start in left field. Jewett told me after the series that was their biggest concern going forward--finding a fourth outfielder who could do the job defensively on the days when Johnson catches. That's another example of the night and day difference between this year and last, when the primary concern was whether anyone could get anyone out. Now it's finding a fourth outfielder. Huge advantage, 2018.
I believe the key this weekend will be not getting overmatched at the plate. Ole Miss's starters were dominant against Winthrop, with Saturday guy Brady Feigl, a junior right, allowing zero runs in six innings, and Sunday guy James McArthur, another junior righty, allowing one unearned run in five innings. The total for the three starters was 16 innings, zero earned runs and 25 Ks against the team picked to win the Big South conference by six of 10 coaches.
I love that Tulane is playing this series. We will know a lot more about this team by Sunday than we do now. I'm sure the Ole Miss fans will be stoked for revenge after watching the Wave eliminate the Rebels from the 2016 NCAA Oxford regional, and it will be interesting to see how the new-look team performs against top notch competition on the road. Massey had an outstanding outing against Utah in that same regional, allowing one run in eight innings, but Grant Witherspoon and Sam Bjorngjeld are the only other remaining significant contributor from that regional team. Bjorngjeld pitched in three of the four games, earning a (cheap) save by pitching a perfect ninth inning to preserve the 4-1 win against Utah.
That was exactly what I anticipated. Roper looked strong against Wright State, and Massey had the single best performance of the weekend in the last three innings of Saturday's game.
"He came in and for three innings limited them to nothing at a very important time," coach Travis Jewett said. "It was a high-pressure situation, and I thought he handled it well. I liked his composure. He was around the glove. Even the first batter that he walked, he was around it. He might even have struck him out if you want to ask for a little help. He didn’t let that fold him and for the next three innings he was on top of it.
"We think maybe him and a Roper 1-2, that could probably be a pretty good combination."
Although Gillies had a rocky first inning (which I did not see after they moved the start time up 30 minutes), he settled down nicely Sunday and pitched better than his poor numbers ( 4 runs in 4.2 innings, 4 hits, three walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch) indicated. He'll need to be sharper in Oxford, but he actually retired 11 out of 13 batters at one point after allowing the first four to reach base, getting four pop-ups caught by infielders, striking out a guy looking and getting a double-play grounder. That's more than enough to warrant another start.
Look for Ty Johnson to be the catcher on Friday, and if not then, definitely for one game this weekend. Friday makes the most sense because Ole Miss will throw sophomore lefty Ryan Rollison (five innings, one hit, 12 Ks in a win against Winthrop), and normal starting catcher Acy Owen is a left-handed batter.
Said Jewett: "We can’t make Acy catch them all, and Ty’s good, too, so we have to get him back there and continue to cross train him like we have been."
At some point soon, I will do some research to see if I can find any other catchers who have been the leadoff hitter in a lineup, as Johnson will be when he catches.
When Johnson is behind the plate, either Matt Rowland or Tyler Heinrichs will get the start in left field. Jewett told me after the series that was their biggest concern going forward--finding a fourth outfielder who could do the job defensively on the days when Johnson catches. That's another example of the night and day difference between this year and last, when the primary concern was whether anyone could get anyone out. Now it's finding a fourth outfielder. Huge advantage, 2018.
I believe the key this weekend will be not getting overmatched at the plate. Ole Miss's starters were dominant against Winthrop, with Saturday guy Brady Feigl, a junior right, allowing zero runs in six innings, and Sunday guy James McArthur, another junior righty, allowing one unearned run in five innings. The total for the three starters was 16 innings, zero earned runs and 25 Ks against the team picked to win the Big South conference by six of 10 coaches.
I love that Tulane is playing this series. We will know a lot more about this team by Sunday than we do now. I'm sure the Ole Miss fans will be stoked for revenge after watching the Wave eliminate the Rebels from the 2016 NCAA Oxford regional, and it will be interesting to see how the new-look team performs against top notch competition on the road. Massey had an outstanding outing against Utah in that same regional, allowing one run in eight innings, but Grant Witherspoon and Sam Bjorngjeld are the only other remaining significant contributor from that regional team. Bjorngjeld pitched in three of the four games, earning a (cheap) save by pitching a perfect ninth inning to preserve the 4-1 win against Utah.
