Life in the Southeastern Conference is not easy.
After dropping a winnable series on the road in Athens, the Ole Miss Rebels host the top 25 Alabama Crimson Tide at Swayze Field this weekend in what is a must-win series in Oxford. This Ole Miss team needs to build on a nice midweek win and keep swinging a hot bat.
Here are three things to look for in this weekend’s series against the Tide.
Away From “The Joe”
Sewell-Thomas Stadium, commonly referred to as “The Joe,” has been very kind Crimson Tide this season, giving them a 20-7 record at home.
Road games for this squad have been a different story, however. The Tide are 3-7 on the road this year, and Swayze Field is a difficult place to play for any team. An early lead could pay dividends throughout this series for the Rebels if they can make things happen on Thursday night.
In 2022, however (the last time the Crimson Tide were in Oxford), they completed a three-game sweep of the Rebels. It should be interesting to see if these cold spells on the road continue this weekend.
Elite Bats
The 2023 Alabama team doesn’t beat you with elite pitching, but they will beat you with their bats. Alabama is in the top half of all of the offensive team statistics in the SEC, ranking inside the top five in average, slugging percentage, hits, and RBIs. This Alabama team has been swinging a hot bat all year, and playing in a hitters’ park like Swayze plays right into their hand.
Former Rebel and CWS hero TJ McCants has also been a star for this Alabama team, as the change of scenery has totally unlocked his power potential. McCants is second on the team in homers (13) and third in batting average (.330). He also leads the team in stolen bases with 11.
Average Pitching Staff
While the pitching staff for the Tide is below-average statically in the SEC, they will roll with three strong, tall pitchers this weekend.
On Thursday, Gregg Farone gets the ball. Farone is a 6-foot-6, 240-pound lefty who can get really get down the mound. He will sit in the mid-to-low 90s, but with his large frame, his fastball will really get on these Rebel hitters. The same can be said for the righty on Friday night, Ben Hess.
Hess fits the same mold of the big power righties who have silenced the Rebel bats the past two weekends.
Saturday, freshman Zane Adams will take the bump for the Tide. Adams was the top left-handed pitcher out of the state of Texas according to Perfect Game, and his stuff has translated well into college baseball. He has been inconsistent at times, but when he is on, he is lights-out. Adams went eight scoreless in rout to a win over (at the time) the-top ranked Arkansas Razorbacks.
It should be another great weekend for baseball in the SEC. First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPNU.
