OXFORD — The Rebels need to borrow the blueprint that Murray State used to beat them if they want a chance to stay alive.

Regional No. 1 Ole Miss baseball lost 9-6 to No. 4 Murray State on May 30. The loss puts the Rebels, the host team after earning the No. 10 national seed entering the NCAA tournament, in an early hole. They will face Western Kentucky, another 40-win team staring elimination in the face, on May 31 (1 p.m. CT).

Murray State’s upset, which sent a shockwave through the Oxford Regional, was derived in large part from Nic Schutte’s workhorse, 119-pitch performance. The Rebels (40-20) may need something similar against WKU (46-13).

“When their starter throws 120 pitches, it’s usually not good for you,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said.

Ole Miss will benefit greatly from its starter against Western Kentucky — probably ace Hunter Elliott, or he risks not throwing in the Oxford Regional — going deep into the game. The Rebels used much of their top bullpen talent in the loss against Murray State. Starter Riley Maddox was pulled after three innings. Mason Morris threw 54 pitches. Gunnar Dennis threw 14. Will McCausland threw 33. Connor Spencer, the closer, threw 11.

How does Bianco feel about his bullpen the rest of the way with his top options, especially Morris and McCausland, depleted?

“I don’t know,” Bianco said. “We’ve got a lot more pieces left, but when you have to get into the losers bracket, there’s going to be other guys that have to step up and pitch well. It starts with tomorrow. You’ve got to get through the game.”

Second baseman Judd Utermark reiterated the Rebels’ “Shower well” motto after the loss. It means players must have a short-term memory.

“It’s obviously frustrating, it being postseason,” Utermark said. “This is my first regional game. I had high hopes for us today. Ultimately we can’t control anything about this game anymore. We just have to put it past us.”

Western Kentucky has a strong offense. The Hilltoppers ended Conference USA play with the best team batting average (.318) and hits (542) in the league. Bianco said the key to Ole Miss overcoming its early stumble will be by taking one game at a time, starting with WKU.

“Somebody does it every year,” Bianco said. “Somebody loses Game 1 and makes it through. I like this club and I know we’ll stick together. I think you’ve got to be careful of trying to look to the finish line and look to the next step. The next step is tomorrow.”

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – A Lexington teenager is taking to the skies this summer as a licensed pilot.

Bryan Station High School rising senior, Griffin Humfleet, is one of the youngest licensed pilots in the state.

He says he never even thought about being a pilot until boredom struck during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I just kind of picked it up and I started loving it,” said Humfleet. “I started buying models and flying in simulators.”

Humfleet spent about a year doubling down on studying, studying for high school classes and flying.

“It can take a few weeks to a few years,” he said.

Humfleet spent about 10 months in flight school at Kentucky Airmotive in Mount Sterling.

“You get something called the flying bug.”

Humfleet says that bug is here to stay now, but believe it or not, he was once scared of flying.

“I’ve been like ‘pilots, I don’t know how they do that. They’re so high up in the air,” said Humfleet.

By facing his fear and hitting 40 hours of flight time, Humfleet passed his private pilot flight test in May.

“There’s definitely points where you feel like giving up, and there’s definitely points where you feel like you’re on top of the world. It was just kind of like ‘I can’t believe I’ve done this. I’m a pilot.’”

Humfleet says he flies a Cessna 172 single-engine airplane that actually weighs less than his car.

“You’ll just get random people coming up to you in the hall saying, ‘When are you taking me up for a flight?’ Or ‘hey, when can we go fly?’”

His focus for the summer and senior year, he said, is to build up flight hours with the goal of one day becoming a commercial pilot.

“I’ll need to fly to my college visits instead of driving to them. It just feels like so free, very free.”

Griffin says his next planned trip is on Sunday. He and his father are going to go out to London to get an aerial view of the tornado damage.

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Growing up in western Kentucky, I’ve heard many tales of the Green River. Many of them were stories about my grandfather’s adventures. In his youth, he would disappear for weeks at a time, and he was usually working on some kind of commercial craft on the river.

‘Blue Holes’ in the Green River

None of those stories, however, included anything about “blue holes.” While I enjoy the irony of the Green River having blue holes, I will inform you that those holes are very attractive to adventure seekers. I had a friend who used to be a commercial diver, and he would get jobs on the Green River. He casually mentioned a “blue hole” years ago, but I didn’t think to ask him what he was talking about. Now I know.

It’s in Hart County where folks go for the blue holes. They’re located at Blueway on the Green, which is part of the National Water Trail. The Nolin River (its lake is one of my favorites) also features a blueway.

Where to Find the Green River’s ‘Blue Holes’

If you are interested in finding blue holes, then you may already know that they are caves deep beneath the water’s surface. And since we’re talking about Hart County, deep in the heart of cave country, that makes sense.

Read More: Riverside KY Park Is Perfect for Picnicking, Fishing, Chilling

If you’re intrigued enough, Hart County Tourism offers a downloadable map that illustrates the details about the Green River’s Blueway. And just how blue is the Green River Blueway? See for yourself.

Don’t sleep on Hart County. Between Blueways, caves, and Kentucky Down Under, you can’t go wrong making it the focus of a weekend road trip.