First Mid-Week game of the 2013 season.
By: Adam Brown, Sports Editor HottyToddy.com
adam.brown@hottytoddy.com
The Ole Miss Rebels return to the diamond today, taking on the University of Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks at Swayze Field.
Ole Miss (3-0) moved to No. 8 in the nation after sweeping No. 12 Texas Christian University this past weekend. It was the first time the Rebels opened the season with a sweep over a ranked team. The last time Ole Miss swept a ranked team was in 2010 against the No. 5 LSU Tigers.
Junior catcher Stuart Turner had a huge opening weekend as an Ole Miss Rebel. On Sunday, during his first at bat with the bases loaded Turner hit a grand slam into the first row of the left field pavilion. It was his first career hit that gave the Rebels a 4-1 lead from which they never looked back.
UT-Martin (0-4) has opened the season with three straight losses to Southeastern Louisiana over the weekend. In the Skyhawks’ home opener on Tuesday, they also dropped a game to Southern Illinois.
This is the 15th meeting between the schools, with Ole Miss holding the overall series advantage at 13-1. The Rebels are 12-1 at home against the Skyhawks with Ole Miss winning last season by a score of 20-4.
The probable pitching matchup for this afternoon’s game will have UT Martin’s sophomore LHP Carter Smith versus Ole Miss’s sophomore RHP Sam Smith.
Last year, Ole Miss’s Sam Smith pitched 3.2 innings against the Skyhawks with a career-high six strikeouts, allowing only two runs on four hits with only two walks.
The Skyhawks’ Carter Smith was the losing pitcher, coming in as relief pitcher in the season opener. Smith worked an inning against the Rebels in 2012, giving up one run on one hit.
First pitch between the Skyhawks and the Rebels will be at 4:00pm.
