No. 8 Rebels to Wrap Up Eight-Game Home Stand Against Murray State Tonight

Nick Fortez and Dallas Woolfolk. Photo by Steven Gagliano

The Ole Miss Rebel Baseball team concludes its eight-game home stand on Tuesday as they play host to Murray State. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.

No. 8 Ole Miss (by Perfect Game) has jumped out to a 7-0 mark for the second straight season and third in the past six years after sweeping the Tulane Green Wave over the weekend.
Sophomore Grae Kessinger has found a home in the leadoff spot this season as he is hitting at a .464 clip with four extra-base hits, just three off tying his season total from 2017. The shortstop is fourth in the SEC and 37th nationally in hits (13).
At the plate, the Rebels have five players at a .300 clip or better and have six players with multiple XBHs, led by four each from Kessinger and Nick Fortes.
Murray State (4-3) comes into Oxford after defeating Western Illinois 4-3 on Monday afternoon.
The Racers opened the 2018 campaign against Big 12 foe Kansas, where they claimed the middle game, 10-5, and dropped the other two contests, 5-3 and 4-1. Murray followed that up with a trip to Huntsville, Alabama, where they lost 4-1 to Alabama A&M.
Through seven games, the Racers are hitting .258 as a team led by two players with a .300 clip or better. Ramsey Scott leads the club with a .360 average, and he and Davis Sims are tied for the team lead in hits with seven. Sims also has a team-high seven RBIs, while Scott has two of the team’s three home runs. MSU has been an aggressive and successful team on the basepaths thus far, going 12 for 12 in steal attempts. The Racers have 18 extra-base hits this season including 15 doubles.
When Ole Miss takes the diamond against Murray State, it will be the 24th time these two teams have met. The Rebels lead the series 19-3-1 and the most recent meeting came two years ago when the Rebels won 8-3, with the most recent matchup before that coming in 2014, which resulted in an 8-5 victory for Ole Miss.
The probable pitching matchup for this game will showcase the arm of LHP Luke Brown for Murray State. Brown has a 27.0 ERA on the season with an inning of work. Coach Mike Bianco will send to the hill sophomore RHP Houston Roth. Last week, he made his first collegiate start against the Memphis Tigers striking out six batters in four innings of work.
Fans that can’t make it out to the game can watch all the action on SEC Network + or listen to the call on the Ole Miss Radio network. To get all the latest information on Ole Miss baseball follow HottyToddy.com.

Adam Brown is the sports editor of HottyToddy.com. He can be reached at adam.brown@hottytoddy.com.