Doug Nikhazy Garners Two More All-American Accolades

Doug Nikhazy set to take the mound Friday night. Photo by Petre Thomas/Ole Miss Athletics

The accolades keep rolling in for freshman southpaw pitcher Doug Nikhazy as he was added as a Freshman All-American on Friday by Baseball America and D1Baseball.

Nikhazy is currently at USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp, was previously named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game. Nikhazy was also designated Freshman All-SEC by the Southeastern Conference coaches. During the season, Nikhazy also brought home two SEC Freshman of the Week honors during conference play.

The Windermere, Florida native closed the season with a team-best 9-3 record and 3.31 ERA. The freshman worked 89.2 innings over 20 total appearances and 14 starts, striking out an Ole Miss freshman record 86 batters while walking 33.

Nikhazy quickly found himself in the weekend rotation at the start of SEC play after starting the season out of the bullpen. In his first SEC start, Nikhazy took a no-hitter into the seventh inning at Missouri and ultimately turned in 7.2 innings of two-hit ball, combining on one of four shutouts by the Rebel staff this season.

Nikhazy also combined with Parker Caracci on the fourth Rebel shutout of 2019 against Texas A&M during the SEC Tournament. In an elimination game, Nikhazy outdueled Aggie ace John Doxakis, going eight innings with no runs allowed on just three hits, walking four and striking out two in a 1-0 Rebel victory.

He was outstanding in the NCAA Oxford Regional as well, silencing a dangerous Clemson lineup. Nikhazy went 8-plus innings, allowing just one run on four hits, walking three and striking out nine. He got into some hot water in the eighth inning but struck out the Tigers’ top bat, Logan Davidson, who was selected in the first round of the MLB Draft just two days later.

Nikhazy capped one of the best seasons by a freshman pitcher in Ole Miss history with an excellent outing against a dangerous Arkansas lineup in the Fayetteville Super Regional. He went five innings at Baum-Walker Stadium, striking out eight Razorbacks to earn a win in Game 2 of the series. In the victory, he increased his season-long strikeout total to 86, the most ever by a Rebel freshman, surpassing the mark held by two future MLB Rebels, Jeff Calhoun (1977) and Drew Pomeranz (2008).

Staff Report