HottyToddy.com’s Daily Ole Miss Sports Roundup

HottyToddy.com is giving readers a roundup of all the commentary and information about the Ole Miss Rebels from various publications around the Web.

Readers will be able to check out the latest information in a single post every day throughout the year. Here at HottyToddy.com, we are doing all the leg work to find the information that people may want to hear about Ole Miss sports.

Today’s roundup feature stories from the Rebel Walk.com

The Rebel Walk’s Courtney Smith joins MarkRogersTV to discuss Ole Miss RBs

HottyToddy.com file photo

Last year Ole Miss won with tough defense and big plays in the passing game. This season, the Rebels may need to run to win big. Courtney Smith of TheRebelWalk.com joins MarkRogersTV to discuss the legs that could take Ole Miss to Atlanta.

Courtesy of Evelyn Van Pelt

Rebels’ Coach Matt Luke inducted into Gulfport Hall of Fame

Photo courtesy of Ole Miss Athletics

Ole Miss assistant coach Matt Luke was one of eleven athletes inducted into the Gulfport (Miss.) Hall of Fame Saturday.

In the 2016 class, the third year for the honor, there are nine men and two women from the sports of golf, football, baseball, basketball, track and from the coaching ranks.

Coach Luke, co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach for the Rebels, played football and baseball at Gulfport and was named Sun Herald football Player of the Year in 1994.

In an interview with the Sun Herald, Luke was sentimental about receiving such an honor.

This is where you’re from. This is what shaped you; this is the town where you were raised. My brother played at Gulfport High, and I played at Gulfport High. This was always special to us. My oldest son’s name is Harrison – after Harrison County. This is a special place for me. I have a bunch and family and friends coming. — Matt Luke 

Courtesy of Evelyn Van Pelt and the Rebel Walk.com

MULTIPLE REBELS SELECTED ON FINAL DAY OF 2016 MLB DRAFT

Brady Bramlett
Photo by Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics

On the final day of the 2016 MLB Draft, three more Rebels were selected by professional teams to continue their baseball careers. The pitching trio of Chad Smith, Brady Bramlett and Wyatt Short heard their names called Saturday afternoon (June 11).

Smith was the first Rebel picked on day three, going to the Miami Marlins in the 11th round (seventh pick of the round). With the 12th pick in round 13, Ole Miss ace Brady Bramlett was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. The Chicago Cubs selected left-handed closer Wyatt Short in the 13th round to bring the total number of Rebels drafted to six.

For the 12th consecutive year, at least four Rebels have been selected in the MLB Draft. Under head coach Mike Bianco (16 seasons), 94 Diamond Rebels have been drafted.

In his first season as a Rebel, Smith spent the majority of the season in the weekend rotation with his mid-to-upper 90s fastball. In 15 appearances, including 12 starts, the McCalla, Alabama native went 4-4 with a 4.22 ERA. He finished second on the team in strikeouts, recording 62 over 59.2 innings of work. His best outing was in a midweek start versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff (May 4), going seven complete innings without surrendering an earned run and striking out a career-high 11.

This is the second time Smith has been chosen in the MLB Draft. Out of junior college, he was picked by the Cleveland Indians in the 23rd round of the 2015 draft.

Since missing the 2014 recovering from a torn labrum, Bramlett did not miss a start over the past two seasons. Serving as a focal point in the Ole Miss rotation, the Bartlett, Tennessee native made 31 starts on the mound throughout the 2015 and 2016 campaigns. As a junior, Bramlett posted an 8-3 record with a 3.17 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 2016. The Rebels played well behind their ace down the stretch, winning seven of their last nine games in which Bramlett made the start. His 41 strikeouts looking ranked second among all SEC pitchers. With a heavy fastball, Bramlett recorded at least eight strikeouts in four starts, including a career-high 12-strikeout performance versus Arkansas (April 8).

Bramlett is hearing his name called in the draft for the second time in as many years. He was taken in the 22nd round of the 2015 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics, but chose to return to Ole Miss to lead the Rebel pitching staff. Throughout his career, Bramlett has earned 20 victories on the mound, logging 190.2 innings and boasting a cumulative 3.40 ERA. He has been successful off the field as well, earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors and etching his name in the 2015-16 University of Mississippi Hall of Fame. Bramlett also serves as the vice-chair of the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and will take over as co-chair in July.

Short is one of the best closers in Ole Miss Baseball history with 24 career saves to rank third in the record book. He made 68 appearances over the past three years, boasting a 2.28 ERA in 110.2 innings and holding opposing hitters to a .219 batting average. As a sophomore, he was a Second Team All-SEC honoree with a 4-1 record, 10 saves and a 1.38 ERA.

This season, Short made 11 saves for the fourth-most in a single season by a Rebel. Eight of the saves he earned required the southpaw to pitch more than one complete inning. Out of his 22 appearances in 2016, he pitched over 1.0 inning 15 times. His season went recognized by national writers as he was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Stopper of the Year Award’s midseason watch list. When the game was on the line, Short was handed the ball and never backed down against some of the nation’s best teams; he recorded four saves against top 10 teams, including a pair against No. 2 Louisville to help Ole Miss take the weekend series.

For the latest news and updates involving Ole Miss Baseball, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Baseball and on Instagram at olemissbsb.

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports

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