Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco reveals key to Jack Dougherty's strong start in CWS Game 1

Ole Miss found themselves in a pitching pickle ahead of Game 1 in the College World Series finals. The Rebels threw their ace Dylan DeLucia just a few days ago in order to overcome Arkansas and advance to the championship series — so he is unlikely to be ready to start in at least the first two games. So, in Game 1, Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco sent Jack Dougherty out to start, though he’s typically a reliever.

Magic ensued on the mound. Doughtery, who boasted an ERA over 5.0 on the year, threw five perfect innings before running out of steam in the sixth. But getting the Rebels to the sixth inning without having to dip into an already-shallow pool of remaining pitchers was a blessing for Mike Bianco. And the Rebel coach had nothing but praise for Doughtery.

Here’s what he had to say regarding the decision to start Dougherty:

“I think a couple of things. One, looking — [Oklahoma’s] approach at the plate, they’re patient. They’re a very patient team. They walk a lot. And felt that we needed somebody that was going to fill up the strike zone. Of the guys that were available, I thought he was the best guy to do that.

I thought he could deliver and land some sliders early. But, again, you didn’t know he was going to walk out there and throw five perfect innings like that.”

Bianco added that he tried not to let the weight of such a high-stakes game get to Dougherty either.

“I was asked earlier, ‘hey, what was your expectation?’ I try not to box him in. Try not to put that kind of pressure on him. There’s a guy that’s been in a bullpen probably the last 60% of the season, and he has been really successful at that, and you want him to have that approach and to go attack the zone and make pitches early.”

The Rebel coach knew he was asking a lot of Dougherty given the stakes. But all Bianco wanted him to do was, “just go out there and get the first out, get the next out, put a zero on the board and give us a chance to score.”

Dougherty did just that. A career day for the young Rebel arm. And in the biggest possible moment on the biggest possible stage. Five innings of perfect baseball is a coach’s dream — especially when it comes from a guy who typically throws out of the bullpen.