Iowa Baseball Weekend Preview: Ole Miss

WEEKEND SERIES: AT OLE MISS (6-4)

The Iowa Baseball team is coming off of a disappointing weekend in Jacksonville at the inaugural Jax College Baseball Classic. They had leads in the 7th inning against all three teams they faced, including #14 Virginia, but the bullpen allowed 25 runs over 12 innings and they left the tournament with an 0-3 record. The Hawkeyes bounced back and defeated Northern Illinois 14-6 on Tuesday afternoon. Up next is a trip to Swayze Field in Oxford, MS for a three-game series against Ole Miss.

The Rebels come into the weekend with a 6-4 overall record. They opened the season splitting a four-game series against Hawaii. After losing the season opener against High Point this past weekend, they rebounded to win the last two games of the series by a combined score fo 37-4. In the midweek this week, they picked up wins over OVC favorite Little Rock and a solid Missouri State team.

Ole Miss Last 10 Games

Feb 16-18 at Hawaii: W 5-4 (13), W 5-2, L 9-1, L 13-4 Feb 21 vs Arkansas State: L 4-2 Feb 23-25 vs High Point: L 7-3, W 12-2, W 25-2 Feb 27 vs Little Rock: W 12-6 Feb 28 vs Missouri State: W 12-3

IOWA HAWKEYES PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

RHP Brody Brecht (Friday) – After a solid start against Seton Hall in the season opener, Brody put together an even better start against Auburn last Friday. Brecht allowed one earned run over 6.0 innings, including 11 strikeouts to just four walks. Through two weeks his strikeout rate is a phenomenal 47.8% and opponents are batting just .086 and .231 on balls in play. If Brody can keep his free bases in the 3-4 range, he should be able to continue getting deeper into games.

RHP Marcus Morgan (Saturday) – We’ve seen two different starts from Marcus to begin the 2024 campaign. His opening week start against Ball State was really good, but this past weekend against Virginia, he struggled with his command. He allowed four runs on three hits and walked five over 3.0 innings. Marcus will be looking to get back on track this week.

LHP Cade Obermueller (Sunday) – The first two weeks of the season have been encouraging for Cade Obermueller. After a 4.0 scoreless inning start against Lehigh, Cade responded with a 5.0 scoreless innings against Wichita State on Sunday. It hasn’t been perfect, as he has given up eight free bases over 9.0 total innings. However, the adversity hasn’t led to runs for the other team. If he can cut down on the free bases just a touch, the Hawkeyes will be looking at a really good situation on Sundays.

The Key for the Staff: Limit free bases against an Ole Miss lineup that doesn’t strikeout a lot – Through ten games, the Rebels batting order has a 22.4% walk rate and a 16.7% strikeout rate. They are batting just .263 as a team, but have supplemented their slow start with a .418 on-base percentage due to 91 walks/hit by pitches.

OLE MISS REBELS PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS

LHP Gunnar Dennis (Friday) – A transfer from Meridian CC, Gunnar Dennis was a First Team All-MACC selection for the Eagles last season. After making two Saturday starts to begin the year, Dennis will pitch on Friday this week. Last week against High Point, he allowed one earned run on six hits over 4.2 innings, including eight strikeouts to just two walks. He will throw a fastball (89-91), curveball (75-76) and a changeup (81-83).

RHP JT Quinn (Saturday) – Sophomore JT Quinn will move back a day to Saturday after starting on Friday for the first two weeks. As a freshman last year, Quinn appeared in 17 games with 12 starts, posting a 6.83 ERA over 55.1 innings. Much like the Iowa starting rotation, free bases are his downfall in most outings. He gave up 44 free bases last season and has given up eight over 6.2 innings this season. Standing at 6’6, 220, with a fastball (94-97), slider (87-89), curveball (78-79) and a changeup (86), Quinn is a tough matchup when he is in the zone. That is evidenced by the fact that 12 of his 20 recorded outs are strikeouts.

RHP Grayson Saunier (Sunday) – On Sunday, the Rebels will go with sophomore righty Grayson Saunier. As a freshman last year, Saunier made 12 starts, posting a 6.85 ERA over 46.0 innings, including 52 strikeouts to 36 free bases. Last time out against High Point, Saunier allowed one run on three hits over 4.0 innings, including five strikeouts and two walks. His arsenal includes a fastball (91-96), slider (83-85), curveball (75-77) and a changeup. Over the last two days of the weekend, the Hawkeye hitters need to be patient and force the Ole Miss starters to put pitches in the zone.

REBELS PLAYERS TO WATCH

1. 1B Jackson Ross – A transfer from Florida Atlantic, first baseman Jackson Ross has gotten off to an incredibly hot start this season. He has a team-high 14 hits, 15 runs scored and 16 RBI’s, as well as five home runs. Ross has 12 hits in his last 19 at-bats, including a home run in four of his last five games. Last season at FAU, Jackson was a First Team All-CUSA selection, batting .345, with a .437 on-base percentage, including 20 doubles, 14 home runs and 58 RBI’s. He was rated as the #25 transfer in the country by D1Baseball. Jackson Ross is arguably the toughest hitter Iowa will face this weekend.

2. CF Ethan Groff – After spending three years at Tulane, Groff transferred to Ole Miss last season. He started 53 games in centerfield, batting .272, with a .379 on-base percentage, including 12 doubles, six home runs and 46 RBI’s. Groff racked up 16 multi-hit games and stole 16 bases. So far this year, Groff is batting .325, including 13 hits, two doubles and two home runs.

3. LF Ethan Lege – After spending two years at Delgado CC, Ethan Lege transferred to Ole Miss last season. He started 49 games at third base, but has made the move to left field this year. A year ago, Lege batted .243, with a .332 on-base percentage, including ten doubles, three home runs and 20 RBI’s. Through nine games this season, he is batting .379, with five doubles and eight RBI’s. Lege is tough out, as he has struck out just once in 37 total plate appearances.

4. OF Treyson Hughes – Mercer transfer outfielder Treyson Hughes came into the season rated as the #11 transfer addition by D1Baseball. A First Team All-SoCon selection last year, Hughes batted .386, with a SoCon leading .504 on-base percentage. He put up 86 hits, 15 doubles, 11 home runs and 52 RBI’s, as well as 27 multi-hit games. Hughes was just 2/24 at the plate through seven games, but racked up three hits against Missouri State on Wednesday. He is a dangerous bat.

5. 3B Andrew Fischer – Another transfer, Andrew Fischer spent his freshman year at Duke last year, starting 45 games and earning Second Team Freshman All-American honors. He batted .289, with a .404 on-base percentage, including 12 doubles, four triples and a Duke freshman record 11 home runs. Fischer was rated as the #17 transfer in the country by D1Baseball. So far this season, he is batting .267, including three home runs. Over the last four games, Fischer has seven hits, ten runs scored and six RBI’s.

6. DH Will Furniss – As a true freshman for the Rebels last season, Will Furniss started 38 games, including 32 starts at DH. He batted .298, with a .367 on-base percentage, including 39 hits, four doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI’s. This season, Furniss has appeared in eight games with five starts. He has just three hits in 15 at-bats, but has somehow still been able to drive in ten runs.

7. RHP Josh Mallitz – So far this season, the Ole Miss bullpen has posted a 3.68 ERA over 61.0 innings, including 10.6 K/9. The leader of the group is right-hander Josh Mallitz. As a sophomore in 2022, Mallitz posted 1.45 ERA over 31.0 innings, including 48 strikeouts to just 12 walks. He missed all of last season with an injury, but is back to be the top dawg in the bullpen. Mallitz has appeared in three games with a 0.00 ERA over 5.1 innings, including nine strikeouts to three walks and just two hits allowed. He will throw a fastball in the 92-94 range, as well as a really good slider.

8. RHP Mason Nichols – Junior right-hander Mason Nichols appeared in a team-high 23 games last season, posting a 5.45 ERA over 38.0 innings. Nichols struck out 45 and walked just 16, but 12 of his 35 hits allowed were home runs. This season, he has appeared in three games, with a 0.00 ERA over 6.1 innings, including nine strikeouts to four walks. Last time out against Missouri State, Nichols struck out the side in one inning of work. He will work with a fastball (92-95) and a slider (81-82).

MIDWEEK: VS ST THOMAS (4-4)

On Tuesday, the Hawkeyes will welcome St Thomas to Duane Banks Field for a midweek game. The Tommies are 4-4 this season, but took three of four from SEMO this past weekend. They will travel to Southern Indiana this weekend for a three-game series. Iowa is 2-1 all-time against St Thomas.

TOMMIES PLAYERS TO WATCH

1. OF Ben Vujovich – The best hitter for St Thomas, Vujovich batted .306, with 11 doubles, four triples, eight stolen bases and 23 RBI’s. He racked up 17 multi-hit games last season. Through eight games this year, Vujovich is batting .457, with a .525 on-base percentage, as well as four doubles, two triples and nine RBI’s.

2. 3B Matthew Maulik – The Tommies have gotten immediate production out of true freshman Matthew Maulik. Rated as the #11 shortstop in Minnesota by Perfect Game, Maulik is batting .400, with a team-leading three home runs. He has three multi-hit games and has struck out just four times in 28 plate appearances.

FINAL THOUGHT

Set the over/under for this four-game stretch at 2.5 wins. This is a big weekend for the Iowa Baseball team. After missing out on an opportunity to put some big wins on the resume last week, the Hawkeyes have another chance to prove themselves against an SEC opponent. The offense and starting rotation has done it’s job through two weeks. The key is going to be the bullpen. If Iowa is going to win this weekend, and weekends going forward, the top arms in the bullpen need to get the job done when they are called on. Taking two of three from the Rebels would be a huge momentum boost and possibly, just what the Hawkeyes need to get the ball rolling.