Around the Diamond: Townsend looks to play stopper for Ole Miss in Pearl

Ole Miss baseball is turning to true freshman RHP Cade Townsend as its stopper Tuesday in Pearl. 

The Rebels are coming off a series loss to Arkansas over the weekend to open SEC play. They dropped in Top 25 polls as a result and sit at No. 18 with No. 19 Southern Miss up next. They were as high as No. 13. First pitch is 6 p.m. CT.

Townsend was a Top 100 prospect signed in the heralded 2024 recruiting class. His final high school season he was 6-0 with a 1.56 ERA. Townsend struck out 96 in 63 innings. 

“The 6-foot-2 right hander has an intriguing combination of stuff and projection,” an MLB scout said of Townsend back in the summer. “He currently throws his fastball in the 90-to-94 MPH range, but his best pitch is the knuckle curve, which pairs nicely with the heater. He throws it it in the 79-to-80 mph range.

“That-two pitch combination is his foundation. But he does show a separate slider along with some feel for a change-up.”

Townsend has been hit hard to start his Ole Miss career. 

He’ll take the mound Tuesday with an 8.44 ERA and opposite USM starter Matthew Adams (2-1, 3.05 ERA), a righty.

Still, Ole Miss (15-4, 1-2 SEC) is excited about Townsend, who was headliner in a freshman haul ranked No. 4 in the nation by D1Baseball, Baseball America and Perfect Game. The Rebels have already gotten significant contributions from Hayden Federico and Walker Hooks, among others. 

Now Townsend gets his chance. 

“Statistically he may have been our best pitcher in the fall,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said of Hooks. “He falls under the radar a bit because he’s not the 95 miles-per-hour guy. He mixes four pitches and is a strike-throwing machine. 

“Being left-handed helps. He has a lot of composure and you never know how a freshman will respond against real competition. He makes it looks easy at times.”

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN

Television/Online: ESPN+
Radio: Ole Miss Radio Network
Play-by-Play: David Kellum
Color: Brad Henderson

SCOUTING SOUTHERN MISS

Ole Miss and Southern Miss already faced off earlier this season. The Rebels hit four home runs en route to a 15-8 win in Oxford on February 25. Every starter in the lineup had a least one hit and scored at least one run. 

Ole Miss leads the all-time series, 85-54, with Tuesday’s showdown the 140th meeting between the teams. Southern Mississippi is currently 14-6 (2-1 SBC) and fresh off a series win over Old Dominion. The Golden Eagles outscored the Monarchs 23-10 over three games.

Christian Ostrander is in his second season as Southern Miss head coach. Carson Paetow leads the team in home runs (6), while two Eagles, Jake Cook and Tucker Stockman, are hitting above .400 with an OPS north of 1.000.

Tied for the team lead in RBI (19) is Ozzie Pratt and Davis Gillespie.

AROUND THE DIAMOND

UNO transfer Mitchell Sanford hit .455 with two home runs and a 1.182 slugging percentage against Arkansas. … Ole Miss is ninth nationally in home runs per game (2.05) and 10th in total home runs (39). … The Rebels are also No. 23 in walks (117). Ole Miss is eighth in the country in strikeouts per nine innings (11.8).

Both Isaac Humphrey, a transfer from Louisville, and Federico have reached base in 16 consecutive games. … Federico has reached base in every game he’s played. He had four walks on Sunday and leads the team in on-base percentage (.487). … The Rebels are outscoring opponents- 29-7 in the first inning and 51-11 over the first two. They’re 13-1 when they score first.