‘I can do this’: Doug Day heads to Cleveland as former Ole Miss ace called up by Guardians
Doug Nikhazy is headed to The Show.
Nikhazy is a left-handed pitcher and one of the most accomplished in Ole Miss baseball history. The Cleveland Guardians made Nikhazy a second-round selection in the 2021 MLB Draft. Nikhazy and Gunnar Hoglund (now with the future Las Vegas A’s) became the first pair of Ole Miss pitchers drafted in the first two rounds of a single draft in program history.
Nikhazy moved quickly through the team’s farm system. He got the call from Triple-A Columbus to MLB on Friday. He’ll work out of the bullpen. The Guardians next face off against the Boston Red Sox in a three-game series.
Nikhazy, 25, didn’t even spend a full year in Columbus — where he was promoted last June. He was invited and spent spring training with the Guardians.
“I’ve been in the dugout with plenty of big-leaguers,” Ole Miss hitting coach Mike Clement previously said of Nikhazy in an interview with the Ole Miss Spirit. “He’s the best college pitcher I’ve been around.
“I would downsize our house and give up half my salary, safely, to have him back. Send our kids to public school. Never eat out. Save all my money for Doug Nikhazy to come back. He can have my office.”
Nikhazy has pitched to a 3.44 ERA and 1.25 WHIP over 18.1 innings this season.
The former Ole Miss ace has struck out 22. He’s 16-18 with a 3.87 ERA over his career in the minors, including a whopping 402 strikeouts.
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“I’ve made some adjustments mechanically. I’m getting back to some stuff I think really contributed a lot to my success at Ole Miss,” Nikhazy told the Ole Miss Spirit last summer. “So, just feels like I’m in a really good spot and now it’s just me trying to replicate that stuff on a daily basis, which sometimes can be harder than it seems. I’m in a good head space — a really good place and just happy.”
Nikhazy as a Rebel was a three-time All-American. He was a unanimous first-team selection as a junior in 2021, his final Ole Miss season. That year Nikhazy finished second in program history with 142 strikeouts and set a new program record for wins (12).
Nikhazy pitched to a 2.81 career ERA at Ole Miss. He was 24-6 in 33 starts with a complete game and shutout in his 204.2 innings. Nikhazy racked up 259 strikeouts to only 73 walks. He had a 31/9 K:BB ratio in the COVID-shortened season of 2020.
“Just knowing and having that confidence, just like I was when I was in college as much as it is now, just knowing that I belong,” Nikhazy said. “I stack up and I can do this. Just keeping that thought.”
