Pitching depth burns Ole Miss baseball again, keeps Southern Miss alive in Oxford Regional
Nick Suss
Mississippi Clarion Ledger
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OXFORD — Pitching depth is the thing that kept
Ole Miss baseball fans up at night and let
Southern Miss baseball fans sleep soundly this spring. That was on full display Sunday.
Ole Miss had the advantage in the first game of the Oxford Regional final after Southern Miss had to win back-to-back elimination games to even draw a matchup against the top-seeded Rebels.
The Golden Eagles had used all four of their regular weekend starting pitchers and its top relief options. The only pitchers Ole Miss didn't have available were starters Doug Nikhazy and Derek Diamond.
But the team that has rode pitching all season kept riding it Sunday. Southern Miss found 4 2/3 shutout relief innings from relief ace Ryan Och in the first game of the day to beat Florida State 7-4, and then found five scoreless relief innings from freshman Tanner Hall to upset Ole Miss 10-7 and force a winner-take-all Oxford Regional final Monday.
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Ole Miss, meanwhile, had its pitching implode.
Starter Drew McDaniel allowed seven runs on six hits and a walk in 2/3 of an inning, leaving the game having only faced nine batters. Senior right-hander Tyler Myers steadied the game, allowing two runs in five innings, but he also allowed two hits in the first inning, one of which allowed one of McDaniel's runners to score.
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Neither of these outcomes should be much of a surprise. Southern Miss entered the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 15 nationally in team ERA and No. 6 nationally in team WHIP.
Ole Miss had no choice Sunday but to start a pitcher who posted a 7.82 ERA in SEC play and call upon relievers behind him who had a collective 4.66 ERA.
It's impossible to understate how valuable pitching depth has been to Southern Miss this year. Having four reliable starting pitchers to guide a team through four-game conference weekends was indispensable. But being able to turn to multiple pitchers who were locating fastballs in the mid-to-high 90s in the second of two elimination games on the same day kept the Golden Eagles alive.
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Och struck out 11 Florida State hitters, giving Southern Miss' offense time to come back from a 4-1 deficit.
Hall, Chandler Best and Tyler Stuart only allowed seven hits and two walks in 8 2/3 innings to allow Southern Miss to come back from a 4-0 deficit against Ole Miss.
In all, Southern Miss' bullpen has a 2.14 ERA in 21 innings in the Oxford Regional. To get this performance one week after blowing multiple leads in the Conference USA Tournament shows not just the depth and talent of Southern Miss' pitching staff, but also its resilience.
Then there's Ole Miss. The Ole Miss bullpen has turned a corner since the start of May. It's not the same group that gave up 17 runs in three games against Arkansas or posted a 17.18 ERA against Mississippi State.
Jack Dougherty and Brandon Johnson have emerged after being largely unused in the first three months of the season, and Myers and Jackson Kimbrell have rediscovered the successful stuff they were lacking in the middle of the season.
But this team's lack of starting pitching depth is still its issue. It was an issue before ace Gunnar Hoglund had his season come to an end because of a tear in the UCL of his throwing elbow. And it's an even bigger issue now.
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McDaniel's ERA in his last six starts is 10.52, and that includes the 6 2/3 shutout innings he threw in the SEC Tournament. Diamond seems to have improved, allowing two earned runs in his last 10 innings, but he's also only completed six innings once since the beginning of April.
Maybe it's time to give Myers a shot as the team's third starter. Or to give that distinction to Dougherty or fellow freshman Cody Adcock. But all that does is turn the ball over from a pitcher with a 6.10 ERA to a pitcher with a 4.93 ERA or a 5.12 ERA.
Ole Miss and Southern Miss will be reaching deep to find starting pitchers Monday. Ole Miss should have everyone available except Diamond, Myers and ace Doug Nikhazy. Southern Miss should have everyone available except starters Hunter Stanley, Walker Powell and Drew Boyd and relievers Och and Hall.
Neither team is set up well. But if this year's trends are any proof, come noon Monday, Southern Miss is better suited if it all comes down to pitching depth.
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.
