Baseball season is in full swing in Oxford after the Rebels have started conference play with a 3-3 mark. Friday night starting pitcher Matt Crouse has been dominant, allowing one run in 15.2 innings of SEC play. After series against Alabama and Tennesse, Crouse and the rest of the Rebels look to improve their conference record. Pitching has been a strength for Ole Miss this year, and there are a couple new, young faces making an their mark.
When conference games start up, it is always exciting around Oxford-University Stadium. However, nobody is more excited than the freshmen playing in their first SEC series. Freshman right-hander Michael Mayers made the jog from the bullpen to the mound twice against Alabama.
Mayers, a Grove City, Ohio, native, is 1-0 on the year in nine appearances, including a midweek start against Austin Peay. He holds a 4.02 ERA with 13 strikeouts and four walks. Mayers is excited about the opportunity to receive significant playing time this year. “It’s good to be able to come in as a freshman and contribute,” says Mayers.
Another highly recruited freshman pitcher for the Rebels is right-hander Bobby Wahl. The Springfield, Va., native has a 2.25 ERA in eight innings pitched this year. Wahl saw his first action in the SEC against Tennessee last weekend. The freshman righty threw a scoreless ninth inning to finish off a shutout on Sunday.
An early elbow injury in his start against Arkansas State has sidelined Wahl for nearly a month. In his return against Samford, Wahl lit up the radar gun with a 94 MPH fastball on his first pitch. Wahl is still rehabbing the injury, but he can feel himself getting stronger as he does. “It was nerve-wracking (getting hurt). It could have been worse, but it still wasn’t good. I just use every day to get better and stronger,” said Wahl.
The Rebels are in the middle of an eight game road trip, with three games at LSU, and one at Memphis remaining on the trip. The next home series will start April 8 against SEC foe Georgia.
Michael Mayers bio – http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/mayers_mike00.html
Bobby Wahl bio - http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/m-basebl/mtt/wahl_bobby00.html
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