Ole Miss was ranked as high at No. 4 nationally, was dubbed No. 12 Southern Miss 11-3 in front of 5,722. With their effective midweek pitching and clutch hitting, the Rebels showed they were a team capable of going deep into the postseason. They also displayed an impressive field presence that was sometimes breathtaking. Will Golsan, centerfielder, made a great catch on Luke Reynolds in the fifth inning. This prevented a huge USM inning. Golsan ran to Reynolds’ blast, sprinting to the bottom of the park at the crack of the bat. Reynolds later said, “I couldn’t believe he caught that.” “I can’t hit the ball any harder than that,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco declared. “We bounced from a disappointing weekend, and we did it against an extremely good team,” Bianco stated. Ole Miss lost two of its three series matches to Mississippi State at Starkville last weekend. Bianco stated that it was the first time in season that he didn’t believe we played well. The Rebels did the right thing and performed as good teams. The Rebels overcame the disappointing weekend by winning the second inning 6-0 and then cruising to a comfortable victory. This is a bounce-back year for Ole Miss at 28-6, after a disappointing 32-25 record in 2013. Remember? Remember? Both were struggling as freshmen. Dillard hit .206. Kessinger hit .176. Both of them are far, far more than that and have proven it this spring. Dillard had two hits against USM and scored three runs. He is now hitting.328 with nine doubles and two triples as well as seven home runs. Kessinger, a slick-fielding pitcher, is now at.309 and has nine doubles and one home run. Scott Berry, USM, said that the two had grown up quickly. Bianco stated, “People always say that experience is the best substitute.” “Well, look at us.” As a team, the Rebels hit.303. The team’s strengths remain a strong, talented pitching staff, and a solid defense. USM’s Berry doesn’t have such luxury when it is about pitching. The team’s ace Nick Sandlin has been remarkable with a 4-0 record and an earned run average (1.29) as well as a striking/walk ratio of 75/6. He was only.160 against by his opponents. Sandlin will be unable to pitch Friday night at FIU due to stiffness in his throwing shoulder. USM pitching has also been poor. USM, 22-10, swept three games from State in the first season. It then got off to 17-5 and is now 5-5 in its final 10 games. Berry used the term “mediocre” to describe it. “We have to find a way out of this funk,” Berry stated. “Tonight, we played passively while Ole Miss was aggressive. They were clearly the superior team. We have to solve it.” Junior Mason Strickland pitched 5.1 innings of three-hit and one-run baseball Tuesday night. He did something that other USM pitchers couldn’t do: he threw strikes and he plowed ahead in the count. USM’s middle order, which includes Reynolds, Matt Wallner, and Hunter Slater, continues to hit big bats but other players aren’t producing as of late. Can anyone figure out baseball in the meantime? Follow me. USM sweeps Mississippi State in a stunning win to begin the season. Ole Miss takes Mississippi State’s second and third places. Ole Miss wins the series with USM2-0. Ron Polks, the legendary state coach, always summarized it in two words: “That is baseball.”