Joshua Clayton
The Ole Miss baseball team will take its first road trip this weekend to Greenville, North Carolina, for the Keith Leclair Classic.
The Rebels will face High Point on Friday, East Carolina on Saturday and Indiana on Sunday. The team hasn’t lost since the season opener against then-top-ranked Louisville, climbing to the No. 15 spot in the latest poll from D1Baseball.com.
No. 21 East Carolina will be the only top-25 competition at the invitational, but the Rebels will get their first taste of baseball away from Swayze Field. The trip will be an opportunity for head coach Mike Bianco to take a look at his roster before they open SEC play against No. 11 LSU on March 13.
The first thing to watch this weekend is for the starting rotation to remain dominant. The weekend pitchers sat down the Xavier lineup last weekend, allowing only three total runs in the series.
Bianco will also keep an eye on the bullpen. While the starting pitchers excel, the relievers have been hit or miss. Wes Burton, Drew McDaniel, Max Cioffi, Austin Miller and Braden Forsyth are just a few that have the opportunity to work through some innings this weekend.
A few position players will also get opportunities in the invitational. The whole outfield is still up for grabs, so expect plenty of young faces to play. Jerrion Ealy, Cade Sammons and John Rhys Plumlee should make appearances, and midweek hero Hayden Leatherwood will get work in the outfield
The Rebels will open the weekend on Friday against High Point. First pitch on Friday is set for 11 a.m.
