SEC West’s Arkansas, Ole Miss face off in CWS
OMAHA, Neb. – Ole Miss might be the closest thing the College World Series has to a Cinderella story.
The Rebels were the last at-large team added to the field of 64 after what was considered something of a down year. Ole Miss was ranked No. 6 in the preseason coaches poll, surged to No. 1 in the country but struggled early in Southeastern Conference play and barely advanced to the postseason.
Now, the Rebels (38-22) are one of the nation’s hottest teams, and Arkansas (44-19) will meet them in the winners bracket Monday (7 p.m. EDT, ESPN) at Charles Schwab Field.
The Arkansas and Ole Miss teams are no strangers to one another in the regular or postseason. The Razorbacks and Rebels upset national seeds Saturday. The winner of this game will advance within one win of the College World Series finals and the loser will fall into the losers bracket to play either Auburn or Stanford in an elimination game.
Ole Miss is 6-0 this postseason and has outscored opponents 51-12. For as dominant as the Rebels have been, the Razorbacks have matched them. Arkansas is 6-1 and outscoring opponents 62-36, including a 17-2 rout of No. 2 Stanford in its Omaha opener.
Arkansas won the regular-season meeting against Ole Miss, taking two out of three close games in late April.
Something has to give when the SEC foes meet again. So who wins?
h Long’s prediction: All streaks end eventually, and the further Ole Miss makes it into the postseason, the harder it will be for its streaks of wins and innings without an earned run to continue. Arkansas’ offense has found its stride at the right time, and the Razorbacks proved Saturday that they can hit even the best arms. Lefties give the lineup trouble, but Arkansas will manufacture enough runs while the well-rested Razorback bullpen and its strong defense keep the game manageable. Arkansas 6, Ole Miss 4.
h Suss’ prediction: Rebels starting pitcher Hunter Elliott and a fully rested bullpen are the difference. Arkansas right-hander Will McEntire is pitching well, the Razorbacks bullpen can be overpowering and the offense is clicking on all cylinders. But Ole Miss is unbeaten in the postseason for a reason, and a big part of that is dominant pitching combined with an opportunistic offense. Those trends continue Monday when Ole Miss scores a few runs late to surge ahead.