The annual Kid’s Day Game at Swayze Field is just a special little event if you’ve never been there in person.
Thousands of shrieking children from local schools pack the stands for this one game and getting to skip a day of school to watch baseball is about as American as it gets. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. CT, so you know there will be approximately 5,000 hot dogs and 10,000 sno-cones ate/spilled in just a few short hours.
The Rebels (19-10, 3-6 SEC) are looking to bounce back from a four game
losing streak that started last Tuesday. Enter the Ohio Valley’s Little Rock (17-11, 5-1 OVC) for today’s game, and it very well could be a tighter contest than anyone expected in the preseason.
Five Trojans are batting over .300 in this lineup that produces 6.3 runs per game, and with the Rebels ongoing offensive struggles, this could make for a potential upset in the making. Now meanwhile the Little Rock pitching leaves a lot to be desired giving up more than 5.5 runs per game with one huge outlier being one of its games against Memphis where it lost 24-5 in seven innings.
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
- Ole Miss: LHP Grayson Gibson (1-1, 2.25 ERA)
- Little Rock: LHP Nic Bronzini (0-1, 11.57 ERA)
Grayson Gibson will be making his first start as an Ole Miss Rebel today against Little Rock. The freshman out of Tampa, Fla. has been solid out of the bullpen and has shown the ability to go 50+ pitches. His best and longest stint in a game this season was a four inning shutout against Memphis a few weeks back.
Nic Bronzini doesn’t look like a great pitcher on paper with his plus-11 ERA, and his best performance of the year looks to be a 3.1 IP, 2 ER, 4 K outing against Arkansas St. I think the strategy for this opposing pitching staff today is going to be throwing outside of the zone to get some swing and misses to build some pressure on the home team.
If there was a team that ever needed a slumpbuster, it is this Ole Miss squad. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. CT and will be streamed live on SEC Network+. Get at least mildly irresponsible and watch it from work.
