We’ll talk more about what this weekend means, and Mike Bonner will have coverage in the Clarion-Ledger.

For now, here’s the release from Ole Miss:

STARKVILLE, Miss. – It was an all-around dominant performance from the Rebels on Sunday in a rubber-game as No. 13 Ole Miss (29-9, 9-6 SEC) pounded out 20 hits to race past Mississippi State (22-15, 7-8 SEC) for a 12-2 win at Dudy Noble Field.

The win clinched the weekend series for Ole Miss after the Rebels also picked up a 6-1 victory over the Bulldogs in the series opener on Friday night.

Austin Anderson went 4-for-5 at the plate with a pair of RBI, while Preston Overbey went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored to help pace the Rebel offense. Ole Miss had six players notch multiple-hits in the game.

Sam Smith (5-2) grabbed the win in his seventh consecutive quality start, allowing two runs on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work. Jeremy Massie then picked up his first save of the season, working the final 3.0 innings for the Rebels on the way to the win.

Ben Bracewell (2-3) took the loss for Mississippi State, allowing two runs on five this with two walks and a strikeout in 2.2 innings of work.

“We’ve had a lot of great moments this year, but yesterday was really hard,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “We’ve been that resilient team and we’ve been able to handle it and get back up off the mat. We did that today. I’m really proud of the way we showed up ready to play today. It’s about attitude and approach.

“Sam (Smith) was tremendous for us today and the defense was outstanding,” Bianco said. “Of course, it was all about the offense any time you get 20 hits.”

Ole Miss got on the board in the first inning when Braxton Lee came home from third on a passed ball. Lee walked and then stole second before taking third on a single from Auston Bousfield to set up the score on the pitch that brought him home and moved Bousfield to second. Anderson then doubled to the gap in right center to score Bousfield and the Rebels took a 2-0 lead on the Bulldogs.

The lead continued to grow in the fourth inning as the Rebels pushed four runs home with aggressive base running and timely hits.

A leadoff triple from J.B. Woodman and an infield single from Will Jamison put two men on to start the inning. Overbey then singled through the left side to bring Woodman home and the first of four runs across the plate. A passed ball moved Jamison and Overbey into scoring position before Errol Robinson would single to right to score the Jamison and put men at the corners again as Overbey took third.

The Rebels executed a double steal during the next at bat with Robinson taking second and Overbey sprinting home as the lead grew to 5-0 in favor of Ole Miss. Two outs later, Austin Anderson then drove a ball back up the middle to score Robinson and give the Rebels the six-run lead.

Overbey delivered another RBI with a two-out single to right center in the fifth that brought Jamison home from second. Jamison reached on a walk and stole second to get into position for the Overbey hit that gave the Rebels a 7-0 lead.

Ole Miss continued to add to the advantage in the sixth with two more runs to take the lead to 9-0 on the Bulldogs. With the bases loaded and no outs, Will Allen drove a two-RBI single to right center that brought home Lee and Bousfield. The Rebels loaded the bases with a walk, a single and then a throwing error off a sac bunt attempt from Anderson to set up the score on the Allen hit.

A two-out single to left from Bousfield in the seventh took the lead to double digits for the Rebels. Errol Robinson reached on a throwing error. Robinson took second on the error to get into scoring position for the Bousfield hit that gave Ole Miss a 10-0 lead on Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs got on the board in the home half of the seventh, starting the inning with back-to-back singles off Smith and sending the Rebels to the bullpen for left-hander Jeremy Massie. Pinch hitter Reid Humphreys then hit a double to left to score the first run and leave two men in scoring position as the batting order flipped back to the top for Mississippi State.

Seth Heck then hit a ground ball to third and the Rebels conceded the run for the out, allowing a second run to score from third to get Heck at first. Massie then struck out the next two batters to end the inning and keep Ole Miss on top 10-2 after seven innings of play.

The Rebels moved back on top by 10 runs in the eighth inning after loading the bases to start things off. Overbey drove a single through the left side to bring the first run home before Robinson delivered a sac fly to center to make it a 12-2 lead after the top of the eighth.

Massie then held the Bulldogs in check through the eighth and ninth to pick up the save and clinch the series win.

Ole Miss will return to action on Thursday night, kicking off a three-game series against No. 8 LSU in Oxford. Game one is slated for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on ESPNU as the SEC Thursday Night Game of the Week.

#13 Ole Miss 12, #13 Mississippi State 2 (Apr 13, 2014 at Starkville, Miss.)
———————————————————————-
Ole Miss………… 200 412 120 – 12 20 0 (29-9, 9-6 SEC)
Mississippi State… 000 000 200 – 2 8 3 (22-15, 7-8 SEC)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Ole Miss – Sam Smith; Jeremy Massie(7) and Will Allen. Mississippi State – Ben Bracewell; Brandon Woodruff(3); Lucas Laster(6); Myles Gentry(8) and Gavin Collins; Cody Walker.
Win-Sam Smith(5-2) Save-Jeremy Massie(1) Loss-Ben Bracewell(2-3) T-3:14 A-10371
B. Woodruff faced 2 batters in the 6th.
S. Smith faced 2 batters in the 7th.
Lucas Laster faced 2 batters in the 8th.

Here is the Ole Miss press release about game 1 in Starkville, a 6-1 win for the Rebels.

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Rebels jumped out to an early lead and used solid pitching and defense to hold the Bulldogs in check as No. 13 Ole Miss (28-8, 8-5 SEC) defeated No. 13 Mississippi State (21-14, 6-7 SEC) by a score of 6-1 in the series opener Friday night.

Five Rebels notched multiple hits on the night with Braxton Lee and Sikes Orvis each driving in a pair of runs to help pace the Ole Miss offense. Errol Robinson also went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Brantley Bell and Auston Bousfield also each tallied two hits on the night.

Chris Ellis (5-0) picked up the win, allowing one run on eight hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work. Wyatt Short then picked up his third save, working the final 2.1 innings with two hits and three strikeouts while holding the Bulldogs off the board.

Ross Mitchell (5-3) took the loss for Mississippi State, allowing six runs on 13 hits with two walks and five strikeouts through 8.2 innings of work.

“Chris (Ellis) was terrific tonight and his stuff was perhaps as good as it’s been in the last three or four weeks, though it may not have looked like it,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “Mississippi State is good at drawing walks and they really made him work out there tonight, but he was able to buckle down and make pitches when we needed them.

“Wyatt (Short) was great and it was good for a Mississippi kid to come in and finish things off like that for us on a Friday night,” Bianco said. “It was also big to not have to use our closer. We’re playing well and really played well tonight in all phases of the game.”

Ole Miss got on the board in the first inning, putting together a two-out rally to take the early lead on the Bulldogs. With men at the corners, Bell laced a single through the left side to bring Bousfield home from third and leave men at first and second. Orvis then drove a ball back up the middle to score Allen from second as the Rebels took a 2-0 lead before Mississippi State would get out of the inning.

The Rebels continued to build on the lead in the second inning when Lee drove a double to the gap in right center to bring home Robinson from second. Robinson opened the inning with a single to right and took second on a sac bunt from Will Jamison to set up the score on the Lee hit. Ole Miss led 3-0 after the second inning of play.

Mississippi State put together a rally in the third inning, using a bloop single to right and a single up the middle that glanced off the glove of a sliding Robinson to put men at the corners to start things. Alex Detz delivered a ground-out RBI to short following a foul fly from Jake Vickerson to get the Bulldogs on the board. Detz was out at first on the play, but Matthew Britton slid in safely at second before the Rebel defense could get there to avoid the double play.

The Rebels got out of the inning with a fly ball to center and held to the 3-1 lead on the Bulldogs after three complete.

Ole Miss answered the Mississippi State rally with one of its own, pushing the lead out to four runs in the fourth inning with some solid hitting early. A single and a balk pushed Preston Overbey to second before Robinson pulled one through the left side as the Bulldogs ran with a defensive shift. Overbey then came home on a groundout from Jamison as Robinson advanced to second. Lee then drove a double into left field to score Robinson and the Rebels held a 5-1 lead after the top half of the fourth.

Mississippi State looked to put together a second rally in the game in the eighth inning, using a fielding error on a pop fly to second to put a man on base. A strikeout put two away before a single to right put two men on base for the Bulldogs. Overbey then snagged a line drive flaring away from second for the final out and kept the Rebels on top 5-1 after eight innings.

The senior second baseman figured prominently in the inning, also recording the first out on a single to left. Mississippi State’s Brett Pirtle tried to stretch the hit into a double and was met at the bag by a diving Overbey who snagged the throw from Lee and tagged Pirtle for the first out in the inning.

The Rebels extended the lead in the ninth, putting together a two-out rally sparked by Allen. Allen reached on a single through the left side before Bell was hit by a pitch. Orvis then drove a ball to right, scoring Allen from second and putting men at the corners as Mississippi State went to the bullpen for right-hander Myles Gentry.

Gentry then got a groundout to end the inning, but Ole Miss had staked a claim to a 6-1 lead.

Shot then kept the Bulldogs off the board in the ninth, recording a pair of strikeouts and a groundout to secure the win for the Rebels.

Ole Miss and Mississippi State will take the field for game two of the series at 3 p.m. Saturday in a game televised by Fox Sports South.

#13 Ole Miss 6, #13 Mississippi State 1 (Apr 11, 2014 at Starkville, Miss.)
———————————————————————-
Ole Miss………… 210 200 001 – 6 13 1 (28-8, 8-5 SEC)
Mississippi State… 001 000 000 – 1 10 0 (21-14, 6-7 SEC)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Ole Miss – Chris Ellis; Wyatt Short(7) and Will Allen. Mississippi State – Ross Mitchell; Myles Gentry(9) and Gavin Collins.
Win-Chris Ellis(5-0) Save-Wyatt Short(3) Loss-Ross Mitchell(5-3) T-2:42 A-13224

It’s coaches’ decision whether it’s close or not. I feel like it’s close. (Kincade) is a really good quarterback, so I just got to go out everyday and it’s on my mind: I got to play great everyday and do my best to impress the coaches. They’re going to decide that. (Joe Ellis/Clarion-Ledger)

OXFORD — Ole Miss exited the spring without naming a backup quarterback, and with coach Hugh Freeze indicating the decision may actually extend into the 2014 season.

That’s by design, because Freeze and co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Dan Werner want redshirt freshmen DeVante Kincade and Ryan Buchanan competing against each other for as long as possible.

“They’re competitors, so they’ll try to outdo one another,” Werner said.

Ole Miss quarterback Ryan Buchanan look for an open receiver during Saturday’s Grove Bowl. (Joe Ellis/Clarion-Ledger)

That’s been the case since the two signed in February 2013: Buchanan an in-state kid that had offers from every SEC school, Kincade an Elite 11 quarterback from Dallas. One of them is going to be the starter in 2015, after Bo Wallace graduates, and both know only one can have that job.

“It’ll be real fun competing with him,” Kincade said. “We go back and forth, back and forth. We help each other out, pat each other on the back and tell each other our mistakes and things like that.”

Said Buchanan: “It’s coaches’ decision whether it’s close or not. I feel like it’s close. (Kincade) is a really good quarterback, so I just got to go out everyday and it’s on my mind: I got to play great everyday and do my best to impress the coaches. They’re going to decide that.”

They got 15 practices, including the Grove Bowl, this spring in which they, for the first time, really got to play football. Freeze even pulled the green no-contact jerseys off both midway through, in an effort to see how they would handle live snaps.

“I look forward to watching film between Ryan and DeVante,” Freeze said. “They both do different things. Ryan has some natural pocket presence that’s hard to teach. He’ll hang in there and knows where it’s supposed to be. You saw Kincade do a lot of things with his feet. He’s got a strong arm.”

Now comes the time, Werner said, where they have to work on their own and get better.

“The rule is I’m not allowed to sit in there with them, so they have to do it on their own,” Werner said. “I expect them, in basketball terms, to be a gym rat. You got to want it all day long. So you come over (to the Manning Center), you got to lift, you got to run, and then you got to come in and watch film and then you got to throw.”

My story on Ole Miss’ sudden power surger, and what has led to it, can be found here.

Ole Miss’ Austin Anderson appears in this week’s Sports Illustrated.

The Ole Miss third baseman is this week’s “They Said It,” for what he said following Friday’s 8-5 win. It’s notable because, in the 13th inning, the Auburn pitcher tried to intentionally walk Anderson. But the ball came across the plate, and Anderson hit it over the right field fence to end the game.

“I just tried to hit it as hard and as far as I could,” Anderson said.

The video quickly went viral, and was the talk of the baseball (both college and MLB) Internet late Friday night and into Saturday morning. Anderson talked about the reaction it today, saying that he was ready to move on from it but knew it was special.

“It was kinda crazy, obviously,” Anderson said. “It’s still surreal to me, just because I don’t think I’ve ever seen that happen and then I had the chance to experience it.”

Anderson, a senior, is hitting a team-high .351 this season with four home runs and 23 RBI. All four of his home runs have come against SEC pitching. No. 13 Ole Miss (25-8, 7-5 SEC) plays at No. 21 Mississippi State this weekend.

Go to the 4:26 mark of the below video to see the home run.