Ole Miss pitching stars Dylan DeLucia and Hunter Elliott helped punch Ole Miss to their sixth College World Series this past weekend in winning the Hattiesburg Super Regional over Southern Mississippi.
The dynamic duo and a couple of relievers in Jack Dougherty and Josh Mallitz held the Golden Eagles scoreless for 18 innings. The key pitching stat was the Rebels pitchers held USM to only seven hits and walked only three batters over the two days in winning 10-0 and 5-0 contests.
The Golden Eagles pitching staff came into the series with one of the best ERA’s in the country (3.26) but did not pitch up to that stat. USM (47-19) gave up 14 earned runs in the two games.
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco will be taking his second Rebels team to Omaha. Their last trip was in 2014. The Rebels were the last team selected for this year’s tournament, but in college baseball it is all about getting hot at the right time. Ole Miss (37-22) has done that, as they are 13-3 since May 1. The Rebels will take on the Corvallis Super Regional winner between Auburn and Oregon State. The College World Series begins on Friday.
Lindy’s Sports released their preseason college football preview recently. Lindy’s picked Alabama, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Ole Miss, LSU, MSU and Auburn – in that order – in the SEC West. Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, South Carolina, Missouri and Vanderbilt are Lindy’s picks in the East. Nationally, Lindy’s Top Ten predictions are Alabama, Ohio State, Georgia, Clemson, Texas A&M, Michigan, Notre Dame, Utah, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. Three other SEC schools in Tennessee (18), Kentucky (21) and Arkansas (22) were also ranked in the Top 25.
You will see some familiar faces on the cover of the July edition of Sports Illustrated. Jackson State’s head coach Deion Sanders and his quarterback son Shedeur and superstar recruit Travis Hunter are the first HBCU athletes to be on the cover since Steve McNair of Alcorn State donned the front in 1994.
Philadelphia native Fred McAfee will join the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame, it was announced last week. “Fast Freddie” will join Devery Henderson in this year’s class. McAfee played for the Saints from 1991-93 and 2000-06 after being drafted in the sixth round in 1991 out of Mississippi College. When he left MC, he held all the Choctaws’ rushing records. In the pros, McAfee excelled on special teams and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2002. The Mississippi Sports Hall of Famer also played running back for the Cardinals, Steelers and Chiefs from 1994-1999.
Pro golfer Andy Ogletree of the Little Rock community in Newton County garnered his highest purse this past weekend at the LIV Golf Invitational Series with a $120,000 check. The former U.S. Amateur champion actually finished last in the 54-hole tournament with a 24 over-par at The Centurion near London.
Ogletree was one of 17 golfers suspended by the PGA Tour last Thursday for their involvement in LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed league. The winner was former Master’s champ Charl Schwartzel, who pocketed $4.75 million.
It is always hard to put into words the loss of a slain police officer. Meridian officer Kennis Croom died last Thursday night in a fatal shooting. Croom was a Tuscaloosa native and was the son of Pastor Kelvin Croom, a former Alabama football player. His uncle Sylvester was a former Mississippi State head football coach. We are praying for the Croom family and all law enforcement officers in these troubling times. Kennis’s life will save many more lives, as he was an organ donor.
I wish all the dads a very happy Fathers Day. This will be my first Fathers Day without my Dad, who passed away last September. I sure do miss our talks over his 93 years. If your Dad is still with you, take time to talk to him. Memories are wonderful.
Dale has been writing sports in Mississippi since 1973. Listen to Dale’s Brouhaha Sports Show with Marshall Wood each Tuesday at 6 p.m. on WABO FM 105.5 in the Waynesboro area. To listen to the broadcast on your computer or smart phone anywhere in the world, go to Google Chrome; go to wabo105.com and click listen live. You may also go to The Brouhaha on YouTube and listen to archived shows.