BASEBALL: The screws are tightening

What Ole Miss accomplished in Athens this weekend was the bare minimum. In my 4-5 over the last nine games theory — in order to finish at 15-15 in the SEC and probably make the NCAA tournament — a sweep at Georgia would have been disastrous. The Rebels put together a strong offensive effort Saturday to support average starting pitching from Drew Pomeranz.

Given recent history I don’t think too many people expected for Ole Miss to win the series on Sunday. That doesn’t make today’s 11-4 loss any less disappointing. It’s disappointing when a talented team doesn’t play well. Why this bunch seems to go away after two SEC games is perplexing.

Anyway, the Rebels need to go 3-3 in their last six to get to 15-15. At least South Carolina and Georgia are behind them now. That doesn’t mean Auburn and Kentucky will be gimmes by any stretch of the imagination. But a talented team — a team that would do anything in postseason — can find a way to beat Auburn twice at home and avoid getting swept at Kentucky.

Stay tuned.

– PA