Four stats that tell the story of Ole Miss baseball's 2023 struggles
OXFORD — After Ole Miss baseball blitzed through the postseason to claim its first national championship last season, there has been no semblance of momentum for this year's Rebels to cling to.
With two conference series remaining, Ole Miss sits in last place in the SEC, having gone 24 games without putting together back-to-back SEC wins.
Among the countless explanations for the downslide, here are four statistics that help tell the story of the Rebels' difficult 2023 SEC campaign.
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9.7% walk rate
In conference games, the Rebels have walked in just 9.7% of their plate appearances, which is the lowest rate in the SEC.
The focus this season has often centered around Ole Miss' inability to throw strikes on the mound, but the statistics tell us that the Rebels' inability to draw free passes might actually be more problematic.
With a walk rate of about 10.7% in SEC games, the Rebels didn't exactly lead the league in free passes last season, either. But with a lineup that ranks in the SEC's bottom half in many other metrics this year, it becomes a more magnified issue. Ole Miss is on base less often than any other SEC team.
Five defeats when leading in the sixth inning or later
Lacking in quality and quantity with a bevy of injuries to deal with this season, the Ole Miss bullpen is one of this team's major problem spots.
On five occasions this season, the Rebels have held a lead in the sixth inning or later in an SEC game and failed to secure the win. Consider that the Rebels have only won six conference games total, and that's a hugely significant number.
Two of the more brutal examples of this issue have occurred in the last three weeks. Against LSU on April 23, the Rebels brought the Tigers down to their final strike only to surrender a go-ahead three-run homer in the ninth inning. Last weekend at Mizzou, Ole Miss blew a seven-run sixth-inning lead.
Zero outs recorded past the sixth inning by an Ole Miss starter
No Ole Miss starting pitcher has recorded an out in the seventh inning in a conference game – or the season as a whole, for that matter.
In SEC games, the Rebels' starters have only completed six innings three times. Two of those outings came from Jack Dougherty, who has pitched out of the bullpen in the last two series.
On average, the Rebels' starters are going slightly deeper into games in SEC play this season than they did last year, but Ole Miss is not getting any of the high-end, elite-type starts that often win games on their own.
That's where they really miss Hunter Elliott, who has pitched just one inning in SEC play this season. The innings Dylan DeLucia often provided are a big miss, too.
With the bullpen suffering as much as it has this season for the Rebels, the absence of a true innings-eater is key.
Minus-25 home run differential
Ole Miss pitching has given up 59 home runs in conference play, while the Rebels have slugged just 34 homers themselves.
Good luck overcoming that.
The homer numbers against the Rebels' pitching staff are particularly jarring. Last season, Ole Miss gave up 61 long balls in 30 conference games. This year's Rebels are just two away from surpassing that number with six games remaining.
Of the flyballs hit by Ole Miss opponents, 21.9% have left the ballpark, which is the highest rate in the SEC.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Four stats that explain why Ole Miss baseball has struggled in 2023
