The Ole Miss Rebels didn't play their best baseball on Tuesday night, but they capitalized on some costly errors from the Southern Miss Golden Eagles to claim another top 25 win.
Here are three takeaways from Tuesday night's action in Pearl.
Aggressive Baserunning
The Rebels have started to be aggressive on the bases as they swiped three bags in Tuesday night's game.
The stolen bases are great and put pressure on the defense, but assistant coach Mike Clement has been really applying the pressure from the third base box. Clement has been sending guys home and catching teams not playing with a sense of urgency.
Jackson Ross scored on a weak single to the right side from first base on Tuesday, catching the Golden Eagles on their toes.
Seeing the Rebels applying pressure and scoring on the opposing team's miscues is a great sign; it can give a spark to an offense when you steal a run.
Luke Hill Shows Out
Luke Hill looks to be coming out of his slump. After a big two-RBI double in Friday night's action gave the Rebels the lead, Hill followed it up with a 3-for-4 night on Tuesday.
Hill had a nice opposite-field double, a great sign for him to go the other way with a little pop. He also made a couple of nice plays at short, stole a base, and scored two of the Rebels' eight runs.
Hill looks to be heating up at the right time right before the big road trip to Knoxville.
Top 25 Win
After a win against top 25 Alabama and a series win against Marshall, USM found itself in the Baseball America Top 25. While it is still early in the year, this is a good RPI win for the Rebs, not to mention a win over an in-state rival. I expect USM to be a contender in the Sun Belt, and with the Rebels entering the teeth of the SEC play, this win is a confidence booster.
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