Three games in to the 2021 season, the Rebels proved why they are the #1 college baseball team in all the land, even in Monday’s victory over the Texas Longhorns. Derek Diamond put on a show as Ole Miss knocked off the Longhorns 8-1 at Globe Life Park, getting the 3-game sweep in the 2021 State Farm College Baseball Showdown.
In six innings, Diamond struck out 8 batters, including a streak of 9 retired batters in the middle innings. He yielded one run on 4 hits while freshmen Brandon Johnson and Josh Mallitz capped off the weekend out of the bullpen.
Peyton Chatagnier put together another outstanding offensive performance, going 3-for-4 from the plate and scoring 2 runs while Trey LaFleur went 2-for-4 with a solo home run. Jacob Gonzalez and Kevin Graham each finished with two runs a piece while Kevin Graham and Tim Elko added more.
Ole Miss made sure to finish strong and put the exclamation point on a strong 2021 start. Trey LaFleur took the first pitch of the 9th and went yard with a solo shot. That was followed by a Gonzalez RBI triple that scored Garrett Wood and Gonzalez followed that up with a run of his own. Mallitz was called upon to shut the door in his collegiate debut and did so, leaving Ole Miss with three top-10 wins in three days.
Ole Miss head baseball coach Mike Bianco, winning pitcher Derek Diamond, and IF Justin Bench all met with the media following the beatdown of the Longhorns. Video is courtesy of Ole Miss Sports Productions.