Two newcomers crack Ole Miss baseball starting rotation for opening weekend
OXFORD — Mike Bianco has set his starting rotation for Ole Miss baseball, and there will be two fresh faces to keep an eye out for.
The only returnee in the three-man weekend rotation will toe the rubber when the Rebels open their season against Delaware on Friday (4 p.m., SEC Network+). That's lefthander Hunter Elliott, who pitched to a 2.70 ERA last season. He'll be followed by freshman righty Grayson Saunier on Saturday and Xavier Rivas, a transfer southpaw from Division II University of Indianapolis, on Sunday.
Junior righthander Jack Dougherty, who had also been in contention, will start the season out of the bullpen, Bianco said.
"I know it's the most talked about thing, but I say it often and I say it to them: You don't get a trophy for being a starter," Bianco said. "Especially opening weekend. The rotation tends to change, but those are certainly the three guys, or four guys, counting Jack, that have separated themselves."
The lineup, Bianco said, is a bit more in flux. The designated hitter position, in particular, is still up for grabs. But he did feel comfortable naming nine position players heading into opening weekend. These are those players:
C: Calvin Harris
1B: Anthony Calarco
2B: Peyton Chatagnier
SS: Jacob Gonzalez
3B: Ethan Lege
LF: Kemp Alderman
CF: Ethan Groff
RF: TJ McCants
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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: Two newcomers crack Ole Miss baseball rotation for opening weekend
