Diamond Rebels’ season on the brink

Past the halfway point of the Southeastern Conference portion of the season, the Ole Miss baseball team finds itself in a three-way tie for first place in the SEC West.

Lost in this statement, however, is a relatively disappointing .500 winning percentage and a brutal stretch to end conference play.

A team always seems to hit its stride and separate itself from the pack about this time. It’s no different this year and could be any of the five teams — Ole Miss, Arkansas, Auburn, Alabama or Mississippi State — in the SEC West logjam.

All five teams have had their moments this season, both good and bad. Each could go on a run like LSU did in 2008.

At this point in 2008, LSU had just lost two out of three at home to Georgia and held a 23-16-1 (6-11-1 SEC) record before going on to win its final 16 regular-season games and four straight games in the SEC Tournament en route to its first College World Series since 2004.

That’s not to say Ole Miss or any of the SEC West teams will repeat this feat, but baseball, perhaps more than any other sport, is about momentum; the better team does not necessarily always win.

That same year in 2008, Fresno State made a Cinderella run as a number four seed and upset Georgia to win the National Championship.

Much has been said about the missed opportunities and inconsistencies of this year’s team, but something can also be said for a team that plays through adversity. Junior left-hander Matt Crouse has shown flashes of dominance, and junior right-hander Jake Morgan is expected to make his return from a right shoulder injury this weekend to solidify the bullpen, led by freshman right-hander Bobby Wahl. Wahl is a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities since taking over the closer’s role.

Junior designated hitter Matt Snyder busted out of a 13-for-76 slump and has increased his batting average from .248 to .273 the last two weekends. His turnaround can be added to a lineup that already includes five batters hitting over .300, including sophomore second baseman Alex Yarbrough, sophomore outfielder Tanner Mathis, junior shortstop Blake Newalu, senior outfielder Matt Tracy and senior first baseman and outfielder Matt Smith.

Ole Miss plays two of the nation’s top five teams — No. 4 Florida and No. 3 South Carolina — in back-to-back weekends.

However, a series win or even avoiding the dreaded sweep would give the Diamond Rebels some much-needed momentum before closing out the regular season against SEC West foes Mississippi State and Arkansas.

With Ole Miss, Auburn and Arkansas in a three-way tie at 9-9, Alabama a game back at 8-10 and Mississippi State two games back at 7-11. Ole Miss could be playing to host a regional or could be playing for its SEC and NCAA Tournament bids come the last four weekends of the season.