picks to click
It would be too obvious to pick Sikes Orvis as the Ole Miss player to watch in the last weekend of regular season play for the state’s Big 3 Division I schools. Orvis has five homers and 14 RBIs in his last four games. On a less crazy but still sweet roll for the Rebels (29-24, 14-13 SEC) is freshman Nic Perkins, who takes a six-game hitting streak into the series against powerhouse Texas A&M in Oxford. Perkins, only recently inserted in the regular lineup, is batting .367 with five RBIs and three runs in 14 games. For Mississippi State (24-27, 8-19), clinging to hopes of making the SEC Tournament, junior left-hander Lucas Laster, expected to start tonight at Tennessee, needs to deliver a gem. He is 4-3 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 starts, but his last win came on April 2 vs. South Carolina. He pitched fairly well in his start against Ole Miss last week. Southern Miss (32-10-1, 16-10 C-USA) is streaking into its league series at Middle Tennessee State with 10 straight wins. No Golden Eagles hitter is hotter than junior Chase Scott, who has an 18-game hit streak. He went 2-for-5 with three RBIs in Tuesday’s win at Tulane and is batting .304 with three homers, 23 RBIs and 27 runs for the year. P.S. MSU product Jonathan Papelbon became Philadelphia’s all-time saves leader (with 113) on Wednesday; his save was saved by a great throw from ex-Mississippi Braves star Jeff Francoeur that nailed a runner at the plate for the final out in the 3-2 win over Pittsburgh. “As an outfielder who likes to throw, you live for that kind of moment,” Francoeur, still a great right fielder, told mlb.com. … Former State standout Tyler Moore hit a game-tying, pinch-hit homer for Washington, helping the surging Nationals’ cause in a 9-6 win over Arizona. Moore’s sixth-inning homer was his second of the year and 20th of his career. Used mostly as a pinch hitter this season, Moore is batting .207 in 29 at-bats. … Ole Miss alum Aaron Barrett (3-0, 3.68 ERA) got the win for the Nats; he allowed the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning but was bailed out by Michael Taylor’s grand slam in the ninth. … With three more hits on Wednesday, ex-USM star Brian Dozier has eight in his last five games and is batting .357 over his last 10 for Minnesota. He’s at .256 for the season. … UM product Chris Coghlan drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the ninth to give the Chicago Cubs a 2-1 win against the New York Mets.