BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (Ole Miss Sports/WTVA) - Doug Nikhazy put together another outstanding performance in his third Southeastern Conference start, and on Monday, the Ole Miss baseball left-hander earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors from the conference office for his efforts.
Nikhazy has emerged as a critical piece to the Rebel rotation, and he was a key piece of the Rebels' sweep of Florida this past weekend, going six innings with just one run allowed. The freshman out of Windermere, Florida, scattered seven hits with just one walk while striking out six as Ole Miss cruised to a 16-4 victory in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader.
Ole Miss has won all three games Nikhazy has started in SEC play. In his SEC starting debut two weeks ago at Missouri, Nikhazy took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished with an outstanding line of 7.2 innings with no runs allowed on just two hits to earn the win. In that victory, Nikhazy became the first Rebel freshman to start a shutout in SEC play since Drew Pomeranz on April 5, 2008, against Vanderbilt.
On Saturday against the Gators, Nikhazy allowed just two hits his first time through the lineup. He allowed one run in the fourth inning after a leadoff double by Nelson Maldonado. Nikhazy once again showed his grit with runners on base, stranding six Gators through six innings of work. He left after the sixth with a comfortable 11-1 lead.
Nikhazy has shaved his season ERA down to 2.95 and has struck out a team-high 35 batters. In SEC play, Nikhazy is sporting a 2.21 ERA with five runs allowed over four appearances.