OXFORD | Jack Dougherty made Tuesday interesting — and was a personification not the need for better bullpen outings as Ole Miss continues the season.

The Rebels coasted past Austin Peay, 13-1, in a game that wasn’t close or compelling after the bottom of the fight. However, Dougherty, a freshman making his first collegiate appearance, turned some heads in the middle innings.

Dougherty, a 6-foot-4 right-hander from Collierville, Tennessee, struck out five of the six batters faced mixed in with a fly out. He threw 20 of 29 pitches for strikes and worked his fastball into the lower to mid 90s.

Sure, Austin Peay is 10-20 overall and it’s not necessarily indicative of SEC success, but it’s an option worth exploring and maybe a gift to the Rebels at a needed time.

“He just had an OK fall and velocity wasn’t what you saw,” Mike Bianco said. “With so many pitchers ad him being young, we felt like he wouldn’t get the innings. But to hand it to him, I’m proud of him for putting on weight and being in the weight room and working hard.

“A benefit of redshirting as a pitcher as opposed to someone who could pitch, is his structure is more sound. He can throw a bullpen Monday and controlled scrimmage on Thursday and hit the weights. The guy who throws sporadically is looking for an inning here or there doesn’t get those opportunities. It’s a credit to Jack for taking advantage of it.”

Dougherty, at minimum, has earned a seat on the bus, as Ole Miss travels to Mississippi State for a three-game series beginning Friday at 6 p.m. on SEC Network. The series continues at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

The Rebels (25-8, 8-4 SEC) have lost two straight series while the Bulldogs (25-7, 8-4) have swept two series in a row against Auburn and Kentucky.

Between a rotation shakeup and a bullpen still looking for defined roles, Ole Miss’ pitching staff is in focus this weekend. The offense is without Tim Elko still, but the Rebels have put up 43 runs in the past four games.

Max Cioffi, who was expected to be a key reliever this season, hasn’t been healthy since the opening weekend in Arlington, Texas, and is out for the yeah with a UCL injury.

The Ole Miss bullpen allowed 19 runs in 14.2 innings last week against Arkansas. Taylor Broadway had his six-outing scoreless streak snapped versus the Razorbacks but remains a proven, shutdown closer. Beyond that, Ole Miss is still looking for consistency. Austin Miller and Jackson Kimbrell have Bianco’s trust, and there could be an increased role for Wes Burton who has given up two runs in 8.1 innings, despite lower velocity compared to the fall.

The Rebels are turning to Drew McDaniel on Sunday instead of Derek Diamond. McDaniel started twice this season on the weekends in Doug Nikhazy’s place. He allowed one run in 5.2 innings against ULM and two runs in five innings against Auburn. He struck out 12 with no walks in those two starts.

Diamond could be used a long relief option out of the bullpen or a high-leverage short-term possibility. He has the highest average fastball velocity on the team in short spurts.

“We’ll continue to look for pieces in front of Broadway,” Bianco said.

FRIDAY

Ole Miss: RHP Gunnar Hoglund 3-1, 2.57 ERA, 78 K, 16 BB

MSU: LHP Christian MacLeod 3-2, 62 ERA, 58 K, 12 BB

SATURDAY

Ole Miss: LHP Doug Nikhazy 3-1, 2.43 ERA, 47 K, 14 BB

MSU: RHP Will Bednar 2-0, 2.10 ERA, 48 K, 4 BB

SUNDAY

Ole Miss: RHP Drew McDaniel 4-0, 2.90 ERA, 38 K, 610BB

MSU: RHP Jackson Fristoe 2-2, 4.13 ERA, 49 K, 18 BB