Swayze Field was sleepy up until, during and just after the seventh inning stretch on Saturday against Auburn.
The Tigers led 12-0, well on their way to a sweep of the Rebels that would finish off a 3-12 home SEC campaign for Ole Miss in 2023. In just more than two innings, Ole Miss would be under .500 overall and 6-21 in the SEC — the worst mark since 1997 through 27 league games.
While the crowd size was good considering the circumstances, there was little to cheer about, and it was mostly quiet outside of the small group of Auburn fans celebrating the blowout. That was the norm up to that point, except for a brief awakening in the seventh inning.
Public address announcer Glen Waddle announced Garrett Wood as a pinch hitter for Peyton Chatagnier, and the fans honored the moment. The senior captain, who has played sparingly this season, received a notable ovation and then, fittingly, worked a full-count walk. He scored a batter later, and two innings after that, Wood singled and scored again.
It was a neat senior-day moment tucked inside a rough day for the Rebels, but it shouldn’t be Wood’s last appearance. It shouldn't have been an uncommon occurrence.
Ole Miss should play him all three games in Tuscaloosa when Ole Miss and Alabama start their series Thursday at 6 p.m. and continue at 6 p.m. on Friday and 2 p.m. on Saturday.
He deserves it, and Saturday was a reminder of how he probably could have helped the Rebels this season. It wouldn’t have changed their overall situation, but Wood is a tool that went unused after being an important part of the 2022 national championship run.
Overwhelmingly named captain by his teammates, Wood has only 12 at-bats and 15 total plate appearances on the season. He’s started two games and had two games with multiple at-bats — Saturday versus Auburn and the Governor’s Cup against Mississippi State when he went 0-for-3 but had the Rebels’ lone RBI in a 2-1 loss.
In the limited sample size, he’s hitting .417 (5-for-12) with three walks and three strikeouts. He also hasn’t committed an error in 14 chances. It’s not flashy, but Wood gets on base. He walks and takes pitches and goes about his at-bats in such a way that’s the antithesis of the Rebels’ overall offensive profile.
The Rebels are last overall and in SEC games in walks, the only team with fewer than 100 walks in the conference season. It’s a relevant statistic considering three of the four lowest walk totals are also three of the bottom four teams in the standings.
Wood started six games in the NCAA Tournament including three in the College World Series. TJ McCants’ thumb injury opened the door for the opportunity, and Wood’s quality at-bats kept him in the mix.
Wood was 3-for-15 in the postseason, but he walked eight times for an on-base percentage of .478. He didn’t have a start all season prior to the regional final against Arizona.
This isn’t about replacing any certain player with Wood. Play him wherever or all over. He can play any infield position and wouldn’t be a circus act in the outfield. He’s arguably the most well-liked player on the team.
“He’s selfless and will do whatever you ask,” Mike Bianco said. “He can play all over the field.”
The season is over in three days. Ole Miss is missing the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2011 and the first time since it expanded past eight teams. The Rebels won’t win 30 overall games for the first time since 1997 -- ending the SEC's best active streak. It’ll be Bianco’s worst SEC record by four to seven games.
The situation is what it is and a lineup move isn’t changing that. Starting Wood is the correct move, though. It’s not because of how he’s going to play. That doesn’t even matter. It’s about how he’s played, how he’s handled it and how he likely could have helped this season.
Give the captain some at-bats and, at least in that sense, finish the season the right way.
