FOR SUBS: Saint Louis scouting report

OXFORD | No. 1 seed Ole Miss will get one piece of its infield back for Friday’s regional opener against Saint Louis. Another piece is to be determined.

Third baseman Tyler Keenan, who missed four games in the SEC Tournament with a wrist injury will return to the lineup versus the four-seed Billikens (38-18). Shortstop Grae Kessinger re-injured his hamstring in the SEC final against LSU and left the game in the early innings. He remains questionable for Friday.

Keenan had an MRI on Monday that revealed no structural damage to the hand or wrist. Pain tolerance is the question, but he’s been active most of the week. The freshman is hitting .314 with a .935 OPS in 50 games.

“He’s been full go most of the week,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “Still some pain in the hand but it’s subsiding each day, and he looks good swinging it.”

Kessinger initially injured his hamstring in mid-March against Tennessee and then tweaked it on the bases versus the Tigers. The sophomore jogged lightly during practice on Thursday and tested his side-to-side movement for the first time all week.

“Each day he’s getting better and better,” Bianco said. “Today is the first day where it’s more than just ground balls right at him. Just trying to protect it and letting the hamstring heal up. Still not sure yet if he can go tomorrow but it’s certainly getting better.”

Kessinger, Ole Miss' leadoff hitter throughout the season, has a .949 fielding percentage and an .859 OPS.

Anthony Servideo is the likely replacement at shortstop if Kessinger is inactive. A member of the All-SEC Freshman Team, Servideo has above average ability defensively with range and a plus arm.

“He was good when he stepped out on the field in September; it’s no surprise to us,” Bianco said. “We have confidence that he can do it.”