SERIES PREVIEW: No. 3 Ole Miss Opens SEC Play at No. 6 Vanderbilt

Following a midweek loss, Ole Miss is opening conference play on Thursday night.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Following a midweek loss to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Tuesday night, the No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels look to bounce back with the beginning of conference play against the No. 6 Vanderbilt Commodores.

In Tuesday's loss, Ole Miss allowed a disastrous third inning where they surrendered six runs to the Gamecocks, and they were never able to recover the lead. Rebel pitchers allowed 10 earned runs on the night, six of which came from starter Jordan Vera.

Now, Ole Miss turns to its most important part of the schedule: SEC play. The Rebels open with a difficult gauntlet in conference play, traveling to Vanderbilt, hosting Florida, traveling to Texas A&M and hosting Arkansas in their first four series of the year.

Following those matchups, Ole Miss will travel to Mississippi State and then play host to the top-ranked LSU Tigers.

Below is a preview of the Rebels' opening conference series against the Commodores that begins on Thursday night in Nashville.

MATCHUP: No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 6 Vanderbilt Commodores

RECORDS: Ole Miss (14-3) vs. Vanderbilt (13-5)

DATE: March 16-18

LOCATION: Hawkins Field -- Nashville, Tenn.

PITCHING MATCHUPS, TIME and TELEVISION

Thurs., 6 p.m. CT, ESPNU: RHP Jack Dougherty (MISS) vs. LHP Carter Holton (VANDY)

Fri., 6 p.m. CT, SECN+: RHP Grayson Saunier (MISS) vs. LHP Hunter Owen (VANDY)

Sat., 1 p.m. CT, SECN+: LHP Xavier Rivas (MISS) vs. LHP Devin Futrell (VANDY)

RADIO: Ole Miss Radio Network

---

You can follow John Macon on Twitter at @JMakeGillespie.

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rebels? Click Here.

Follow The Grove Report On Facebookand Twitter.

Want even more Ole Miss Rebels News? Check out the SI.com team page here.