OXFORD — Luke Cheng is closing in on an unusual locker room competition victory. Granted, he got a huge head start over Ole Miss baseball teammate Judd Utermark.
The No. 10 Rebels beat Jackson State 18-7 in a game called after seven innings on Tuesday at Swayze Field.
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco called it an ugly game. It was an apt description. The Rebels (22-6) walked 18 times — one shy of a program record set last year against High Point — against a bevy of JSU pitchers who struggled to find the zone. Ole Miss allowed five unearned runs on two errors against the Tigers (16-11).
Utermark hit a grand slam in the first inning. Cheng hit a walk-off three-run shot to left to complete the run-rule victory. The home runs counted toward a personal contest between the two infielders.
"We actually have a running thing going," Cheng said. "We're trying to hit our number in home runs (this season). Whoever gets to it first. I'm one away. He was on pace when he was at nine and I hit one. We'll see what happens there."
Utermark is one of Ole Miss' best power hitters. He leads Ole Miss with 10 home runs this season. Cheng is not a power hitter. He has just two. That's the beauty of the competition. Utermark wears No. 27. Cheng has No. 3.
Because both players hit one against JSU, the shape of the competition shifted dramatically. Utermark needs 17 more this season to match his jersey number. Cheng needs just one.
The competition started because Cheng and Utermark have neighboring lockers and like to joke around. Cheng entered the season with one career home run in four seasons at Illinois State. Suddenly, Cheng has discovered some home run pop in his bat. He hit his first home run of the season on March 23 against Missouri. His walk-off against JSU that just snuck over the wall in left field puts him one away from clinching the competition.
"I haven't hit a lot (of home runs) in my career, as I'm sure you guys know," Cheng said. "I hit that one, which was really cool. I was just trying to follow in Judd's footsteps."
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Judd Utermark, Luke Cheng's wacky Ole Miss baseball home run competition
