Rebels might want to be cautious with Thompson calling pitches

Jun. 17—OMAHA — If Ole Miss hitters have the misfortune of falling into an 0-2 count on Saturday night, they shouldn't relax.

Be on guard.

There are few certainties in life, but there are some. Death, taxes and Rebels coach Mike Bianco wasting an 0-2 pitch.

It's his philosophy.

It may not be the philosophy of Auburn coach Butch Thompson.

In fact, retired Itawamba Community College coach Roy Cresap swears that's not Thompson's philosophy.

Cresap is what we in journalism would call a "qualified source," since he coached Thompson, the Amory native, in 1989 and 1990.

Thompson blossomed as a closer at ICC. He and Cresap both say that he blossomed late.

The Rebels, if not on on their toes, could be surprised like many a junior college hitter through Cresap's 450 wins at ICC.

"Our philosophy was if you have an 0-2 count on a hitter you just go after him on the next pitch, hopefully a good fastball on the inner half of the plate," Cresap said. "So many hitters are sitting there in an 0-2 count thinking, 'Alright, don't look stupid. He's going to throw a breaking ball in the dirt, or he's going to throw it over my head.'"

Cresap's aggressive tactics often had favorable results.

Thompson wasn't too keen on giving away trade secrets just before his College World Series opener.

Like any pitcher with good control, his answer kind of nibbled at the edges and referenced former Atlanta Braves greats Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux.

"That's what Maddux might do with 0-2. He might throw it right down the middle," Thompson said. "Our game's changed a lot since Roy Cresap was coaching."

While Thompson didn't talk strategy, he talked a lot about life.

His eyes lit up at the mention of Cresap's name. The Omaha experience for a coach is a time to remember others, he said.

"Roy Cresap was like a father to me. He cut me at Itawamba Community College. He had a Dodge pickup. I remember because I followed him back to his office, and I said, 'You cannot cut me.' My freshman year at Itawamba I had to buy my uniform, and I had to pay for all my meals on the road because he only had 27 uniforms. There's no doubt, he was the first man that loved pitching like I did. It was the first time I'd been coached in pitching in my career," Thompson said.

Thompson also singled out former employers in ex-Birmingham Southern coach Brian Shoop and Mississippi State's John Cohen for their influence on his baseball journey.

Thompson was the pitching coach at MSU from 2009-2015 and was associate head coach his last three seasons.

The Auburn coach wouldn't put his pitching plan on the record, but Ole Miss hitters might want to be cautious just the same.

"You'll be surprised how many strikeouts you get on an 0-2 county if you just challenge them," Cresap said.

PARRISH ALFORD is the college sports editor and columnist for the Daily Journal. Contact him at parrish.alford@journalinc.com.