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Spencer Turnbull has a 0.28 ERA.

(Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- He's no meteorologist, but Spencer Turnbull knows the Friday forecast.

It's supposed to rain again Friday evening -- right when the Alabama ace is set to take the mound against No. 9 Ole Miss (21-5, 4-2 ERA). This is a familiar feeling for the pitcher who's 0.28 ERA ranks second in the SEC.

The fastball will be huge against a lineup with that power. Turnbull said he's been as high as 97 MPH this season and mid 90s consistently.

Ole Miss will send its ace to the mound for Game 1 as well. Chris Ellis (4-0) brings a 0.67 ERA to Tuscaloosa. As a team, Ole Miss has 2.15 ERA while Alabama sits at 2.20.

The Tide won 12 of the last 15 games, but lost two of three at Arkansas last weekend. After plating 17 runs in the opener, it had just one run in the final two games.

"It was like whoa, what happened," centerfielder Georgie Salem said.

They turned it around in a 10-5 win over Troy on Tuesday, but Salem said that's just baseball sometimes.

"You just never know," he said. "You run into a pitcher that, for whatever reason shuts down our offense which shouldn't happen because we have such a talented lineup. But every now and then that happens. Every night is different and unique and that's what's weird about this game."