Looking back: The Rebels lost twice at home against Mississippi State over the weekend, losing 7-6 in the opener on Thursday when they lost an eighth-inning lead, then 7-4 on Friday before salvaging a game with a 12-3 win in the series finale on Saturday.

n Looking ahead: Before the SEC's final weekend series at Arkansas, which will determine whether the Rebels reach the SEC tournament, there's the matter of the final regular-season non-conference game tonight at 6:30 against Southeast Missouri State.

The game was added after a rainout against Mississippi Valley State.

Ole Miss, for the most part, controls its own destiny against Arkansas. The Rebels will reach the SEC tournament if they sweep the Hogs and will stand a very good chance to qualify if they win twice, though they will be subject to various SEC tie-breakers at that point.

• Who's hot: Designated hitter Matt Snyder was 5 for 8 with three RBIs, a home run and four walks in a series loss to Mississippi State. Snyder had a .786 on-base percentage for the weekend.

• Who's not: Catcher Miles Hamblin, last week's SEC player of the week, and outfielder Preston Overbey were both 2 for 10 in the series.

• RPI watch: The Rebels begin the week with a simulated RPI ranking of 38 in one service and 40 in another. (Arkansas is 14th at BoydsWorld.com.)

• Bottom line: The possibility exists that Ole Miss could receive an NCAA tournament bid without playing in the SEC tournament, but it's not a risk the Rebels want to take.

As much as this team has struggled in various phases, the fact for the final weekend remains - win twice and you're almost guaranteed to make the SEC tourney field in Hoover.

Parrish Alford