'Always Working!' Two-Sport Star Austin Simmons Draws Praise From Rebels Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. -- The Ole Miss Rebels captured a series win over the Iowa Hawkeyes this weekend at Swayze Field, and one of the biggest storylines was the continued progression of Austin Simmons on the mound.
Simmons is a two-sport player at Ole Miss, serving as a quarterback on the football roster as well as a relief pitcher for Mike Bianco's baseball team, and on Saturday, he earned his second win of the season after two innings of work where he did not allow a baserunner.
Following Saturday's 12-5 win over Iowa, Simmons was a hot topic among his coaches and teammates, and for a freshman, that's a big deal.
Ole Miss Rebels LHP Austin Simmons
Ole Miss Athletics
"Simmons is really good," catcher Campbell Smithwick said postgame. [Assistant coach Carl Lafferty] was joking one time saying he's going to throw 100 one day, and I have full confidence in that.
"He's unreal. He shows up, he works. Not just at baseball, but he goes and works out at football, and he'll come to us, and he's never tired. He's always working. Great kid, humble kid. Can't say enough about him."
Simmons' first win of his Ole Miss career came on Wednesday when the Rebels took down Missouri State 12-3 at home. Two appearances and two wins? That's huge considering how deep this Ole Miss bullpen looks to be in the early portions of the season.
"He was terrific today, and that's twice in one week," head coach Mike Bianco said. "The first time he's done that. He continues to get better, and he continues to be able to handle this, over 11,000 [fans] today."
The Rebels were winners of two games in this weekend's three-game set, and they are scheduled for four more games at Swayze Field this week.
Ole Miss is set to host the Memphis Tigers on Tuesday night before opening a weekend series against Morehead State on Friday. First pitch between Ole Miss and Memphis is set for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.
