Ole Miss Baseball Season in Review: Rebels Fail to Reach Postseason in 2024

Another disappointing Ole Miss Rebels baseball season came to a close on Tuesday night.

Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco heads to the mound to change pitchers again after Mississippi State scored four runs in the eighth inning at Trustmark Perk in Pearl, Miss., Wednesday, May 1, 2024. / Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger / USA

For the first time in the Mike Bianco era, the Ole Miss Rebels have missed the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons after dropping Tuesday's SEC Tournament game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Historically, baseball has arguably been the top sport at Ole Miss and has one of the larger fan bases in college baseball. The national championship in 2022 feels like a decade ago, and with SEC expansion happening next season, it feels the Rebels might be taking a step back on the SEC baseball hierarchy.

So, what happened this season? To put it bluntly, this team was too inconsistent in all game phases. Errors, walks, passed balls, a lack of run support, and inexperience all affected the overall production of this squad. The defense was terrible this season, as the Rebels were last in the league in fielding percentage. Errors, mental and physical, can decrease the overall confidence of a team.

This team is young, and a lot of freshman were forced to play, even if they may not have been ready. Was Brayden Randle ready to start at shortstop in his freshman year? Probably not, but that move will help his development down the road. Wes Mendes also was another young bright spot whose experience as a freshman could lead to him being a Friday night option later in his career.

Andrew Fischer had a monster season in his first season in Oxford and could be the face of the program for the next year and a half. Fischer seems like a leader that this Ole Miss team needs. I'm not saying he's Tim Elko, but that kind of presence is what this program needs to get back into national prominence.

Another question that has floated around is the future of Mike Bianco. As Bianco stated on Tuesday, he expects to be back for 2025, but is that the right decision for Keith Carter?

Mike Bianco has built this program and has elevated the brand of not just Ole Miss baseball, but the university as a whole. Would it be the smartest decision financially to fire your head coach in the middle of the NIL and transfer portal revolution? That would be a decision for Carter to make.

If firing your head baseball coach prevents you from reaching your fullest potential in other sports, I think the answer is no. You would have to buy out Bianco and then pay a massive contract to steal another school's head coach.

With the transfer portal opening after the season, I expect Bianco to be all-in. Maybe with more experience in 2025, the Rebels can surprise and return to the NCAA Tournament.