Five Preseason Storylines for Ole Miss Baseball in 2022
Ole Miss once again came one win shy of Omaha last season, a feat that, despite some fan angst, is commendable given the injury troubles it suffered.
Staff co-ace Gunnar Hoglund was lost partway through the season to Tommy John surgery, and team captain Tim Elko tore his ACL in a midweek game, although he was able to return in a limited DH capacity later in the year. All things considered, the Rebels went to Tucson for its Super Regional and ultimately fell when the deck was stacked against them.
Now, Hoglund and his fellow arm Doug Nikhazy are gone to the pros, but Ole Miss returns essentially all of its offensive production from a season ago. With baseball season beginning in less than a month for the Rebels, here are some preseason storylines to watch out of Oxford.
1. Who will be in the weekend rotation?
The Rebels are replacing two of their top three weekend arms from a season ago in Doug Nikhazy and Gunnar Hoglund, but they have some newcomers who are vying for those positions heading into the season.
Familiar names like Derek Diamond and Drew McDaniel both return from 2021, but eyes will be on newcomers John Gaddis (LHP, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) and Jack Washburn (RHP, Oregon State) to make a splash in this year's rotation. Diamond might be the Friday night starter to begin the season (more on him in a bit), but Gaddis and Washburn appear to be deep in competition to find a role on the weekends as well.
At Texas A&M-Corpus Christi last season, Gaddis posted a 2.25 ERA over 64 IP, and his transfer counterpart in Washburn put up a 3.12 ERA over 34.2 IP. Where the bats will be the bread and butter of this Ole Miss team, a pitching staff that comes into form can help put it over the top.
2. Tim Elko's return headlines a stout returning batting order.
After he missed a significant chunk of action in 2021 following an ACL tear in a midweek game, the Ole Miss team captain became one of college baseball's best stories last season, hitting multiple home runs on just one functioning knee.
Now, he returns healthy for his fifth season in Oxford, and he's surrounded by a supporting cast that features familiar face after familiar face.
Elko will likely be penciled in at first base, Peyton Chatagnier at second, Jacob Gonzalez at short stop and Justin Bench at third to round out the infield. Catcher Hayden Dunhurst will complete the battery on weekends, and some combination of Hayden Leatherwood, Kemp Alderman, T.J. McCants and Kevin Graham will patrol the outfield. All of those names should be familiar to Ole Miss fans from last season, and that's the biggest strength on paper for this team heading into 2022--the return of an offense that was second in the SEC in scoring and first in batting a season ago.
Can the offense perform similarly in 2022? That's the question to watch.
3. Can Derek Diamond take another step in his progression?
Derek Diamond has all the talent in the world. That much is evident.
The Rebel right-hander has hit 97 MPH with his fastball at times and has the secondary pitches to compliment it, but last season, his ERA finished at 5.26. Now, as he enters his third season in Oxford (along with Drew McDaniel), his next step is finding a way to trust his stuff. That's a maturation mark for a pitcher, and he will likely be called on to anchor this weekend rotation in a sense, so now is his time.
Some of Diamond's troubles in years past have likely been mental, but overcoming adversity, especially the second and third time through the order, will be key as he looks to continue to develop as a pitcher.
4. The budding superstar that is Jacob Gonzalez.
It's rare for a freshman to do what Jacob Gonzalez did in 2021. It's even more rare for it to be done in the SEC.
Gonzalez slashed .355/.443/.561 last season and hit 12 home runs, earning D1Baseball's Freshman of the Year honors in the process. After leading the team in batting average a season ago, that level of performance may be difficult to top now that his scouting report is a bit deeper, but he showed no signs of slowing down in 2021, and signs indicate that he's poised for a special sophomore season as well.
As mentioned above, Gonzalez is just one part of a Rebel offense that looks to be potent this spring, but he has been one of the most important cogs in making that engine go since he arrived in Oxford. Keeping that spark going near the top of this lineup (and some spectacular defensive prowess thrown in for good measure) makes him one of the best names in the SEC entering this season.
5. Can Ole Miss take care of business in non-conference play?
This year, there's no season-opening series in Arlington against some of baseball's biggest names to boost the Rebels' resume. That means they can't afford to lose many of their non-conference matchups.
Ole Miss will obviously have non-conference midweek action after SEC play begins, but its slate prior to conference play is as follows:
Feb. 18-20 vs. Charleston Southern
Feb. 22 vs. Arkansas State
Feb. 25-27 vs. VCU
Mar. 1-2 vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Mar. 4-6 at UCF
Mar. 8 vs. Memphis
Mar. 11-13 vs. Oral Roberts
Mar. 15 at Southeastern Louisiana
None of those teams cracked D1Baseball's Preseason Top 25, but UCF did take two of three from Ole Miss in Oxford last season when the Rebels were ranked No. 1 in the country. The Rebels need to emerge their non-conference slate relatively unscathed prior to opening SEC play at Auburn on Mar. 17-19 for both momentum and seeding's sake.
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