Three Reasons Why Ole Miss Baseball Can Surprise Critics in 2024
The Ole Miss Rebels are coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in recent memory.
Fresh off a national championship and looking to add to their trophy case, the Rebels' failure to make the SEC Tournament in Hoover felt like a slap in the face to fans and players alike. This season, Mike Bianco and his roster of new faces have a chance to right the ship and prove why they are one of the best programs in all of college baseball.
Here are three reasons why you shouldn't count the Rebs out beginning on Feb. 16.
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Fresh Faces
It is no secret that Bianco and his coaching staff hit the transfer portal hard this offseason with the additions of big-time bats in Jackson Ross, Andrew Fischer and Treyson Hughes.
Fischer brings postseason experience, as he played a major role in Duke's postseason run last year, which fell short in game three of a Super Regional against Virginia. This experience is huge, and Fischer will be someone the Rebels lean on come crunch time during the dog days of the season.
With Ross at first and Hughes in right field, all three players will be cornerstones in the Rebels lineup. Experience and clean baseball will be crucial if the Rebels plan to make some noise in conference play.
The Young Guns
With Xavier Rivas done for the year, JT Quinn and Grayson Saunier will be called on to be the dudes toeing the rubber.
You can't win SEC baseball games without strong starting pitching, and last year felt like the pitching staff was in limbo for most of the season. That can't be the case in 2023.
With SEC experience last season, I expect Quinn and Saunier to be nails this spring. If not, this season could be long and end in more disappointment.
'Don't Let the Rebs Get Hot'
As the great Tim Elko once said, "Don't let the Rebs get hot."
This wasn't just some great tagline, it was a mindset that the national championship team embodied. While most of that team is gone, I believe the spirit of that saying lives on in Oxford and the hearts of Ole Miss fans across the country.
Baseball season in Oxford is straight out of a fairy tale. The campus comes to life in the springtime, and fans go to the ballpark every weekend and come together to worship in the baseball sanctuary that is Swayze Field. Fans remember the run that started in Coral Gables and ended in a dogpile in Omaha, and I believe that any run this team goes on could spark a great streak that could change the course of this season.
The Rebels start play on Friday with JT Quinn on the bump against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at 10:35 p.m. CT, and the game will stream on ESPN+.