For Ole Miss' Mike Bianco, A College World Series Win Just Means More
He shouldn't be here. No, really, Mike Bianco shouldn't be at Charles Schwab Field Saturday night at the College World Series.
At least not as the manager for Ole Miss.
If fans of the Rebels (40-23) can take anything away from Bianco's last year, it's expecting the unexpected. For 22 seasons, Bianco has commanded the respect of those in the SEC as the longest-tenured manager. Most of his staff has stuck around through the journey with him.
Carl Lafferty, Ole Miss' recruiting coordinator, has spent the past 15 seasons under Bianco. Hitting coach Mike Clement has been in Oxford since 2014. And while the Rebels will have a shot to win their first national title against Oklahoma (45-22), Bianco really shouldn't be here.
He's glad he is. More specifically, he's pleased it's with the staff that helped define the future of Rebel baseball.
"I don't know why they don't get more credit than they do," Bianco said Friday of his assistants. "This is the best staff that we've ever had, and we've had some great ones. We've had some great coaches come through. I don't remember ever feeling as comfortable as I do with my guys."
When last season came to a close in the Tucson Super Regional against No. 5 Arizona, rumors swirled that Bianco would be leaving for a rival. Longtime LSU manager Paul Mainieri was stepping down and athletic director Scott Woodward wanted someone with ties to the program.
Bianco, who played two seasons with the Tigers and later coached under Skip Bertman from 1993-97, met with Woodward last June. There was temptation as his wife, Camie, also was an alum while his son, Drew, was a member of the roster.
Bianco turned down the offer, thus opening the door for Arizona's Jay Johnson to take over. In his first season at the helm, the Tigers went 40-22 while finishing second in the Hattiesburg Regional. Unlike LSU, Ole Miss fought for its right to make the postseason.
This time last month, it felt that change was coming to Oxford. Bianco wouldn't be leaving the program on his own terms. Instead, he was expected to be let go following a midseason collapse. The Rebels were ranked No. 1 by the third week of the regular season.
By the season's end, Ole Miss was barely holding onto hope in making the tournament after going 14-16 in conference play. At one point, the Rebels were 7-14 against SEC opponents and were swept by programs such as Tennessee and Alabama.
"You look at the journey, they've been told they might not get in or might get in or whatever, they're going to fire Bianco, whatever, that was a joke," said Oklahoma manager Skip Johnson. "I mean, it's incredible because that guy has been, last year LSU was wanting to hire him.
"You're only as good as your last outing, which is not good."
There's no doubt that conversations of replacements and buyouts have ceased among the boosters and athletic director Keith Carter. The Rebels are 8-1 this postseason and have averaged 7.5 runs per game. Pitching has been essential to the team's success, none more than Thursday's shutout performance from Dylan DeLucia over Arkansas to send Ole Miss to the finale.
"They pitch fearless. They pound the strike zone," Johnson said. "They do a good job. Coach Bianco has been around for a long time. He understands that environment. He's a really, really good coach and runs a great program."
Sitting at 3-1 this time around in Omaha, Bianco holds a 5-3 record all-time at the College World Series. By Monday, that record could be anywhere from 7-3 to 5-5, depending on the outcome of the best-of-three series.
As the Rebels prepare to take the field Saturday night, Bianco shouldn't be here. He could be in Baton Rouge preparing to rebound in 2023 with a Tigers roster that will need to meet higher expectations. If not for a late surge, he could be looking for his next opportunity with a different program.
Instead, Bianco will stand on the steps of the dugout, hoping to bring Ole Miss its first title. And he'll be doing with those who have been there from the start.
Said Bianco: "We're so blessed to do it. But it's not easy, and it's a lot of hard hours. And we've talked so much about (the struggles) this year, that's our year too. To get to this moment is pretty cool in our occupation."
First pitch Saturday against the Sooners is set for 6 p.m.
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