Three Keys to a Successful 2025 for Ole Miss Rebels Baseball

How can the Rebels get back into the NCAA Tournament?

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 TODAY NETWORK

The Ole Miss baseball program took quite a nose dive after winning the 2022 national championship as it has missed out on postseason play the past two years. With baseball back this weekend, it's time for the Rebels to get back on track, but it won't be easy with a tough opening weekend in Arlington plus a loaded SEC ahead of them.

The question is what needs to go right for the Rebels to get back to the tournament and have a chance of getting back to Omaha? As we have learned in the past if you get in anything can happen.

Here are three keys to a successful 2025 for the Rebels.

1. The Rebels Have to Be Better Behind the Plate.

Last year was a disaster behind the plate, and Mike Bianco addressed this at his season-opening press conference earlier this week.

The Rebels addressed that problem with Campbell Smithwick taking a step up after spending a summer in the Cape Cod League as well as adding two veteran backstops from the portal in Collin Reuter and Austin Fawley. Smithwick looks to be the starter, but we could see Reuter and Fawley get some innings behind the plate in Arlington this weekend.

Having a solid catcher makes the team as a whole better, especially the defense, something the Rebels struggled with in 2024.

2. Staying Healthy

The Rebels over the past few seasons have been wrecked by injuries, namely Hunter Elliott who was out the last two seasons after he had Tommy John surgery. Having Elliott as your Friday night guy is key for a successful season, especially in a league with some elite hitters.

It's not just Elliott though as Judd Utermark has struggled to stay healthy as a shoulder ailment has lingered for about as long as he has been in Oxford. Utermark will be a key piece of the offensive attack for the Rebels.

3. Stay the Course.

The SEC will chew you up and spit you out, and with the Rebels' schedule, they won't be immune to it. Still, you have to stay the course and take the lumps as they come.

Confidence is key for this group, as the 2022 championship team took its fair share of gut punches in SEC play. The ability to wash whatever happened the day before away separates okay teams from good teams and good teams from great teams.

For the Rebels to take that next step in 2025 and reach the NCAA Tournament once again, they have to be mentally tough, something Coach Bianco has preached throughout his 25 seasons at Ole Miss.