5: Men’s basketball signs highest-recruiting class in program history.
A rather recent event this year, the Rebels signed the No. 20 class in the country on National Signing Day in November. This gave head coach Kermit Davis back-to-back Top-25 classes after last year’s No. 25 class. The Rebels had just four players that signed in November, including the top players in Mississippi and Arkansas in Josh Hubbard and Rashaud Marshall. Since his hiring in 2018, Davis has recruited well and brought quality players in from high school and through using the transfer portal.
4: Ole Miss football wins a record 10 games in the regular season.
With the 2022 season still wrapping up, Ole Miss football in 2021 reached new heights under head coach Lane Kiffin. The Rebels won 10 games in the regular season for the first time ever in program history, earning them a bid in the Sugar Bowl against Baylor. Unfortunately, the Rebs couldn’t get to 11 wins after dropping the bowl game, but the 2021 season was a thrilling joyride for Rebel fans nationwide.
3: Goalkeeper Ashley Orkus became Ole Miss’ first-ever First Team All-American.
The reigning Goalkeeper of the Year for the SEC, Ashley Orkus, has been immense in her four years at Ole Miss. This year, she won her third-straight Goalkeeper of the Year award for the SEC. But last year, Orkus garnered national attention for the second year in a row after being named Third Team All-American the year prior.
2: Dylan DeLucia’s complete-game shut-out against Arkansas in the College World Series.
In what will go down as likely the best solo performance by any Ole Miss athlete, Dylan DeLucia’s performance against the Razorbacks in the College World Series was next-level. The transfer from Northwest Florida State College punched out seven batters and allowed just four hits without putting anyone on base. The performance in itself was masterful without a doubt, but the stakes of the game amplify that. Against dreaded division rival Arkansas, the team who put the Rebels out two years prior in the Super Regionals in a win or go home matchup to get to the CWS Finals, DeLucia put in the best pitching performance in program history.
1: Ole Miss baseball wins the 2022 National Championship.
One of the most memorable stories in all of sports this year, the Ole Miss baseball team won the College World Series title. The last team into the field and the last team standing, the Rebels were 7-14 in SEC play at the end of April with the end of their season fast approaching. Before getting to Omaha, the Rebels won eight of their last ten regular season games and 13 of their last 16 including the Regionals and Super Regionals. The infamous words spoken by Ole Miss icon Tim Elko, “Don’t let the Rebs get hot,” will forever be etched into the history of this school. The Rebels were ranked as high as first in the country and hit rock bottom, only to rise again and complete one of the greatest comeback stories sports will ever see.
