For many, the start of spring means sunshine, good weather and pretty flowers, but for Ole Miss baseball fans, it signifies the start of a season-long quest for glory. Ole Miss’ Cinderella national championship run in 2022 was followed by a devastating losing season last year, so Head Coach Mike Bianco and the Rebels are determined to find sustained success among a pool of talented SEC teams like Florida, LSU, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
The Ole Miss Baseball coaching staff has worked to fill gaps in the lineup left by former players who have taken their talents to the professional leagues or elsewhere at the collegiate level.
The Rebels lost standouts Kemp Alderman, Calvin Harris and Jacob Gonzalez to the 2023 MLB Draft, and players Payton Chatagnier, TJ McCants and Anthony Calarco took their talents to other programs. These are massive shoes to fill in leadership and production.
Ole Miss Football Head Coach Lane Kiffin is not the only Ole Miss coach who knows how to utilize the transfer portal, though. Bianco is bringing in the No. 7 transfer portal class in the country and the No. 5 in the SEC, following LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Arkansas.
The Ole Miss transfer class includes players that will strengthen the infield like Arizona State shortstop Luke Hill, Florida Atlantic University third baseman Andrew Fischer and Duke University third baseman Jackson Ross.
Coming straight out of Oxford High School is catcher Campbell Smithwick, a player that Bianco cannot stop talking about. Smithwick helped lead the Chargers to a run in the North-Half state championship, as well as helped the Team USA Under-18 team earn a gold medal at the U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier in fall 2022.
“He’s as talented as any freshman catcher we’ve ever had,” Bianco shared during Ole Miss Baseball’s media days. “Tremendous athletic player, but he’s a really athletic player behind the plate.”
Another successful recruit is Smithwick’s teammate from Oxford High School, Cooper Pratt. The infielder is a five-star recruit who will most likely see the pitching mound in his debut season for the Rebels.
After the departures of standout pitchers Dylan DeLucia, who was a key part in the 2022 national championship win, and Hunter Elliott, who will be sitting out this season after undergoing elbow surgery, it has been a whirlwind figuring out who will take up the mantle for the Rebels.
Bianco and the coaching staff have all eyes on returners JT Quinn, Grayson Saunier and Riley Maddox for the pitching jobs, with Pratt on the backburner for now.
The Rebels are set to open their season in Honolulu as they take on Hawaii in a four-game series Friday, Feb. 16 through Sunday, Feb. 18.
