The Ole Miss Baseball team will open its fall exhibition play against North Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 5 in Oxford.
The Rebels and the Lions met in Oxford last year during the regular season. Ole Miss had six pitchers take the mound, and they combined for a 9-4 victory. The Rebels also had two home runs.
Last year, UNA was 18-35-1 on the season and 10-19-1 in ASUN conference play.
Last season, the Ole Miss Baseball team had a below-average winning percentage for the second year in a row after winning the NCAA National Championship in 2022.
In the 2024 season, the Rebels went 27-29 overall and 11-19 in SEC conference play. Ole Miss made the SEC Tournament — an improvement from 2023 — but lost in the first round to
Mississippi State 2-1, ending the season.
The start of fall ball gives Head Coach Mike Bianco the opportunity to show off new transfers and freshmen.
Bianco and staff added nine players from the transfer portal, one being outfielder Mitchell Sanford from New Orleans. Sanford was named the Southland Conference Hitter of the Year in 2024 with a .381 batting average, 1.168 OPS and 15 home runs.
Another transfer is infielder Luke Cheng, moving from Illinois State. Cheng played in only 15 games in an injury-riddled 2024 campaign, but in those games he hit .370 with 10 RBIs.
Along with the transfers, there are 16 freshmen on the roster. One of the 16, infielder Owen
Paino, was named the 2023-2024 Baseball Gatorade Player of the Year in New York.
After the Rebels face UNA at home, Samford comes to Oxford on Oct. 19. The official 2025 season for Ole Miss Baseball begins with the Shriners Children’s College Showcase in Arlington, Texas, in February.
