While Ole Miss is in the middle of the postseason, the NCAA Baseball transfer portal window opened on Monday, June 1. The Rebels will have to prepare for the Super Regional and work with the portal simultaneously. Head coach Mike Bianco spoke about the transfer season in a press conference on Tuesday, June 2.
The window will close on Tuesday, June 30, eight days after the national championship and 11 days before the MLB Draft.
The coaching staff has their hands full with preparing the team for No. 4 Auburn on the road this weekend and setting the team up for success next year with new players.
“The assistant coaches yesterday were on the phone doing what we do, and they will work up until the point that we leave. It’s part of what’s happening now in college athletics,” Bianco said.
Recruiting coordinator Carl Lafferty stayed in Oxford on Wednesday to host Samford outfielder Jake Souders, who is also being pursued by Mississippi State and Tennessee.
Bianco acknowledged that the portal is something team administrators have to manage, but he made it clear he is not appreciative of the schedule.
“This isn’t to blame anybody particularly, but it’s just not the smartest thing,” Bianco said. “I don’t wanna fall short (in front of) all these cameras to say it’s dumb, but why this is happening now and why it closes before the draft — it just makes no sense.”
The transfer portal for several NCAA sports began during postseasons. Softball’s window opened on May 17, the final day of regionals. The men’s golf transfer portal opened on May 13, five days before its regionals began, while Track and Field’s began during regionals.
All portal windows close before July 1.
The Rebel skipper is confident that the window will be adjusted so the stories can stay on the field, not the portal.
“In defense to the people that make these decisions, there’s a lot more sports out there than baseball,” Bianco said. “I’m sure this will get corrected at some point where we won’t have these conversations, and you won’t be talking about teams playing for the national championship that fall behind recruiting. The window is not where it’s supposed to be, but it is where it is, and so we’ve gotta continue to do that.”
Only one Rebel, freshman pitcher Blake Ilitch, has entered the portal at this time.
