Sam Smith pitches the ball during a game last season.
The Ole Miss baseball team is being overlooked for the second straight season.
In the 2015 SEC baseball coaches’ preseason poll, the Rebels were picked to finish 6th out of seven teams in the SEC West and 10th in the SEC overall out of all 14 teams.
For a team that is coming off of their first College World Series appearance in 42 years, it’s quite surprising how this team isn’t viewed as one of the best in the conference and near the top in the country.
This will be head coach Mike Bianco’s 15th season as head coach of the Diamond Rebels, and for the first time in his career, there won’t be questions about his job security and when he will finally take the Rebels to Omaha.
The pressure is off Bianco, but that pressure shifts to the younger players on the team filling in for last years’ seniors, such as Will Allen, Austin Anderson and Austin Bousfield, to name a few.
This year’s Rebel squad will feature new faces in the lineup, pitching staff and coaching staff. Mike Clement will replace former hitting coach Cliff Godwin. Godwin had a strong, aggressive approach for the batters in the lineup, which helped the Rebels become one of the top offenses in the country, and Clement is likely to continue that approach.
The Rebels have the talent to make two-straight College World Series appearances.
Can it actually happen?
Here are some things I’m looking forward to this season.
Changes in the pitching staff
Friday night starter and the former ace of the rotation Chris Ellis is gone as the Los Angeles Angels drafted him in the 3rd round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Junior Christian Trent will be the new ace of the staff and he might have been the actual ace of the staff last season. Trent posted a 12-0 record with a 2.05 ERA for the season as a starter. He returns along with senior Sam Smith, who posted a 5-4 record with a 3.61 ERA last season.
The real question is who will be the third starter in the rotation. Bianco announced Monday that sophomore Brady Bramlett will be the third starter in this weekends’ series against William and Mary. Bramlett missed the entire 2014 season with a labrum injury, but is healthy and ready to go for the season. Bianco said that Bramlett has a strong fastball and his slider and changeup keep on improving.
Junior Sean Johnson can also see some starts in the future, but tendinitis in his shoulder caused him to miss the weekend as a starter, but will come out of the bullpen until his shoulder heals.
The bullpen loses Josh Laxer and Aaron Greenwood, but there is plenty of experience to pitch the later innings. Senior Scott Weathersby, sophomore Wyatt Short, and junior Matt Denny will be the main guys out of the bullpen. Freshman Will Stokes and sophomore Evan Anderson will be some new faces to have big roles in the bullpen as well.
The top of the lineup
Sophomores J.B. Woodman and Errol Robinson will lead off the lineup for the Rebels against William and Mary. The three-four-five spots are what changes this season. Senior first baseman Sikes Orvis will bat third, sophomore third baseman Colby Bortles will bat clean-up, and the fifth spot is up for grabs.
The success of the lineup depends on Orvis and Bortles producing at the three and four spots. Orvis had major success last season at clean up behind former catcher Will Allen. Now Bortles will have to fill in and protect Orvis, which he is more than capable of doing.
The fifth spot in the lineup could either go to senior catcher Austin Knight, new second baseman Tate Blackman or sophomore designated hitter Henri Lartigue. Freshman infielder Kyle Watson can also see time in the lineup as Bianco said Watson had a terrific fall and is a “super athlete.”
The lineup is going to feature a good mix of experience and young talent. It’s different from last year, but there is a lot of potential with the new crop of players coming in.
Changes in the outfield
The outfield loses Braxton Lee and Austin Bousfield, so many changes are coming. Woodman will move to center field where his speed will make him a better fit in center with more space to roam.
The corners of the outfield will need to be replaced. Left field could go to either Kyle Watson, junior college signees Connor Cloyd or Josh Watkins.
Junior Cameron Dishon will get the start in right field for the Rebels this weekend. Mainly used as a pinch-runner throughout his career so far, Dishon is a great defender in the outfield but needs to improve his hitting in order to keep his spot in the starting lineup. Dishon only has four hits in his career as a batter.
While the infield looks ready to go, some question marks still remain in the outfield. We should find out more about the status of the outfield in the next week or so.
Tate Blackman
With tons of experience leaving last year, new, young faces will have to step up produce at a high level in order for the Rebels to make it back to Omaha.
One name that you will hear a lot is freshman Tate Blackman.
A highly touted prospect coming out of Altamonte Springs, Florida, Blackman will get the start at second base and will bat in the back part of the lineup. Bianco said Blackman doesn’t play like a freshman and is an all-around great player. High expectations come in for Blackman, but he has the talent to be a factor in the lineup no matter where he bats.
Schedule
The schedule features some ups and downs for the Rebels. Home series against Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi State and Texas A&M will prove to be favorable. However, Ole Miss will face UCF, Louisville, LSU, Arkansas, defending national champion Vanderbilt, Auburn and Missouri. The road slate will be brutal for the Rebels but prove whether this team can make another run to Omaha or not.
If the Rebels can find a way through a grueling SEC schedule, they can make a run to win the SEC. Another trip to Omaha is definitely in the conversation, but it’ll be a bumpy road there.
