Colby Bortles’ eyes have seen a lot in the three years he’s been at Ole Miss. He’s been a freshman the core of a dog pile on a muggy June night in Lafayette, Louisiana in 2014 as the Rebels clinched their first birth to Omaha in nearly half a century. He’s also trudged off the diamond the last two seasons after his teams went 0-2 and were prematurely bounced from the NCAA tournament, once in Los Angeles and once at home.
“I think my role every year is try to do what I’m supposed to do to take this team to Omaha. We work towards that in every practice and every game. I’m looking forward to being leader on this team, and taking us to Omaha,” Bortles said.
It’s his final year of eligibility, and he knows better than anyone on the roster what it takes to return to Omaha.
“He’s the last guy to reach the world series,” head coach Mike Bianco said of Bortles. “He’s the last guy to reach the pinnacle of college baseball, and he’s built that way. He’s been a great leader for us.”
Junior second baseman Tate Blackman has been through the rigors of SEC baseball too. He’s survived a frustrating freshman season in which he hit .147 and mustered 24 hits in 39 games, one that shined light both on the difficulty and depth of the jump between high school and major college baseball. He also understand what it takes to adjust in the offseason, and turn it into a 2016 season in which he hit .322 and drove in 38 runs.
The two have been ‘the young guy’ in the lineup looking up towards the veteran leadership.
“I learned a lot from Errol (Robinson). He was a great infielder, a great leader. He likes to teach the game and I learned a lot from him,” Blackman said.
Now, a team with 29 freshmen and sophomores are largely looking up to them as they enter their senior and junior seasons respectively.
“I’m trying to bring these younger guys in and teach them what he taught me and Colby taught me and J.B. (Woodman) and all them, and try to do what they did to me when I was younger and kind of watch them, and take them under my wing and develop them into good players,” Blackman said. “We are going to need all these freshmen just as much as they need me. If they can contribute just as much I can, then we are going to be a very good team.”
Names like Grae Kessenger, Cole Zabowski, Chase Cockrell, Cooper Johnson, and Thomas Dillard are among the newcomers that bring a blend of youth, power and athleticism to a talented lineup. But at the same time they are new to division one level. There will be growing pains, teaching moments and knowledge gained through failures. Having the leadership from Bortles, Blackman and Will Golsan among others will certainly help smooth the learning curve along the way, and could prove invaluable during the lengthy grind that is a college baseball season.
“All the freshmen, we talk. We always hang out together. They’re my brothers and they ask me different stuff like ‘what’s it going to be like in the season when this happens and this happens,'” Bortles said. “I just try to give them the best advice so when that stuff does happen, they’re not just stranded there and don’t know what to do.”
Bianco praised the business-like mentality of the new faces that comprised the number one recruiting class in college baseball. He knows their presence will be felt immediately. Kessinger will anchor a position that Robinson did for three years, a tall task for a true freshman.
“He’s a little different. Obviously, he’s very talented. You watch the way he plays the game. When he plays the game it seems slower. Most kids when they come from high school to here they are trying to catch up to the game and he almost seems like he slows the game down,” Bianco said. “He’s got that great internal clock and plays with a lot of confidence.”
Bianco acknowledge that Dillard will be an impact bat immediately, no matter where he plays in the field. He’s loved the work ethic he’s seen, but he’s also grateful for the leadership Blackman and Bortles can provide to a group of freshmen with a lot of expectations as well as a lot of potential.
