Sikes Orvis throws the ball during the baseball game against the Central Arkansas Tuesday (DM Photo | Marlee Crawford)
Ole Miss senior first-baseman Sikes Orvis plays with intense emotion. One of the strongest displays of emotion he has shown came during a game on June 2, 2014, when Ole Miss hosted Washington in the NCAA Oxford Regional. With a man on first, Orvis roped a triple down the first base line that took a bounce off the right field wall to put the Rebels on top 3-2. After diving into third base, Orvis stood up and let out a loud roar as he thumped his chest, advancing Ole Miss to the NCAA Super Regionals.
“I hit that triple in the regional and I blacked out. I don’t even remember what happened,” Orvis said. “I play with a lot of emotion, I have a lot of fun playing the game, I just have to let it show sometimes when I’m playing.”
“Baseball is a child’s game, but you have to play like a man sometimes,” Orvis said. “Baseball can be a bitch sometimes. It’s one of those games where if you succeed three out of ten times, you’re considered successful. You just have to do a good job of handling adversity. Succeeding wouldn’t be fun if you did it every time. All the failure makes it seem that much better.”
Orvis has quickly become one of the most popular student-athletes on the Ole Miss campus. The big, left-handed, power hitting first baseman brings a swagger and certain persona every time he steps on the diamond at Swayze Field.
The senior from Orlando has received many comparisons throughout his playing days. Ole Miss football defensive end C.J. Johnson called him Chuck Norris on Twitter, but the most popular comparison he has received is Ron Swanson. It started with a burly mustache the first baseman sported starting the series at LSU this season. The mustache was quick to gain fame on social media, which is one of the many reasons Orvis is a fan favorite.
Even with his popularity, Orvis doesn’t see himself as that.
“I don’t consider myself that. People mention me with Laquon Treadwell and the Stefan Moodys of the world. I’m watching these guys on ESPN and I’m just like, ‘these guys are awesome’,” Orvis said. “Hearing my name in the same category is funny to me. It’s very humbling and the fans appreciate what I do and my personality out there. It’s surreal.”
Growing up, Orvis dreamed of playing for one of the big three universities in Florida: Florida, Florida State and Miami. Orvis admitted that he really didn’t have an idea where he wanted to go in high school and floated around in the recruiting process. He took visits to many schools including North Carolina and LSU.
Orvis first came to Ole Miss his junior year of high school while playing in a high school tournament in Memphis.
“I came here Easter weekend and I drove down Old Taylor Road looking down on the field and I knew right away. I fell in love with the place,” Orvis said. “I met with the recruiting coordinator and Coach B (Mike Bianco), and I knew right away this was the place.”
Orvis was a key part of the 2014 lineup that advanced to the College World Series. In 69 games played, Orvis batted .294 on the season with 53 RBI’s and led the team in home runs with 14 on the year. He was named first team All-SEC by the conference’s head coaches as a result of the season.
No one expected the run to Omaha. The 2014 Rebels were picked in the preseason to finish near the bottom in the conference and in the SEC West division. Orvis said it was a perfect storm for the Rebels last season, as senior leadership and young talent were essential to last year’s success.
“It was the perfect combination,” Orvis said. “We had great camaraderie. We had a lot of guys that have been playing together for quite some time. I had some of my best friends on the team. We figured out how to win and it became a lot of fun.”
Orvis said it was a similar time this year to last year where the defining moment of the season happened for the 2014 Rebels. Standing at 30-12 overall at ranked 12th in the country, the Rebels traveled to Lexington to take on 17th ranked Kentucky in a three game series. Ole Miss swept the series against the Wildcats and what helped motivate them was a speech by head coach Mike Bianco to fire them up the rest of the way.
“Coach B challenged us. He laid it on the table and said ‘Listen. If y’all went out and get a shot at the SEC title, you’ll definitely win the West.’,” Orvis said. “We came out and we swept Kentucky and we won the next four weekends. We beat some really good teams and at that point we were in the conversation to host and be a national seed in the NCAA tournament.”
The 2015 season has been a different story. The Rebels currently own a 21-20 overall record and 8-10 in the SEC. The team stands near the bottom looking up at 4th in the SEC West and have a lot of ground to make up in order to make a run for the NCAA Tournament.
Nine players from last year’s team have gone on to the MLB draft. Many freshman and first-year players have had to come in this season and play large roles on a team that was filled with experience last season. Orvis said the leadership and chemistry from last year’s team is the main difference.
“There was more new guys coming in than returning guys. On the field we only had two everyday guys come back in the lineup with me and Errol Robinson. We had to ask a lot from the new guys,” Orvis said. “We’ve had spurts where we beat some really good teams. You can see some of our inexperience sometimes with the inconsistency we play with sometimes will show up.”
Orvis said playing more consistent baseball and coming in more prepared day-in and day-out is what is needed on the team this year.
Ole Miss already owns the top-ranked strength of schedule in the country and the rest of the season does not get any easier.
The Rebels face Alabama at home this weekend, then a weekend series at Missouri, and home against Mississippi State and Texas A&M to end the regular season. Orvis said he has seen the potential in this year’s team and believes another run can happen.
“Once this team shows it consistently, I think we’re very good. I think we can pitch, I think we can hit, we can steal and run like nobody,” Orvis said. “I think down the stretch if we can play some good baseball, we can win some series’ and make a run.”
From driving down Old Taylor Road his junior year of high school to walking into TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha for the College World Series, there have been many memorable moments for Orvis in his time at Ole Miss. When the passionate, fun-loving first baseman takes off his jersey for the last time, it’ll be a sad day for him.
“I love the fans. I’ve loved every second of it. Being an Ole Miss Rebel has been one of the greatest accomplishments of my life,” Orvis said. “I love the University of Mississippi with all my heart. Coming here from Florida, I didn’t really know what to expect. I fell in love with the people and the culture and the town itself. It’s a very special place that will stay close to my heart for the rest of my life.”
