Diamond Rebels begin fall practice Friday

Posted on Sep 18 2014 - 1:07pm by Ole Miss Sports Information

As the days of summer draw to a close and temperatures around Oxford begin to slide, the Ole Miss baseball team is just starting to heat up. The Rebels, fresh off a trip to the 2014 College World Series, begin fall practice Friday and will hold intrasquad scrimmages open to the public on Friday and Saturday at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field.

Ole Miss will begin practice Friday at 2:45 p.m. The Rebels will then play again Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Practice dates and times for the remainder of the fall schedule will be announced at a later date.

“We’re really excited to get back out there on the field and play again after such a great season last year,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “We’re excited about the great group of guys we have returning, as well as all of our newcomers. The fall season is where everything starts so we’re looking forward to getting out there and getting everything underway.”

Ole Miss had a fantastic year last season, going 48-21, winning the Southeastern Conference Western Division Championship, hosting a regional and advancing all the way to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, where it was one of the final four teams remaining.

The Rebels return 20 players from last season’s team and welcome in 18 newcomers, including 12 freshmen and six transfers.

It was the 12th time in 14 seasons under Bianco the Rebels advanced to the NCAA Tournament, which is the most postseason appearances by a head coach in school history, and is one of the best active stretches of NCAA postseason participation by any program in the country.