J.B. Woodman is greeted by teammates after his home run. (Photo by: Cameron Brooks)
Ole Miss baseball February schedule
2/17 versus East Carolina
2/18 versus East Carolina
2/19 versus East Carolinia
2/21 versus Arkansas State
2/24 versus UNC-Wilmington
2/25 versus UNC-Wilmington
2/26 versus UNC-Wilmington
2/28 versus Memphis
Following up a 43-win season with a historic No. 1 nationally ranked recruiting class, Ole Miss baseball seems to have much of collegiate baseball’s attention focused on Oxford.
A quick glance at the schedule will show that this young team will be tested out of the gates, as the Rebels face a grueling first month of the season.
The most glaring obstacle in head coach Mike Bianco’s way early on is undoubtedly the home opening series against No. 6 East Carolina beginning Feb. 17. The three-game slate will be interesting not just because of the matchup, but also due to the number of freshmen Ole Miss will be testing for the first time. This game could quickly answer the biggest question surrounding this team, which is how a team with 15 true freshmen and 11 sophomores will compete on a national level. East Carolina was oh-so-close to getting to Omaha last season and returns the majority of its starters. This series is one of the most high-profile matchups across the country on opening weekend.
It doesn’t stop there. Just days after the Pirates leave town, Arkansas State and then UNC-Wilmington will also make appearances in Oxford in the second week of the season. The Red Wolves and Seahawks, respectively, present two distinctly different challenges for Ole Miss. While the latter is surely the superior team, the Red Wolves could also easily sneak in an upset in the always-tricky first midweek game of the year.
Just three days after the Red Wolves pack their bags, UNC-Wilmington, who finished first in the Colonial Athletic Association last year with a 41-19 record and made some noise in the postseason, will again look to challenge the young core of Ole Miss as the two square off in a three-game series.
The limited amount of preparation time will force upperclassmen leadership to maintain focus while underclassmen experiential learning is heavily expedited.
Following the test with UNC-Wilmington, the Rebels will be at home once again in a midweek matchup with the Memphis Tigers. The home field advantage through the Rebs’ first four matchups could prove to be key in shortening recovery time between games. The Tigers and Red Wolves are perceived as breathers between two big weekend series for Ole Miss, but Arkansas State beat the Rebels in Jonesboro last year, and Memphis has been known to sneak up on the Rebels in years past.
As the calendar then turns to March, more challenges await for the Rebels in their difficult non-conference schedule, including a trip to Houston to play in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Classic, but the opening month alone will provide Ole Miss with its fair share of challenges.
