Ole Miss Baseball Coach Mike Bianco, the winningest coach in program history, met with the media to talk the upcoming season, team depth, and what he expects in 2014. Entering his 14th season, Bianco has had to fill some major holes including two All-Americans in Bobby Wahl and Stuart Turner.
Bianco mentioned the great depth that this team has including a stacked outfield, some returning infielders and some pitchers that have been with the program. As I said the Rebs are missing their ace Bobby Wahl and a few other players. Ole Miss really hasn’t had a power hitter in a few years, and that may be a problem again this season.
Here is the full media day presser from Head Coach Mike Bianco.
The Rebels first pitch is this weekend when they hit the road to play the Stetson Hatters in Deland, Fla. Friday’s game is set for a 5:30 start, while Saturday will start at 1:00 and Sunday at 11. All times are central time.
Now on to basketball.
Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics
Ole Miss fell on the road to the struggling Alabama Crimson Tide Tuesday night, which could really hurt their tournament hopes down the road. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, it didn’t hurt the Rebels too much as they are still out either way.
The Rebels head back out on the road to face the Georgia Bulldogs Saturday in Athens. That game will be televised on the Fox Sports Network. Tip-off is set for 3:00 CT.
Ole Miss returns home to Tad Smith Coliseum to face the Kentucky Wildcats the 18th. That game could be huge for our tournament resume if Andy Kennedy’s squad can sneak out a win. Florida also comes into town that week, (tough two games for the Rebs) so Ole Miss could certainly fall into a four-game hole if they lose to Georgia this weekend.
Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics
The Women’s Basketball team is on a five-game losing streak, and looks to snap it on the road against Head Coach Matt Insell’s old team the Kentucky Wildcats. That game is Thursday at 6:00 in Lexington.
Insell is looking forward to returning home, but says it will be business at usual and he will approach it like any other game. It is another part of the process that is rebuilding this program. I was lucky to sit down with Coach Insell on my radio show to talk the process and recruits and such. In that interview, my previous thoughts were backed up, Ole Miss is lucky to have him and we’re headed in the right direction.
For tickets, and more information visit OleMissHoops.com.
Softball
Joshua McCoy/Ole Miss Athletics
The Softball Rebels struggled in Fort Meyer, Fla. last weekend committing a few errors which led to some losses in their first action of the season. Windy Thees’ team is back on the road this weekend, heading to Charleston, SC for the College of Charleston Classic. The Rebels will face Fordham, Kansas, DePaul, Western Carolina and College of Charleston across the three-day span.
The first home action is February 21, 22 and 23rd when the Rebels host the Red and Blue Classic Tournament in the Ole Miss Softball Complex. They will welcome Bowling Green, Buffalo, Northern Colorado, Saint Louis and Tennessee-Martin to Oxford that weekend.
That’s the update in Rebel sports this week. For questions, concerns etc my email is below. Hotty Toddy!
Connor Hennessey is a writer and radio host in Oxford, Miss. He can be reached by email at cmhennes@go.olemiss.edu or @ConnorHennes on Twitter. Visit OleMissSports.com for up-to-date information pertaining to the Ole Miss Rebels.