College World Series Preview: Ole Miss Rebels

Mike Bianco has been here before.

Four years ago, to be exact. That trip to Omaha ended up going pretty well for the longtime Ole Miss skipper and his crew, as they climbed the mountain and won the College World Series for the first time in program history. The Rebels will return to Charles Schwab Field this week, hoping for a similar outcome.

Ole Miss has been a bit of a darling in the college baseball mediasphere, as many have long dreamed on what this roster was capable of at its peak. It was hard to gauge what that peak actually was, however, as it trudged its way to a 15-15 record in SEC play, finishing ninth, just one spot better than its predicted finish by the preseason league coaches poll.

Some weeks looked better than others, but it never looked all that bad. The Rebels have been in the fight all year long, knowing they have the frontline pitching and the power that can keep them in any game. That thrust them into the “dark horse” seat for the NCAA Tournament as a dangerous two-seed in the Lincoln regional.

After a successful trip to the Midwest and a quick two-game pitstop on The Plains, it’s now back to the Cornhusker State. This is Bianco’s third trip to the CWS at the helm of Ole Miss — will it result in bringing a second trophy back to Oxford?

Journey to Omaha

While the Rebels were pegged by many as a two-seed to look out for, it certainly wouldn’t have surprised anyone if their season came to an end in Lincoln.

Host Nebraska was riding the high of bringing a regional back to Haymarket Park for the first time since 2008. Arizona State fell to the three line, but it was ranked in the Just Baseball top 25 for a good chunk of the season, and as Ole Miss would soon find out, the Big 12 program was ready to throw down, too.

Ole Miss-ASU was the last game to finish on the opening day of the tournament. The pair engaged in a 14-inning battle that lasted nearly five hours. After six scoreless innings knotted up at 6-6, Brayden Randle slapped a walk-off single through the right side to send the Rebels to the winner’s bracket.

Somehow using just three pitchers in that marathon, Ole Miss was still in a good spot when it faced Nebraska on Saturday. Led by righty Taylor Rabe, it again received standout pitching and broke through with some late offense en route to a 6-3 win.

In the catbird seat, the Rebs again were tasked with vanquishing the Sun Devils. They only needed 10 innings this time around. A Dom Decker sacrifice fly walk-off made it 5-4 and sent his team back to a super regional for the first time in four years.

What awaited was an Auburn team that dropped the opening game of its home regional but still managed to claw all the way back and defeat Cinderella team Milwaukee. Yes, the Tigers were the tournament’s No. 4 overall seed, but they appeared a tad worse for wear than their SEC counterparts.

Ole Miss played sound baseball and leaned on its strengths, winning game one 6-4 and game two 5-3. Two home runs in each game were the difference as Auburn struggled to get in gear at the plate. Veteran first baseman Will Furniss delivered the go-ahead two-run bomb in the bottom of the eighth in game two. Just Baseball All-SEC Team selection Walker Hooks recorded the final out in both victories as the Rebs advanced to the CWS.

Expectations for the College World Series

Ole Miss’s 107 home runs rank tied for 14th in all of Division I. Its 657 strikeouts at the plate are the second-most in the nation. Its 688 strikeouts on the mound are also the second-most nationally. That about tells you all you need to know.

It should be noted that power-heavy lineups prone to swinging and missing don’t exactly play all that well at Charles Schwab Field, but the Rebels have shown that they can win tight games where pitching tells the tale.

This is a veteran group that knows how to find ways to win. The added pressure that comes with playing for a national title shouldn’t faze Bianco’s club.

As the other four SEC teams in Omaha will go toe-to-toe with each other, Ole Miss finds itself on the other side of the bracket. First up is a monster matchup vs. North Carolina on Friday night. The Tar Heels are the lone ACC team standing and will bring some elite pitching to the table. The winner will face the winner of Troy vs. West Virginia.

If the Rebels are able to return to the championship round, they would be guaranteed to play an SEC team. Of note, they lost two of three to Georgia, Texas and Alabama in the regular season.

Ole Miss, like the other seven teams in Omaha, will feel like it has a legit chance at winning a national title. Without question, it has the pitching and the veteran prowess that can take it back to the top. If it finds it can actually put the ball over the fence and cut down the strikeouts, then good luck knocking this team out.

Players To Watch

LHP Hunter Elliott

You’ll recall the wily left-hander started the game that brought Ole Miss its first national title in program history back in 2022. The last of a dying breed, Hunter Elliott is still hanging around and will likely close his college career with a second trip to Omaha.

It’s one thing when a coach tries to instill the CWS experience into his team, but it’s another thing when a player on the roster can attest. Whenever Elliott takes the ball next, it’ll be his 56th appearance as a Rebel. His 5.15 ERA this season is not stellar, but throw that out the window from here on. Elliott knows what it takes to get the job done on this stage.

3B Judd Utermark

The other veteran beacon on this roster, Judd Utermark has hit two home runs this postseason, building on his program-record tally that now sits at 51. He drove in four runs in the super regional vs. Auburn and is often at the center of things when all is going right for the Rebels. There’s no set of dimensions too big for the 6-foot-5, 250-pound bopper, and he’s likely got another big swing or two left in the chamber this month.

UTL Brayden Randle

Not the most notable player on the roster, the three-year Rebel is changing that thanks to some clutch moments so far this postseason. In addition to having the game-winning hit in the first win vs. Arizona State, Randle also showed some elite versatility in the super regional by making the move from middle infield to the outfield for the first time. He didn’t make an error and also had two more RBI singles in the first win over the Tigers. Randle has eight hits and five RBI in the tournament so far. Glue guy material.

RHP Taylor Rabe

If Elliott is the old cast-iron skillet that continues to cook for Ole Miss, then Rabe is the new stainless steel pan that works just as well, if not better. The 6-foot-6 sophomore has been the star on the mound for the Rebs through two weekends, allowing just 3 runs while striking out 17 over 13 innings. After starting the season in the bullpen, the draft darling now has a 3.71 ERA and looks to be the thoroughbred that will toe the rubber first and let it rip for 100-plus pitches this weekend.