{"id":21924,"date":"2015-02-10T08:02:43","date_gmt":"2015-02-10T13:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=21924"},"modified":"2015-10-20T12:54:19","modified_gmt":"2015-10-20T17:54:19","slug":"ole-miss-baseball-starts-february-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/ole-miss-baseball-starts-february-13\/","title":{"rendered":"Ole Miss Baseball Starts February 13"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CarverRayburnLocalAthleticsColHdr\"<\/a>Beer Showers. Heckling. Omaha.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chants of \u201cThrow it in the dirt!\u201d, sunny Spring afternoons, and lots of baseball.<\/span><\/p>\n

All of this and more are primed for reality. The 2015 Ole Miss Baseball<\/strong> season is set to begin on Februrary 13 when the Rebels host William & Mary<\/strong> for a three-game series. First pitches are scheduled for 4 pm (Friday), 1:30 pm (Saturday), and 1:30 pm (Sunday).<\/span><\/p>\n

\"ole-miss-baseball-beer-shower\"<\/a>Heading into his 15th year as head coach at Ole Miss, Mike Bianco<\/strong> continues to produce squads that overachieve and compete on the national level. Bianco, who signed a new four-year deal this past fall that pays him a base of $640,000, is 557\u2013323\u20131 at Ole Miss.<\/span><\/p>\n

What he did in 2014 paved the way for the extension. Ole Miss was picked to finish sixth in the SEC West<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

All Bianco and his staff did was direct an Ole Miss team to an SEC Western Division Title, to Omaha<\/strong> for the first time since 1972 where the Rebels <\/strong>fell in the semi-finals to Virginia<\/strong>, but left no doubt as to their intentions with a third-place finish at the College World Series<\/strong>. It was the best finish by an Ole Miss team in the College World Series since the 1956 team did the same.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Major League Baseball scouts took notice. Ole Miss saw nine players drafted in 2014, which included three All-Americans (Will Allen<\/strong>, Austin Anderson<\/strong>, and Auston Bousfield<\/strong>). While the success of these players showed in the draft, it was nothing new to Bianco.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his 24 years as either an assistant or head coach, Bianco has seen 113 players of his sign professional contracts with 21 of them making Major League rosters.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rebs Ranked No. 18 by USA TODAY\/ESPN<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"OleMissBASEBALLCelebratesSunday\"<\/a>
2014 was Ole Miss Baseball\u2019s best year since 1972.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ole Miss will begin 2015 ranked in one of the three major polls. USA Today<\/em> has the Rebels at No. 18 and for 2015, the Rebels will look again to the mound for support. Veterans Sam Smith<\/strong> and Christian Trent<\/strong> look to be solid weekend starters. Smith, a senior right-handed pitcher started 18 games for Ole Miss in 2014 going 5\u20134 with a 3.61 ERA. He struck out 54 batters and walked just 21 on the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Junior southpaw Trent returns after a stellar 2014 season where he went 9\u20130 with a 2.01 ERA. The Louisiana native\u2019s strikeout to walk ratio was an impressive 86:20.<\/span><\/p>\n

The third starter for the Rebels on weekend rotations has yet to be determined. Pitching Coach Carl Lafferty<\/strong> has alluded to two potential candidates in Junior College transfer Sean Johnson<\/strong> and sophomore Brady Bramlett<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Johnson is listed at 6-feet, 7-inches and the right-handed Iowa pitcher can throw a fast ball in the low 90s, has a good curve and developing change up that has given intersquad players fits.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bramlett, who sat out last year after Tommy John surgery, has emerged a consistent right-handed threat. In 2013, Bramlett went 5\u20131 and posted a 3.01 ERA.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leading the charge after a monumental offensive season for Ole Miss is first baseman Sikes Orvis<\/strong>. The senior was selected as an All-SEC first-teamer after belting 14 homers, driving in 53 runs, and scoring 40 times. Orvis has been named a preseason All-American by Baseball America<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Season tickets are still available for purchase starting at $100. Call 888.REB.TKTS or go to olemisstix.com<\/span> for more information. \"The<\/a>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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