Ole Miss Baseball Preview: Slugging Rebels have eyes set on Omaha

Ole Miss enters the 2022 college baseball season as the No. 5 team in the country, according to the D1Baseball rankings, and the Rebels will look to avenge last year’s team, which fell one win short of making it to Omaha. Ole Miss finished the 2021 season with a 45-22 overall record, losing to Arkansas in the finals of the SEC Championship, then once more to Arizona in the Tuscon Super Regional.

Ole Miss returns several key players on its roster. Overall, the Rebels boast 10 seniors and 16 juniors — key experience that could serve the program well heading into the 2022 postseason.

The Rebels will start their 2022 season on Friday against Charleston Southern. Before first pitch, On3 spoke with Jake Thompson to preview the roster and team expectations. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Jake Thompson covers Ole Miss for On3’s fan site OM Spirit. He can be reached on Twitter at @JakeThompsonOn3.

What would be your projected weekend rotation for Ole Miss, and who fits in as a midweek starter?

Earlier this week, we learned Ole Miss’ rotation for this weekend against Charleston Southern. It’s going to be returning right-hander Derek Diamond on Friday, new transfer from Texas A&M Corpus Christi John Gaddis on Saturday and another returner in Drew McDaniel on Sunday. Then, Oregon State transfer Jack Washburn is going to get the start in their first midweek game on Tuesday.

If I had to take a shot at what Ole Miss’ rotation would be in about a month, when the season really starts to heat up and they start conference play, I would say the first three would be your guys: Diamond, Gaddis and McDaniel. If not McDaniel, then maybe Washburn slides into one of those spots. At least, that’s my take on it, without seeing one pitch yet.

Which players will Ole Miss rely on coming out of the bullpen?

One word we’ve heard here through these preseason media ops and media days talking with coach Mike Bianco is depth. Depth is not something they said a whole lot last year when it came to their pitching staff, it was really top heavy with Doug Nikhazy, Gunnar Hoglund, Derek Diamond and McDaniel, the latter two having switched in and out of that third-man role on the rotation. So, after them, it was really unknowns. The bullpen struggled at times, especially towards the end of the season, as we saw against Arizona against those big bats in the Super Regional. But this year, those arms are a year older, and they’ve got some new pieces through recruiting and transfers.

Ole Miss high on true freshman Hunter Elliott, who’s from nearby Tupelo, Mississippi. They’re big on him, and he’s already expecting a big bullpen role. We might even see him this opening weekend. I could also see him transitioning into a midweek guy, especially in a week where you’ve got two midweek games instead of just one on schedule.

Wes Burton is another guy who’s a returner, along with Jack Dougherty. I expect to see both of those guys in big-time relief roles. Also, Brandon Johnson, I would see as Ole Miss’ closer right now. He’s a senior and has certainly earned the role.

Who is Ole Miss going to rely on to produce offense, and what can fans expect from the offense this season?

Ole Miss returns nearly all of its starters from the lineup last season. The infield and outfield are essentially in tact. I would expect one through nine to once again be potent. This offense is the same one that led the SEC last year. Ole Miss finally has a healthy Tim Elko after he hit seven home runs on one good knee last year, after coming back from an ACL injury. Elko has two healthy knees now, and he’ll be a big addition. I believe Peyton Chatagnier is another kid who was hindered by a hamstring injury, and I think he’s going to be more of a factor. Then, you’ve got Jacob Gonzalez, who was an All-American freshman last year. D1 Freshman of the Year. I expect him to take another big step, and there are a lot of high expectations for him. TJ McCants is another sophomore who had to be relegated to the outfield just to get playing time, just because Gonzalez has such a hold on shortstop. I see him taking another big step at the plate.

I think any of those guys I mentioned coming back from last year can and should make an impact. This offense can be deadly if they get those bats clicking.

Did anything stand out as a glaring weakness for Ole Miss last season? How might they fix that issue?

A lot of swings and misses, which they’ve been very self-aware about in terms of what they worked on in the fall and spring. Just trying to be more selective and have a better eye at the plate for certain pitches, especially curveballs. You’re not going to always just get fastballs right down the middle, especially with this offense. So, that’s something they’ve been working on — trying to have a better discipline at the plate. On the flip side, pitching-wise, they needed more swings and misses from their pitchers and didn’t really get that in the past. They had a lot of pitch-to-contact last year, which is what got them in trouble. That factor, on both sides of the plate, was a weakness, and I think one that they feel they’ve fixed up heading into the opening weekend.

What’s the ceiling for Ole Miss this season, and where do you see them finishing in SEC play?

It seems that at least the league coaches were very bullish on Ole Miss. They were picked to finish second in the SEC West and received four votes to win the SEC Championship this year. That may speak to having most of the offense coming back from a year ago. But I think the goal, and the ceiling, is really the same that it is every year: Omaha or bust. That’s kind of what this program has been about, especially since they got back there in 2014. Last year, they couldn’t make it past the Super Regional, and they got a game away from Omaha. I think Omaha is going to be it. Anything less is a major disappointment, especially with the lineup Ole Miss has coming back this year.

Who would be your early pick for team MVP?

I would say Jacob Gonzalez and then Tim Elko, with probably a handful of other guys that I’ve named coming in close seconds. But I would say Elko and Gonzalez are probably the two that you need to kind of be your MVPs and to lead things.

Who would be your early pick for Ole Miss’ newcomer of the year?

I can give you several. For pitcher, I would say its either John Gaddis, the transfer from Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Jack Washburn, the transfer from Oregon State, or Hunter Elliott, the true freshman. All three are slated to start this weekend, and being in a starting role for a newcomer could very well set them up for newcomer of the year. I can see those three taking that role. On the other side of the plate, Ole Miss has an infielder, Reagan Burford, a transfer from Northwest Florida State, who might be a spot starter off the bench. I can see him, if he gets the at-bats, he can take that newcomer of the year award as well.