Ole Miss baseball is back and the 2022 National Championship is in the rearview mirror
The first day of practice for the 2023 college baseball season occurred on Friday and defending national champion Ole Miss held its media day ahead of the first intrasquad scrimmage of the preseason.
As the loveable warthog Pumbaa from ‘The Lion King’ once said, ‘Leave your behind in the past.’ This is the mentality Ole Miss is taking whenever the Men’s College World Series, Omaha or the national championship is brought up.
Last season is in the history books and the page has been turned when it comes to living off the success of 2022.
With 20 new players on this year’s roster it makes it easier to turn the focus solely on 2023 and the task at hand.
Head coach Mike Bianco never worried about it becoming an issue.
“I never thought it would be different than that, personally,” Bianco said. “I’m not built that way. I think when we talk about athletes, I think that’s a lot of times for you guys. It’s for the fans, ‘Ah, hey. They’re still living in the past.’ Last year we talked about one of the reasons we had success is the guys didn’t live in the past.
“I think it’s great to be able to celebrate at the end and some of those things. So I haven’t been scared to do that or guarded to do that. I think that would be very, very unfair to not only the coaches, the players but to the fans. I think that’s so unreasonable to win a championship and put on a coaching hat and say, ‘Hey, we need to forget about that and move on to next year.'”
Ole Miss won the national championship in on June 26 and by early August they were back on campus focusing on what’s next.
The quick turnaround that comes with playing until the final game of the college baseball season necessitates the need to refocus and move on from what has been accomplished.
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Having 17 players returning with championship experience and experience of the ups and downs that was the 2022 regular season is also a benefit.
“Baseball’s weird because you always have to be doing something,” said pitcher Hunter Elliott. “You don’t get a lot of off time. You don’t get a lot of time to give your arm a rest. I think it’s pretty easy, honestly. It’s right back into the same routine kinda. You got to get ready to pitch in the fall.”
There is a new mentality entering this season. The Rebels finally brought home the hardware and the message has to change.
No longer is there the ‘have to get to Omaha again’ speech at the beginning of the year for Bianco. This season it is all about remember what was accomplished seven months ago, harnessing it without living completely in it.
“I think (it was easy) just because of how our locker room dynamic is with all our new guys and everything,” said second baseman Peyton Chatagnier. “They’ve obviously not experienced that. We talk about it and maybe it’ll be good lessons and pointers that we can point out to the new guys. But that’s something that’s easily like, ‘Hey, that’s behind us.'”
