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Ole Miss baseball’s Luke Hill embracing challenge of leading without a captain

Ben Garrettby:Ben Garrett•02/14/25•

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Ole Miss infielder Luke Hill

Ole Miss baseball has always had a players-chosen team captain under long-time head coach Mike Bianco. 

But not in 2025.

The Rebels are trying something different after back-to-back losing seasons. Ole Miss won its first-ever national title two years ago.

“It’s a little bit different,” veteran infielder Luke Hill said. “Everyone here knows there’s yearly a captain. I don’t want that to define this team. There’s multiple captains. Hunter Elliott and our whole weekend rotation are leaders. I believe I’m a leader. Will Furniss is a leader. But they’re not any more leaders than I am or I’m not any more than they are. It’s going to help us a lot in the long run.”

Hill’s first Ole Miss season couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start. He wasn’t hitting and his defense at short was suspect. Adding insult to injury were social media screenshots circulated last February of what appeared to be Hill ripping into his new school.

The solve was simple: Hill put his head down and went to work — both as a player and in rebuilding trust in and around the Ole Miss locker room. By season’s end he was one of Rebel baseball’s few success stories.

“Things didn’t get off to a great start for him because of the (off-the-field) stuff,” Ole Miss hitting coach Mike Clement said. “He’s super comfortable in his own skin now and is comfortable in Oxford and at Ole Miss. Really won some brownie points with how he acted this summer and just being solid. He deserves a ton of credit.”

Hill was one of a handful of transfers brought in by Ole Miss last season. 

Andrew Fischer (Duke) emerged as a fan favorite and the team’s best hitter. Liam Doyle (Coastal Carolina) became a mainstay in the weekend rotation. They both transferred to Tennessee. Doyle was announced as the Volunteers’ Friday starter. 

Hill didn’t go anywhere. He didn’t even entertain transferring, really — another indicator of how far he’s come as a Rebel. Hill last season was second of all Rebels in batting average (.291) and hits (57). He had seven extra-base hits, three home runs, 27 RBI and a .404 OBP.

“It was different,” Hill said of the summer. “Things happened for a reason. Here at Ole Miss you have your fans, your atmosphere and it’s the best place on earth. When I look back at that summer it was hard. But when you look at that stuff, it makes you value the things you have. 

“I didn’t take it for what it was worth at the beginning. I realized how special it is to be here and how much of an opportunity and how much of a blessing it is for Oxford to have me and allow me to play baseball here. We did a really good job vocalizing that to other people and spreading that word out that Oxford is a place to be. I’ll firmly stand on that. I firmly believe it.”

Ole Miss opens its season Friday against Arizona at 3 p.m. CT on FloSports.

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