On the rebound, revamped Ole Miss baseball announces 2024 schedule

An Ole Miss baseball team on the rebound announced on Wednesday its 2024 schedule.

The Rebels struggled mightily last season in defense of their first-ever national championship. Ole Miss magically won 10 of 11 postgame games in 2022 as the last team named to the field of 64. However, last season the Rebels missed the postseason entirely and finished with an ugly 25-29 (6-24 SEC) overall record. 

Ole Miss was aggressive in the transfer portal in the off-season. The headliner was coveted Arizona State infielder Luke Hill, who is poised to slide in for All-American Jacob Gonzalez at shortstop. Gonzalez was a first-round MLB Draft selection of the Chicago White Sox.

“It’s a perfect mixture of everything that I needed,” Hill said, in a previous interview with the Ole Miss Spirit. “It’s close to home, the coaches were awesome the second they started talking to me and the transparency was big. 

“It was the best fit for me when looking at my other options. When I went for the visit, it felt like home immediately.”

Hill in his only Arizona State season hit .317 with six home runs and 42 runs batted in. He slugged .456 and had an on-base of .389 in 54 games. Hill was an All-Pac-12 selection and finished with an .852 OPS, 23 walks, 11 doubles and just 42 strikeouts. He had a .938 fielding clip.

“I wanted the biggest stage, and the SEC provides that,” Hill said. “That’s everyone’s dream.”

Ole Miss is also getting back slugging infielder Ethan Lege. 

The Rebels, somewhat surprisingly, retained top-end arm Xavier Rivas through the draft, too, as well asstarting center fielder Ethan Groff.

Lege is likely in for a position switch, however. Ole Miss brought in Duke transfer Andrew Fischer to man third.

“As far as places of need and filling holes and checking boxes, we’re in a really good place,” Ole Miss hitting coach Mike Clement said.

Ole Miss in 2024 is set to play 31 games at Swayze Field. The Rebels welcome SEC East opponents South Carolina and Kentucky to Oxford. They’ll also host in-state rival Mississippi State. 

Ole Miss will open the year with a four-game set at Hawaii. The first game of the season is February 16, followed by a doubleheader a day later and the final game of the series February 18.

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Opening day at Swayze Field is February 21 against Arkansas State.

It’s the first of 13 straight home games. The Rebels host High Point February 23-25, Iowa March 1-3 and Morehead State March 8-10. Little Rock, Missouri State, and Memphis all visit for midweek matchups.

The Rebels travel to ULM March 12 before hosting South Carolina to open the always-challenging SEC slate March 15-17. The first of two games in Pearl (against Southern Miss) is set for March 19. They’ll travel to Tennessee for three March 22-24.

Austin Peay visits Ole Miss March 26. The Rebels welcome Kentucky (March 29-31) for the first time since 2019 and travel to Arkansas April 5-7. They welcome Mississippi State April 12-14.

Ole Miss during that stretch also has at Georgia (April 19-21), Alabama (April 26-28), Memphis (April 2), Murray State (April 9), Arkansas State (April 16) and North Alabama (April 23).

First pitch of the annual Governor’s Cup game between Ole Miss and Mississippi State is April 30 at Trustmark Park. Ole Miss and Auburn will play three on the Plains May 3-5. Texas A&M trips to Ole Miss May 10-12.

The Rebels’ final midweek game is May 14 at Southern Miss. The final regular season series is against LSU in Baton Rouge May 16-18. The annual SEC Baseball Tournament will be in Hoover, Alabama, from May 21-26.

All dates are subject to change due to television scheduling, which will be announced at a later date.