'What else is there to focus on?': Ole Miss baseball is well aware of the opportunity in front of them
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Here we are once again. The elusive punched ticket that gets a college baseball team to Omaha and the College World Series is staring Ole Miss in the face for a third straight season.
The past two seasons (2019, 2021) Ole Miss has secured that one win in a Super Regional and in need of one more. The past two tries that second victory has gone by the wayside.
It happened against Arkansas at Baum-Walker Stadium in 2019 and against Arizona last season in the winner-take-all Game 3.
For the first time since the 2009 Super Regional Ole Miss grabbed a hole of the 1-0 lead after beating Southern Mississippi 10-0 on Saturday.
Not only has Ole Miss as a program been in this position the previous two seasons, this near exact team has been within reach of the brass ring and a berth to the College World Series.
There is no need to search for, or manufacture, motivation for Ole Miss come Sunday.
“I mean what else is there to focus on?” said Kevin Graham. “What do you come here for other than being right here? Focus isn’t the issue. Just ready to go out and play tomorrow.”
A month ago the NCAA Tournament seemed like a lost opportunity to a wasted season with Ole Miss dead last in the SEC. The thought of getting to the College World Series was not even an afterthought. It did not exist.
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Still, Ole Miss got into the postseason and has posted a 4-0 record through the Regional and a game into the Super Regional in emphatic fashion.
Midway through this season during the April swoon the fate of head coach Mike Bianco’s tenure at Ole Miss was in heavy discussion.
Missing the postseason was thought of as a sure-fire final nail in the coffin of the Bianco era after 22 seasons and only one trip to the College World Series.
Now, the Rebels are in the driver’s seat in Hattiesburg, needing to win only one more game while Southern Mississippi must win the next two. Bianco has the opportunity take Ole Miss to Omaha a second time in the last eight years.
It would also be the second straight time Ole Miss did so by winning on the other team’s field.
“I don’t think they’re going to look too far ahead. They know what’s at stake,” Bianco said. “You don’t have to remind them.”
Now, it all comes down to Sunday. Ole Miss has freshman Hunter Elliott taking the mound in what is his biggest start of his career, college or otherwise against Southern Mississippi ace Tanner Hall.
First pitch for Game 2 is set for 3 p.m. CT on Sunday.
