Five Rebels who excelled during summer baseball leagues

Summer collegiate baseball leagues are wrapping up around the country, and players are headed back to their respective schools for fall reporting during the next week or two. After 60-plus games regular seasons, a lot of players add another 30 or so to their workload during summer ball.

It would be an error to take summer stats overly serious, as it's like spring training in a way. Things are being worked on -- including new defensive positions, at times -- and it's more about development and scouting than winning.

Nonetheless, here are five Ole Miss players who did good things during the summer, and it's possible that carries over during 2019 with the Rebels.

Gindl, a rising sophomore outfielder, hit .383 in just more than 100 at-bats this summer for co-champion Baltimore. The left-handed hitter had eight doubles and stole 20 bases while striking out 16 times in 118 plate appearances. He also hit .400 in the playoffs, helping Baltimore to the championship series.

He didn't have a hit in six at-bats during his freshman season at Ole Miss but was capable as a pinch runner and late-inning defensive sub. With Ole Miss potentially having questions to answer in the outfield, Gindl's speed is a plus if he can handle the bat. The Cal Ripken League has made leaps in past seasons from a talent standpoint, and Parker Caracci used success there as a springboard for 2018. Gindl's summer isn't a bunch of cheap stats, and it should give him the confident to legitimately enter the outfield competition in fall ball.

[FOR SUBS: Others who didn't perform as well this summer]

Servideo one-upped Gindl and hit .391 for the Redbirds, who went 31-9 to easily win the division. Sixteen of Servideo's 43 hits were extra bases including an absurd eight triples in 110 at-bats. He stole 11 bases and led the team with 29 RBIs. Servideo also hit three home runs in the league championship series.

The rising sophomore played sparingly in the regular season but was known for his defensive skills in the middle infield. He emerged after Grae Kessinger's ankle injury in the SEC Tournament and played well in the field while showing quality at-bats at times, as well.

He's expected to challenge Jacob Adams for the second base spot and then move to shortstop once Kessinger is done as a Rebel. Considering his future is in the middle infield, there's at least a little hesitancy about trying to shift him out to center field for 2019.

Parker Caracci was a late add to the United States Collegiate National Team, but he proved head coach Paul Mainieri correct, throwing 9.2 innings without allowing an earned run. Team USA took series from Chinese-Taipei, Japan and at Cuba, and Caracci was particularly instrumental in the wins over Japan. He impressed the coaching staff and scouts with his demeanor and toughness, and he finished off a storybook individual season with summer success.

Caracci's breaking ball has improved, and from a stuff standpoint he should be better in 2019. He has experience and will return as one of the top relievers in the country.

Ole Miss lost all three weekend starters and while there are three incoming pitcher who will seriously compete for those spots, I expect several returning relievers or midweek arms to elevate into the primary pitching roles. That leaves substantial relief innings for a group that is possibly headlined by Cioffi.

He allowed a .175 batting average against and a 1.96 ERA in 23 innings as a true freshman, handling himself well in key situations. He only threw 17 innings this summer with Albany, but he was lengthened and pitched at least four innings on three different occasions. He never pitched fewer than two innings in an appearance.

He has the ability to develop three pitches and go through the lineup more than once, so that was good practice for a vital role that is likely vacant with the Rebels. Cioffi struck out 18 and walked five during the summer. He also had a 0.97 WHIP going into his final appearance.

The Perfect Game Collegiate League is a step down from some others, but it served a great purpose for Houston Roth last year and may have done the same for Cioffi this summer.

Going into the summer, I pointed at Elko as one of the more critical players as it pertains to confidence and development before his sophomore season. The overall numbers for him aren't great but are serviceable at .283 with 25 strikeouts in 151 plate appearances. However, he started the season 1-for-21, causing the stats to stay skewed no matter what happened from that point.

He had a hit in 13 of his last 14 games and only had one instance of back-to-back hitless games following that horrid streak to start the summer. Elko had 15 extra base hits including 10 doubles and should take some confidence into an important fall.

A corner infielder or designated hitter, Elko was the top position player in the 2017 class but lost out on playing time, as Tyler Keenan excelled and others were more consistent at other positions. Elko hit .216 in 51 at-bats as a freshman, and Ole Miss needs him to be a vital part of the offense moving forward. He's too talented to not take a step at some point.