OXFORD | Swayze Field had its usual sights and sounds under a lightly-clouded sky and surrounded by mid-80s temperatures, creating a picturesque setting for the final weekend game of the season.
Former All-American Seth Smith was on hand to sign autographs and lead the first-inning hotty toddy. Senior Day featured references to last year’s national title and the notable recent success of the Ole Miss program.
The peripherals were all at their peaks and provided a wonderful backdrop for SEC baseball.
It also provided a stark contrast to the play on the field -- and the season that’s become a landmine following the pinnacle achievement fewer than 11 months ago.
Auburn beat Ole Miss 13-4 on Saturday, capping off a one-sided weekend of Tiger baseball dominance. The Tigers outscored the Rebels, 37-10, over the three games, moving to 14-13 in the SEC and winning their 30th game overall.
Ole Miss, now 25-26, is on its way to its worst conference season since at least the 7-23 mark in 1997. That’s also the last time the Rebels didn’t reach 30 wins in a season — a streak that was the longest in the SEC.
The Rebels are 6-21 in the SEC and officially eliminated from SEC Tournament consideration. The season will end next weekend in Tuscaloosa. It’s the third time Ole Miss will miss Hoover under Mike Bianco and the first team since the tournament expanded beyond eight teams.
"At the end of the day, we don't do the math and I didn't know that was the deal," Mike Bianco said. "You just keep playing, let the chips fall where they may. I've never been here, losing record this late, lot of first for all of us, it's about me, but obviously it's been tough."
While it’s been obvious for at least a couple weeks, the attention turns toward the offseason and making this an anomaly instead of a trend. Ole Miss, 3-12 at home in the SEC this season, has won just eight of its last 30 league contests at Swayze Field.
Injuries, talent, development, management and production are all partly responsible for this season. A thorough after-action report should include issues and corrections for every aspect of the program. No stone can be unturned after a single-digit league record.
There are hard decisions to make with the roster and who’s back and who decides to come back and who the Rebels want back. There’s a 35-man roster, and it’s never been more important to have workable depth throughout the dugout.
The Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft is July 9-11 in Seattle, and Ole Miss will be particularly interested in four high school signees — shortstop Cooper Pratt (No. 29 prospect nationally per Perfect Game), catcher Campbell Smithwick (No. 61) and pitchers Zander Meuth (No. 27) and Josh Knoth (No. 37).
Several current players are also in line for decisions with whether to return or start their pro careers. Kemp Alderman, Jacob Gonzalez and Calvin Harris should be drafted early enough to make signing the logical conclusion. Hunter Elliott’s recovery timeline will be the conversation in the preseason.
Before that, and even more importantly, Ole Miss has to use the transfer portal to elevate its options. The approach is two-pronged. The Rebels have to identify mid-major prospects who can excel in the SEC. Sonny DiChiara and Colton Ledbetter both came to the league without national fanfare from Samford and excelled immediately.
Misses in the portal have to be few and far between. It’s just reality when the sample size is so small. The other area is securing elite prospects and players through nationally competitive NIL packages.
"Matching the intangibles is the toughest (with a transfer)," Bianco said. "Usually you can tell if a kid can hit or pitch. How they are going to fit your team or respond in this league -- this league is tough -- that's another thing. A lot to it besides his fastball."
The Rebels don’t have to equal LSU’s spending, but they need to be in the conversation for some of the top portal targets nationally. The SEC has never been more talented. Sources said on Saturday that Ole Miss is in line to have a sufficient enough war chest to be impactful in this way.
It’s a new era of college baseball. Programs can be remodeled and renovated in an offseason if money and recruiting are there. Ole Miss needs to be one of the more active teams, looking for numbers and talent, so it’ll be a storyline to see how the staff handles that combination.
Last season, the lengthy stay in Omaha somewhat harmed Ole Miss’ recruiting efforts, considering visits and substantive momentum with many of the top options happened during those dozen days.
The Rebels also didn’t have a complete handle on the absurdity but very true lengths some programs went to tamper and take care of signees, draftees and portal additions. It's just reality in 2023.
The mission is now directly in front of Ole Miss, and the time to ramp up the effort is now. The Rebels are mathematically flat-lined, and Saturday’s showing points toward the future being much more consequential than those three days in Tuscaloosa.
