Ole Miss didn’t need any further evidence or reminder about the importance of this offseason, but Sunday supplied more proof of the high bar the Rebels must attain.
The Southeastern Conference received eight host sites for the NCAA Tournament, a new record for one league and half of the 16 stadiums chosen around the country. That’s 57 percent of the SEC hosting a regional this weekend, while the Rebels’ season has been over for 10 days and counting.
Ole Miss, a year removed from a 14-16 regular season and a national championship (both things are relevant), the Rebels went 6-24 in the SEC, tying their worst mark since the conference schedule expanded to 30 games. Ole Miss was 25-29 overall, failing to win 30 games fo the first time since 1997.
Injuries played some role in it, considering Ole Miss was without its No. 1 starter and closer, but arm injuries are just part of it in today’s baseball world.
Depth and luck are both required for successful seasons, and the majority of the SEC teams hosting this weekend had significant injury issues during the season. They manage it effectively. Ole Miss can’t say the same. The problems extended beyond Hunter Elliott and Josh Mallitz.
Paul Skenes was the only SEC pitcher to average more than six innings per start. Only five averaged five innings or more per start. It’s about depth and surviving this ridiculous era of SEC offense. Ole Miss, to compete, needs both of those — pitching depth and its own version of a ridiculous offense.
Reasons for this will come in later content, but the SEC as a whole averaged 7.6 runs per game this season. That’s up more than a run per game since 2019. Home runs are up more than 60 percent since that season.
In addition to the eight hosts — three of which were rewarded despite only 16 SEC wins — Tennessee and Texas A&M will be two seeds when the field is announced on Monday. The Volunteers went 16-14 and are dangerous on paper, while the Aggies advanced to the SEC Tournament championship game and finished third nationally a season ago.
Missouri and Georgia made the SEC Tournament ahead of Ole Miss and Mississippi State, and both are looking for new head coaches. Missouri beat the Rebels two of three in Columbia, and Georgia was the only home SEC series win for Ole Miss. The Rebels are 8-22 in SEC home games the past two seasons with two series victories — Missouri and Georgia.
The Bulldogs have been to the College World Series four times since 2001 and finished second in 2008. This hire will show how invested Georgia is or isn’t in the sport, but the blueprint is there for success if the administration cares to use it.
Missouri is the worst job in the conference, a continent behind whichever job is 13th, and it’s arguably the hardest job in the country considering it plays in the SEC. Inside the league: worst weather, worst budget, worst facilities.
Firing Steve Bieser makes no sense unless there’s some commitment coming that’s unexpected. Mizzou has no margin for adversity, and injuries derailed what was a pretty decent roster.
It’s change for change sake most likely, but the point is Missouri is at least acting like it sort of cares. Alabama is probably the next worst job to Missouri, and it just won 40 games and is hosting with an interim head coach and a betting scandal around the program. Maybe it’s a one-off, but in this snapshot, it’s relevant.
There are no gifts in this league, simply a standard that teams meet or not. Ole Miss didn’t sniff it for the first time in more than two decades. Between the transfer portal, maintaining key pieces on the current roster and developing capable talent, it’s an offseason that can’t be overstated in its importance.
This is a new era in college baseball and especially in the SEC. Past proof of concept is somewhat meaningless, as teams, even more than in the past, stockpile talent and separate from most of the country. Maryland won the Big Ten regular season and tournament titles. Ole Miss took three of four from the Terrapins back in March, during an 8-1 stretch against that conference.
The transfer portal is open for business. The MLB Draft is the second week of July. Those are the bookends, as Ole Miss embarks on this six-week period to reshape is roster and, frankly, its trajectory.
The Rebels don’t have to look around to find the needed standard. It’s all over their neighborhood, and it’s on full display as the NCAA Tournament bracket gets revealed.
