Rebels confident infield-to-outfield moves offer quality lineup option

OXFORD | Anthony Servideo doesn’t remember the last time he played outfield in a game, but he guesses it was around 10 years old during summer ball.

Tim Elko knows he did it a little bit in high school and as a third option when necessary this past summer. Chase Cockrell and Jacob Adams started 52 games and 48 games, respectively, last season and none of those came in the outfield.

However, as this season nears for the No. 10 Rebels, those players are some of the main candidates, along with Carl Gindl, to join Thomas Dillard and Ryan Olenek — a converted catcher and a converted infielder — in the Ole Miss outfield.

The Rebels under Mike Bianco have a long history of successfully moving infielders to the outfield. Jordan Henry, Will Golsan, Tim Ferguson and others have transitioned quickly, and this time it’s a necessity because of the the challenge of putting the right mix of offense and defense on the field.

“(Elko) has (looked natural), along with Cockrell and we mentioned Servideo being great, as well,” Bianco said. “Infielders usually pick it up pretty quickly. Olenek did it. Kyle Watson has done it. Guys who haven’t played it but we threw them out there and they did well. Good athletes can usually figure it out quickly.”

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Servideo and Adams are in competition at second base, but the whole puzzle could dictate things as much as the individual pieces. Servideo, who was a spark late last season and is the heir apparent to Grae Kessinger at shortstop, is arguably the best defender wherever he plays, and Adams, somewhat quietly, had the third best on-base percentage among regulars and had a 70 percent stolen base success rate in 2018.

The outfield repetitions for Servideo are currently secondary, as he works primarily in the infield and then shags balls and does defensive work in center.

“It feels comfortable even though it’s different,” Servideo said. “You don’t really think. Just go run around and catch the ball. There’s no challenge really. I’m comfortable everywhere. I just play and react and have fun with it.”

Servideo hit .391 this past summer with the Baltimore Redbirds, and 16 of his 43 hits were for extra bases including eight triples.

For Elko and Cockrell, corner outfield is the added option to designated hitter for them to get a consistent role in the lineup. Cockrell is in his third season and boasts as much raw power as anyone on the roster. He carried Ole Miss early last season before cooling off as league play and postseason arrived, finishing eighth on the team in conference-only total bases.

Elko, who was the Rebels’ highest rated position player in his signing class, started this past summer with the Baltimore Redbirds 1-for-21 but finished on a torrid streak to get his average back close to .300. He had a hit in 13 of his last 14 games and totaled 15 extra base hits for the summer. His body has improved, and he seems as poised as anyone for a breakout second season — putting to rest a .251 freshman average in limited at-bats.

“Just trying to relax and do my thing,” Elko said. “I think I put some pressure on myself my freshman year and this past fall I calmed down and played how I know I can play.”

With the season 16 days away, Bianco is still spreading the repetitions around and getting as many players as many at-bats as possible. Necessary tinkering will continue during the early weekends, and a platoon or two isn’t out of the question as the situations sort themselves out.

“The deal is figuring out who the best nine are, and right now that’s really hard,” Bianco said. “I don't remember a year — and I’ve been a part of three national championships — where we just had too many players… Last year we played well offensively and moved guys around. We kept people happy, and when you’re having success that’s easier. We’re not worried right now about who is starting in right field or wherever. Just get better each day and it’ll work out.”