Ethan Groff has never played in the postseason during his college career, and the coveted transfer corner outfielder has chosen the reigning national champions to try to break that streak.

Ole Miss picked up Groff’s commitment on Sunday on the heels of the Tulane transfer taking an official visit to Oxford over the weekend. Groff chose the Rebels over Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish are in a coaching transition after Link Jarrett left for Florida State.

“It’s hard to put into words the tradition and family atmosphere at a place (like Ole Miss),” Groff said. “The coaches felt like family from the beginning and treated me well… They need an impact outfielder, whatever I can do to win games. It’s a winning program that goes to regionals every year. I’ve never made the postseason and want to do that.”

Groff hit .404 in 41 games and 39 starts before a season-ending thumb injury against UCF on April 30. The rising redshirt junior went hitless just six times. He had surgery to repair the thumb UCL tear in early May, and he’s been completely cleared medically for a few weeks now.

The offensive improvement from year to year was stark in all areas. In addition to the gaudy .212-point batting average increase, Groff hit 15 doubles (six in 2021), nine home runs (five in 2021), slugged .709 (.336 in 2021) and had an on-base percentage of .503 (.308). He stole seven bases in both seasons.

Groff has impressive pull power, and he also hits the ball well into the opposite-field gap. Groff committed one error and had four outfield assists.

Ole Miss has to replace left fielder Kevin Graham, who was drafted in the 14th round, and right fielder Kemp Alderman is a DH candidate if the Rebels have other corner outfield options.

Groff was high school teammates with former Ole Miss All-SEC member Ryan Olenek at Trinity Prep in Orlando, Florida. Olenek was a senior when Groff was a freshman.

“(Olenek) was big in pushing Ole Miss, and he was really excited when he found out,” Groff said.

Groff said he got an “overwhelming” amount of calls when he first entered the transfer portal. He heavily considered Notre Dame prior to Jarrett jumping to the Seminoles, and the relationship with Ole Miss recruiting coordinator Carl Lafferty and the Oxford visit solidified things for the Rebels.

Groff’s high school coach, Trevor Berryhill, gave Lafferty and the Rebels positive comments when Groff was making his decision.

“It was the right fit for me,” Groff said. “This love for the game doesn’t happen at many places. It was a dream come true when I walked into that facility in Oxford.”