Rebels win West as nucleus from 2017 letdown grows into elite team
Fifty weeks ago, Mike Bianco sat in his office, dissecting a season of freshmen fumbling and learning through a subpar year that didn’t include a postseason berth.
There were the platitudes and the examination that was still too raw to truly be enlightening, as he lamented the missed chances and the what-could-have-beens from a team a year away.
But amid the hour-long conversation that drifted into other areas and never settled on much of anything, Bianco took a second to peer into the future — and whether it was hope or knowing, he hit on foreshadowing that would turn into truth.
“The inexperience will turn into experience,” Bianco said. “Instead of wondering if we can win we’ll know it. We’ll have the tools to better handle a full season, and we’ll have these new faces then be leaders who won’t want to feel all this again.”
With a final, nervous win in Tuscaloosa, Bianco gets another banner and a check mark to that statement.
Ole Miss outlasted Alabama, 10-8, on Saturday, taking the series and using Georgia’s series win over Arkansas to win the SEC West and secure the No. 2 seed in the SEC Tournament. The Rebels (42-14, 18-12), won the most regular season games in school history and are six away from the overall program record.
“You have to enjoy this,” Bianco said. “We won a side of the toughest baseball conference in the country and I’m proud of our guys. “We won seven weekends in our league, and we are one of six teams to win 40 or more games three of the last five years. It’s been special, and it’s important for the kids to appreciate it, even though there’s work left to do.”
Ole Miss starts Hoover on Wednesday against No. 7 seed Auburn or No. 10 seed Kentucky. The Rebels will try to improve their already-impressive resume for national seed consideration. Ole Miss is No. 9 in the RPI as of Saturday afternoon which is fourth in the SEC behind Florida (No. 1), Georgia (No. 3) and Arkansas (No. 4).
However, Ole Miss has the top line in the most difficult division in the nation and — for whatever its worth — series wins over Arkansas and Georgia. The Rebels and Florida haven’t played this season. Home games in the postseason are especially important for Ole Miss, as its 28-4 at Swayze this season.
The final line to the pre-regional resume will take shape during the next week, but it’s worth the pause to acknowledge what is one of the most successful regular seasons in school history. The midweek and nonconference marks are program bests, and individual success stories dot the roster.
What happens from here is always the most important part of the story. That’s just fact. But it’s not all of it. With a break before the importance heightens, Bianco and others want to appreciate what’s occurred. And what he saw coming nearly a year ago.