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OXFORD | Mike Bianco is back in the College World Series, and this one holds a special family significance.
This is the Ole Miss head coach’s seventh overall trip as a player and a coach and second as the leader of the Rebels, but in 2014, the last time Ole Miss advanced to the final eight, his daughter, Catherine, wasn’t in attendance.
The youngest of five children, Catherine was at summer camp that week eight years ago, so when the Rebels cliched the College World Series berth on Sunday with the 5-0 win over Southern Miss, Bianco took a picture with Catherine and shared it on social media, saying she would be in attendance this time.
Bianco doesn’t typically publicize personal moments on Twitter, but that one was meaningful to him. Catherine will be a freshman journalism major at Ole Miss in the fall. She was class president at Oxford High School.
"They live it with you when you’re a coach,” Bianco said of his children. “They live with the wins and losses. As a father, sometimes that’s unfortunate. I shared it on Twitter because I don’t share many personal moments.
“But that was one I think was cool because when I look back in 2014, I hadn’t seen (Catherine) in a couple weeks. Last time I saw her was before that super regional started and she was here and met the bus (when the Rebels returned from Omaha). I promised her we’d get back to Omaha. Didn’t think it would take seven (postseasons), but we’re back.”
Drew Bianco saw his season end with LSU in the Hattiesburg Regional, and Ben Bianco’s Louisville Cardinals fell to Texas A&M in the College Station Super Regional. Louisville went to the College World Series in 2019, but Ben Bianco redshirted that season.
Bianco played in the College World Series in 1989 with LSU and was an assistant coach for the Tigers in Omaha four times from 1993-1997, winning three national championships. Bianco was the third base coach when Warren Morris hit the walk-off home run against Miami in 1996.
Bianco’s Rebels went 2-2 in the 2014 College World Series and finished third nationally. Ole Miss lost to Virginia twice and beat Texas Tech and TCU.
Charles Schwab Field has been the home to the College World Series since 2011. Rosenblatt Stadium hosted the College World Series through 2010 and was demolished in 2012.
"It’s the pinnacle of College Baseball," Bianco said. "It’s the mountaintop and something everyone strives for every year. I don’t think that’s ever changed. The way Omaha has embraced the College World Series, that’s why it’s synonymous. People don’t say they want to go to the College World Series, they say they want to go to Omaha.
“You don’t do that without being a special place and the people in the community. They’ll have a lot of Ole Miss fans there, but it’s embraced so much by the city and those around the country. It’s like a bowl atmosphere. Just a neat place.”
The Rebels face Auburn at 6 p.m. on Saturday and will play their second game on Monday.
