Ole Miss baseball starts fall practice on Sept. 15 at Oxford-University Stadium, with the first intrasquad scrimmage of the new season on Sunday, Sept. 17.

“I think every fall is very similar to us in the sense that everybody is just anxious to get out on the field,” head coach Mike Bianco said. “A lot of the new kids were here in the summer, and we’ve been out there for about three-and-a-half weeks in skill work, but I think everybody is ready to put the uniform on and start to really practice.”

An experienced and well-seasoned group of Rebels will take the field Friday, including seven position players who made 30 or more starts last year and four pitchers with at least four starts. Five players were taken in the 2017 Draft, marking the 14th consecutive year at least four Rebels were selected, but the team welcomes in 14 newcomers that will suit up for the first time as Rebels.

“It’s always an exciting time for the players, but it’s an exciting time for the coaches as well because you get to see the improvements from the guys that are returning from last year, and certainly see the new recruiting class out on the field and everybody getting to work together as a unit,” Bianco said.

Fifteen Diamond Rebs are also returning from bouts in summer leagues across the country, where the offseason allows more action on the diamond. Three Rebels earned All-Star bids in their respective leagues, and one returning pitcher, Dallas Woolfolk, spent his summer with the Team USA Collegiate National Team after earning a bid through his performance last spring.

The 2018 schedule was released on Tuesday, and even though Ole Miss doesn’t officially kick off the season until Feb. 16 against Winthrop, fans will be able to see the Rebels in action for the first time this Sunday during their first intrasquad scrimmage. This year, all scrimmages will take place at Edwin Moak Field at Oxford Middle School due to renovations at Oxford-University Stadium, but they will still be open to the public. Stay tuned to OleMissSports.com and follow Rebel baseball on all social media platforms for schedule updates throughout the next six weeks.

“Even though the intrasquads are fun and competitive on the weekends, a lot of work is accomplished throughout each week just getting prepared for, ultimately, the spring,” Bianco said.
by Brandon Lee