An Ole Miss team that finally seized the moment
The resilient Rebels are headed to Omaha.
Mike Bianco was the last man standing on the field late Sunday afternoon.
After the celebration subsided and the stands emptied, a listener who was at the game sent me a photo of Bianco still lingering near the first base line. In the photo, he appears to be gripping a cell phone while gazing out at Pete Taylor Park where, 20 minutes prior and no more than ten yards to the left of where he stood, a celebratory dogpile ensued after his team bulldozed Southern Miss in the Hattiesburg Super Regional to cement the program’s second College World Series appearance since he took over the program in 2001.
I couldn’t help but wonder what Bianco was thinking in that moment. Maybe he wasn’t thinking anything. Maybe he was just taking a congratulatory phone call from a friend or family member before heading to wherever it was he needed to go next. Maybe none of it had sunk in yet. Or maybe Bianco began to reflect on a 2022 season that’s taken him, this team and the program he’s built to lows to which it had never stooped, as well as a peak its only reached on one other occasion — and this time, getting there required conquering obstacles that Ole Miss never had before defeated under Bianco.
Whenever that moment occurred for Bianco, when all it became real, I wonder if he reflected back on the numerous peaks and valleys of a rollercoaster ride of 2022 season that was always going to decide his future as the head coach at Ole Miss. Bianco claims he blocked out the criticisms and speculation, citing that he keeps his circle small, limits what he reads and exists in a cocoon of his own creation.
“I don’t, other than maybe when you walk out to the mound and someone yells ‘it’s too late now, Bianco,’” he said with a grin. “It’s tough for these players because their life is all about social media. I try to stay off of it. I am on Twitter, but I don’t follow many people. You learn in a hurry that if you don’t follow a lot of stuff, you don’t hear any of it. If you don’t read the comments, then you don’t hear it. That’s just me the coach. None of that is the husband, coach or father.
“I learned a long time ago that you can’t live in that world, but you do know it is out there because I can tell my loved ones see it. They don’t say anything to me about it, but I can see it on their faces. Personally, I try to stay away from it and I think I do a pretty good job of doing that.”
No matter how good Bianco is at insulating himself, he’s only human, and a perceptive one at that. And the volatility that this season brought with it makes it seem impossible he wasn’t acutely aware of both the criticism and the stakes. Expectations were sky high entering this 2022 campaign. For all intents and purposes, it was Omaha or bust. With an offense that led the SEC in hitting a year prior returning nearly intact, coupled with a pitching staff that possessed enough talent and returning experience to be competitive, it was up to Bianco and the Rebels to meet the moment.
That’s really what Ole Miss’ emphatic Super Regional victory, this dominant postseason run and entire season was about — seizing opportunity, or enduring the consequences of failing to do so. For the first three months of the season, the latter occurred far more often than the former. The Rebels made squandering opportunity an art as they engaged in a steep freefall from the No. 1 ranked team in the country to a 7-14 mark in SEC play with nine games remaining — the worst conference record at any point of Bianco’s 22-year tenure.
It also produced a predictable weekly script that agonized and perplexed fans, but also became unsurprising: a tremendous outing from Dylan DeLucia in a game one win, followed by two head-scratching losses — most of them usually ripe for the taking had the Rebels capitalized on opportunities. Ole Miss failed to take control of what seemed like a must-win series at a bad South Carolina team (on the heels of being swept at home by Alabama to bring their home SEC record to 0-6 at the time) despite an emphatic game one win, and numerous chances to take control of games two and three. The same script played out the next week at home against Mississippi State, and then the next week at Arkansas. A pair of terrific DeLucia performances the delivered wins were followed by bad situational hitting, defensive gaffes and the inability to grab a game and series by the throat.
As the Rebels left Fayetteville at 7-14 with all rational hopes of simply making the NCAA Tournament — never mind hosting or being a top eight national seed and coming close to lofty preseason expectations, was gone. Squandering opportunity appeared to be ingrained in this team’s DNA. It certainly looked as if that’s what they’d be remembered for.
In the postseason, the opposite has been true.
This team has taken on a different identity, which is what makes this run so remarkable to watch unfold. This run isn’t unthinkable because most thought the team to be capable of it, which was the source of frustration and bewilderment. The surprising element is how they’ve done it.
Talented teams underachieving and eventually turning it around isn’t uncommon in sports. But a team changing its perceived DNA certainly is, and that’s exactly what Ole Miss has done in the postseason. The Hattiesburg Super Regional was a great encapsulation of the transformation. Ole Miss scored 15 runs and needed just one home run to do it. The Rebels didn’t allow a run, made one error (on a pickoff play) over 18 innings and hit .313 with runners in scoring position.
As dominant as its looked, moments of resiliency have comprised this run too. Pushed to the brink, this version of Ole Miss has refused to wilt and instead returned with its most potent punch. This team has seized the opportunity.
The Rebels entered the 2022 postseason 0-16 in games that it trailed in the 6th inning or later. They are 2-0 in that department during this run — both of which came in the first two games of the Coral Gables Regional to spark this run.
They overcame a horrific situational hitting gaffe in the 6th inning against Miami ace Carson Palmquist by plating two very next frame that ousted Palmquist and won the game. The entire rally was sparked with two outs. That’s the difference with this group. After one opportunity missed, the Rebels have
They overcame a pair of missing a pair of two-on, no-out opportunities in each of the first two innings against USM ace Tanner Hall, who was every bit as good as advertised. Hall’s changeup was an incredibly hard puzzle to solve. Despite it, Ole Miss didn’t blink, continued to apply the pressure and bested Ferris Award Winner to cement an Omaha birth.
The wins over Palmquist and Hall are precisely what’s different about this team. For most of the year, Ole Miss struggled to hit top-end pitching and didn’t play good enough defense to win even if their own pitching was just as good as the opponent’s. Based on the regular season, I didn’t believe Ole Miss could consistently win the tough, low-scoring games against a great starting pitcher. Now, it almost seems expected. These resilient Rebels are playing as well and as confidently as anyone left in this tournament. And yes, they can win the whole thing.
Pitching is fueling that confidence
You have to believe the dominance of the pitching staff is playing a role in the offense’s resurgence. Earlier in the year, when Ole Miss couldn’t string together back-to-back scoreless innings to save its life, a couple of hitters hinted that they were pressing because they felt like they had to score every inning to remain in the game. Now? Two runs would’ve won them a Super Regional.
The pitching staff is not only the strength of this team, it’s reached a level dominance seldom seen in the NCAA Tournament. Look across the country at the scores the last two weeks. Runs are up compared to year’s past, home runs are up, walks are up. Yet Ole Miss has allowed 11 runs in five games. Elliott and DeLucia have reached the 6th inning in each of their four combined starts. The bullpen has covered 16.2 innings in the postseason and has allowed 0 earned runs, 7 hits, 25 strikeouts and two walks. Southern Miss collected just seven hits in the series.
What Hunter Elliott Did on Sunday is as dominant of a postseason performance as you’ll see this year on a big stage and will go down as one of the most remarkable starts in Ole Miss history. With a College World Series birth at stake, on the biggest stage. Elliott grabbed the game by the throat and removed all doubt. The true freshman delivered a career long in start length and in strikeouts. He scattered three hits, did not issue a walk and fanned 10 Golden Eagles. Elliott dared batters to square up his fastball. His breaking ball was as sharp as it’s looked all season and was nearly impossible for left-handed hitters to offer at, much less make contact with.
He did all of this with a composure that is uncharacteristic of freshman while also clearly an innate trait of Elliott’s that he’s shown all season. Elliott wears the jersey No. 26, rocks long hair and throws with his left-hand. His appearance and performance have naturally drawn comparisons to Doug Nikhazy, the most important player on two teams that fell one game short of Omaha. While those comparisons felt unfair and impossible to live up to, no one told Elliott that. He’s carving out his own role of being the most important player on a team three wins away from playing for a national title. Ole Miss isn’t still playing baseball without Hunter Elliott. In all likelihood, this team's season might have ended in the third week of May without him. That performance will live on as one of the greatest and most dominant on a big stage in program history.
Dylan DeLucia’s importance to this team shouldn’t be undersold, either, as its allowed Elliott to thrive in that game two slot. As you all know and have seen before, there’s something different about Fridays and Saturdays in the SEC. Whether it was Christian Trent in 2015 versus 2014, Nikhazy’s stint on Friday before returning to what was dubbed Doug Day, and a few other examples, it’s hard to be the anchor of a staff, which is what makes DeLucia’s emergence so critical.
Not long ago, this team’s pitching output was so bad an unsustainable that Bianco abandoned the concept of starting pitching all together heading into the Kentucky and Alabama series. Ole Miss was searching for anything that made it competitive on the mound. From the time he got the chance to make his first career start in Lexington, DeLucia seized the opportunity and became the foundation upon which this pitching staff was rebuilt. He’s served so many valuable roles for Ole Miss. He became a legitimate Friday night ace, an innings eater and a rubber arm that the Rebels rode heavily to preserve the bullpen for the remaining two games of series. At one point, DeLucia tossed nearly 460 pitches in a four-week stretch. He pitched on both sides of a rain-suspended win at LSU that was vital in setting up the sweep. His durability is perhaps his greatest strength. On Saturday, he muscled through 5.2 innings despite not having his sharpest stuff, kept Southern Miss off the scoreboard (even if just by a few feet on the right side of a foul pole) and allowed the Rebels to issue the knockout blow via a seven-run 6th inning. Ole Miss made it through a Super Regional needing just four pitchers thanks to the length Elliott and DeLucia provided. What used to be the a weakness that resembled a death knell is now this team’s overarching strength, and DeLucia served as the foundation upon which it was built.
The 5th inning of game one was yet another example of this team’s opportunistic nature.
Ole Miss clung to a 3-0 lead. DeLucia retired the first two hitters he faced in the frame with ease. Then came a walk followed by another. An infield single loaded the bases. Reece Ewing, one of the most important hitters in the Golden Eagles lineup despite being mired in a late season slump, punished a 1-2 fastball that drifted too far over the middle of the plate. The ball sailed at the right field foul pole and appeared to be a grand slam that gave the Golden Eagles the lead and took the wind out of the Rebels’ sails. You know the rest, the ball was confirmed to be a couple of feet foul upon review. What Ole Miss did next mirrors the theme of this postseason. Given another opportunity, the Rebels made the most of it. DeLucia rectified his mistake and whiffed Ewing on the next pitch to escape the jam. The offense put up seven runs, ejected USM starter Hurston Waldrep in the process and removed the game from hanging in the balance.
When given an opportunity, this Ole Miss team has cashed in. The Rebels were the last team awarded a bid into the NCAA Tournament, and now they are one of the final eight standing. A season that appeared destined to be defined by missed opportunities and what could’ve been now has everyone wondering what could be. And it’s because of the resolve of this confounding yet resilient group.
I wonder what Bianco was thinking as he stood out on the field on Sunday afternoon.
His team that won a road regional for the first time since he took over as head coach achieved another first by punching their ticket to Omaha in two games. Bianco’s built this program from the ground up. He’s also faced criticism both fair and unfair rooted in a lack of postseason success. It was no certainty Bianco be the head coach next year without two wins at Pete Taylor Park. Most of that due to him 1-5 in Super Regionals and 1-8 in games to get to Omaha entering the weekend. His seventh try was met with the least resistance as the Rebels emphatically kicked down the door. That’s why this run feels like a redemption tour more so than an improbability. It’s both a validation of the potential of this team and the program Bianco has built. This run has filled what was lacking on Bianco’s resumé: winning a road regional, winning a Super Regional a return trip to the College World Series. Perhaps it’s only fitting it all happened after being the last team in the field.
And it doesn’t sound like this team is done making the most of that opportunity. Bianco had former Major Leaguer and Ole Miss great Chris Coghlan speak to the team after the Arkansas series when this team was at rock bottom. Coghlan challenged them to remain together and be undeterred in pursuit of the goals they set before the season, even if the path looked bleak.
“He challenged the guys,” Bianco said. “Don’t you dare change your goals. Don’t hope to get to the SEC Tournament or into the NCAA Tournament. He challenged them to not even just hope to get to Omaha. He told them their job is to win the National Championship. That was your goal. Why would you let someone talk you out of your goal?”
Ole Miss swept Missouri the next weekend as this run historic took flight.
Maybe that’s what Bianco was thinking: that the redemption tour isn’t over yet. Undeterred in his belief that this team’s potential has yet to be fully realized.
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