2023 College Top 25 Preview: No. 10 Mississippi

Final season: 42-23 (14-16 in SEC), received nationwide title
Ultimate rating: No. 1
Coach (report in school): Mike Bianco (864-485-1, 22 seasons)

The excellent news: Ole Miss final season received this system’s first nationwide championship in gorgeous style, going from one of many final 4 groups within the NCAA Match subject to dogpiling in Omaha. Whereas some key gamers like captain Tim Elko and CWS most excellent participant Dylan DeLucia at the moment are gone, a robust core stays, led by shortstop Jacob Gonzalez and lefthander Hunter Elliott. The Rebels additionally welcome again second baseman Peyton Chatagnier and outfielder TJ McCants, each of whom might have gone to professional ball final summer season, and introduced in a robust class of newcomers, each of conventional recruits (No. 2) and transfers (No. 12). Put all of it collectively, and the Rebels have one other spectacular array of expertise.

The dangerous information: Whereas Ole Miss has a robust returning core, it does have some large holes to fill. Elko, Justin Bench and Kevin Graham have been program stalwarts who introduced large offensive manufacturing and management to the lineup. DeLucia was solely in Oxford for a yr, however rapidly turned integral to the workers. Discovering new leaders and constructing the type of chemistry that helped propel the Rebels in the course of the second half of the season takes time. Extra instantly, Ole Miss must discover a new formulation on the mound. It took the Rebels a lot of final season to search out the association that labored greatest, with DeLucia and Elliott main the rotation, resulting in Brandon Johnson on the finish of the sport. Search for newcomers Grayson Saunier and Xavier Rivas to rapidly tackle key roles on the mound, becoming a member of Elliott, Mason Nichols and Jack Dougherty.

Participant to know: Jacob Gonzalez, SS.

Gonzalez has starred at shortstop for the Rebels since arriving in Oxford two years in the past. He final season hit .273/.405/.558 with 18 dwelling runs and now enters this season among the many favorites to be the No. 1 draft choose. Gonzalez has all of the instruments scouts search for in a shortstop and he now would be the focus of the Rebels’ lineup.

Path to Omaha: Ole Miss took one of the uncommon paths to Omaha a yr in the past, so the Rebels understand how onerous it may be. However the Rebels have the expertise for a repeat journey to the CWS—and extra. To make it occur, they’ll want some new leaders to emerge to switch Elko and the opposite veterans. In the event that they discover these gamers and the pitching workers gels—ideally prior to it did a yr in the past—the Rebels appear to be a troublesome out. They once more determine to have a robust lineup and a stable protection, which ought to give the pitching workers time to spherical into form.