Ruby DraayerOle Miss baseball will open the 2021 season with its highest preseason ranking in more than a decade. The team is ranked No. 4 in the Baseball America preseason poll, and the Rebels have also been recognized in top-five rankings from Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game. The ranking stands as the highest preseason ranking since the 2008 season when the team also held the No. 4 spot.
The Rebels join fellow SEC programs such as No. 1 Florida in the top teams with No. 6 Vanderbilt, No. 8 Mississippi State and No. 10 Louisiana taking the lower ranks. Other SEC teams included in the top-25 poll are No. 14 Arkansas, No. 18 South Carolina, No. 19 Tennessee and No. 25 Alabama rounding out the poll.
Prior to the 2020 baseball season being cut short last March, Ole Miss was on a 16-game winning streak and tied for the best record in the nation. The Rebels finished the shortened season 16-1, with a lone loss in the season opener series against No.1 Louisville. The series ended 2-1, with Ole Miss coming out on top.
The Rebels closed out the 2020 season ranked fifth nationally. The team also led the nation in home runs with 35 through 17 games. Ole Miss continued to show dominance when the team finished top-10 in slugging percentage (3rd), runs scored per game (3rd), total runs scored (5th) and walks drawn (7th). The Ole Miss mound also finished with a team earned run average of 2.92.
The shortened season didn’t stop the accolades from coming in for the Rebels. Head coach Mike Bianco received National Coach of the Year in June of 2020. There were also three All-Americans awarded to pitcher Doug Nikhazy, shortstop Anthony Servideo and third baseman Tyler Keenen. Freshman All-Americans awarded in 2020 were second baseman Peyton Chatagnier and catcher Hayden Dunhurst.
Ole Miss will open its 2021 season in Arlington, Texas, at the State Farm College Baseball Showdown on Feb., 19-21 as one of the six top-10 SEC teams to compete.
