COLUMN: What Should Expectations Be For Ole Miss Baseball in 2022?

The Rebels start their season in six days. What should fans expect from the 2022 campaign?

If the last eight years have taught Ole Miss fans anything, it's that reaching Omaha is no small feat.

Ole Miss has not made it to the College World Series since 2014, and it has only reached that pinnacle of its baseball season five times in program history. Prior to 2014, the Rebels' last Omaha appearance came in 1972.

The Rebels have come close in recent years, including last season where they were one win away from the CWS in the Tucson Super Regional despite a plethora of injuries during the 2021 campaign. In 2019, the embattled Rebels were also one win away during the Fayetteville Super Regional.

With so much "so close, yet no cigar" in recent memory, what should Rebel fans expect out of the 2022 season?

In the SEC West, at least for the majority of the division, the expectation is almost always to reach Omaha. Arkansas, LSU and Mississippi State have all made multiple trips over the course of their programs' history, and Mississippi State won the national championship last season over Vanderbilt. Ole Miss, although statistically one of the most successful programs in the country under Mike Bianco's tenure in Oxford, has only one trip to the CWS under his watch.

In the minds of many fans, that has to change.

On paper, it appears that Ole Miss has a team that can reach Omaha this season if its offense can remain successful and its pitching staff comes into form. The Rebels are replacing its top two starting arms from a season ago in Doug Nikhazy and Gunnar Hoglund, but if you believe the preseason quotes from Bianco and his players, the 2022 staff might have more depth from top-to-bottom than last year's.

Derek Diamond will receive the ball to open the season against Charleston Southern on Feb. 18, but the Rebels have added some transfer and freshman pieces who are expected to contribute as well, namely Jack Washburn from Oregon State and John Gaddis from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Pitching in the SEC is a different animal, but the pervasive opinion inside the Ole Miss program is that these experienced arms are ready for the challenge and could surprise some people this season.

Mississippi Rebels head coach Mike Bianco looks on from the dugout during the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Baum-Walker Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss Baseball vs Louisville in the third game of a weekend series on February 16th, 2020 at Swayze Field in Oxford, MS (via. Ole Miss Athletics)

Let's assume for a moment that the Ole Miss offense remains as productive as it did a season ago (although remaining atop the SEC is no small task). What the Rebels' success appears to come down to is how the pitching staff will progress this season. If the starting arms and bullpen can achieve what is expected, the Rebels certainly have a case for being one of the eight teams to reach Omaha.

Of course, in baseball, nothing is certain. It's entirely possible that the Ole Miss offense regresses some from last season despite returning essentially all of its production. It's possible that the pitching staff isn't as successful as Bianco believes it will be. It's possible that both of those come to pass.

If that's the case, reaching Omaha is much more difficult.

This is not what fans want to hear, especially when their division and conference rivals seem to almost routinely reach the College World Series, but making it that far in your season is difficult. That's important to remember.

At the same time, however, it is completely understandable for Omaha to be the expectation for Rebel fans considering the program's national relevance and success during the regular season. Given the current climate of the program and the fan base, that will likely be the case again this year.

Omaha or bust? Maybe that's unfair, but it's come to be expected in Oxford. This team could certainly pull it off, but if not, the narrative of the Rebels' struggles to be clutch when it matters will continue for another year.

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