Burnout Watch: Can Ole Miss Stay Hot in Hattiesburg Super Regional?

The Rebels and Golden Eagles will open play on Saturday with a trip to Omaha on the line.

Whether it was luck, skill or a combination of the two, the Ole Miss Rebels blazed through the competition on the baseball diamond in the Coral Gables Regional last weekend.

A slew of Rebels did things that hadn’t been done at any point in the season — even when the team climbed to first place in the national rankings early on. Team captain Tim Elko had an outstanding performance to open postseason play, slamming three home runs and posting a . 778 batting average in just three games played. Peyton Chatagnier — a veteran player who hit low points during the season — drove in 10 runs and had three doubles and two homers of his own. 

In terms of pitching, the bullpen was dominant, allowing no runs on just seven hits with three batters walked and 23 strikeouts. Arizona didn’t prove to be too much of a test for Ole Miss: the Wildcats were outscored 29 to 10 through two matchups. Even Miami, the nation’s No. 6 National Seed, couldn’t break through the red-hot team’s pitching staff and walked away with a 2-1 loss. 

With those three victories, the Rebels are now 11-3 since May 6.

There’s one question that remains heading into the Hattiesburg Super Regional against in-state foe Southern Miss: the Rebs got hot, but will they burn out? Given the expectations that were placed on Ole Miss heading into the season, it seems like most experts knew how much potential the team as a whole had. It’s unclear why the Rebels fell significantly for a while, but it truly may have just taken time for everyone to fall into a rhythm. 

With that being said, the rhythm can’t stop now. There are a few key things that must happen this weekend to keep the hot streak alive.

Elko and Chatagnier will need to step up again big against Southern Miss as the veterans they are, and they don’t need to be alone against one of the top pitching staffs in the nation. Luckily for Ole Miss, the majority of players put in the batting order can step up at any time. 

As for the bullpen, it needs to prove that the Coral Gables Regional was not a fluke. Head coach Mike Bianco must make sure that each pitcher that is brought into the game has so much confidence in himself that he is genuinely shocked when he misses his spots. 

Lastly, there is no room for atrocious errors or coaching miscues.

Speaking of Bianco, what if the recent string of success comes from a bit of magic surrounding his potential exit from the program? The Rebs’ head coach has been in one of the hottest seats in college baseball since his team bottomed out at last place in the SEC West in April. 

The last time Bianco was in such a predicament was during the 2014 season, and he led the team to a quick College World Series appearance to save his position. If history repeats itself, it should be enough to keep him around for a few more years if he so chooses.

Ole Miss and Southern Miss have played twice already this season: the Golden Eagles picked up a victory in the first matchup, while the Rebs pulled off an upset when the two met in May. USM isn’t the strongest team at the plate but makes up for it on the mound; that’s something that will be a test for an Ole Miss team that could not be more opposite. 

It won’t be so easy for the Rebels to pick up easy blowouts in their last series before a potential Omaha trip, but if they maintain their momentum, the weekend will end with a crowd of red and blue heading to Nebraska. No matter the outcome, the Magnolia State is in for a treat with an incredible showdown for all to see.

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