Mike Bianco Reveals Defensive Gameplan Entering Ole Miss' Opening Series
Ole Miss Rebels head coach Mike Bianco revealed the expected Opening Day lineup for his team when it opens the season next week, but that lineup could change entering the second day and beyond.
Not that this is a bad thing, though. Bianco has the luxury of a multitude of faces on the roster who can play a variety of positions, and in an effort to get his best nine onto the field at once, some trial and error will be required in the first few games.
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"It's a great core, some guys who had some great falls for us," Bianco said on Friday. "The reason I think it's a little different is that unlike some years, we're going to have to play some games to find out the starting lineup and where guys are going to end up defensively.
"Not just one-through-nine, but does a guy play at second, third, left field, or does he DH? They may, throughout the year, move from position to position, like a Justin Bench."
One position where this could happen early is in left field, but Bianco has a variety of options at that position. Names like John Kramer and Judd Utermark come to mind, but the defensive alignment is sure to change at multiple locations in the early going.
"Because some of them are trying out some new positions," Bianco said, "the first few weeks, you'll see some guys move from infield to outfield, second to third, first to outfield, probably more so than we ever have."
Bianco has also raved on his pitching rotation, even with some injuries that have hindered the plans prior to the first series at Hawaii. You can read more about that position group here.
First pitch on Friday between Ole Miss and the Rainbow Warriors is set for 10:35 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on Spectrum Sports.