Ole Miss Baseball Hires Joel Mangrum as Pitching Coach

Mike Bianco and the Ole Miss Rebels have added a member to their coaching staff.

Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco (5) makes a pitching change against Mississippi State at Swayze Field in Oxford, Miss., on Friday, Apr. 12, 2024. / Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion

The Ole Miss Rebels officially named a pitching coach on Thursday, hiring college and professional coaching veteran Joel Mangrum.

Mangrum is a native of Brandon, Mississippi, and he has previously served as a coach with the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball. He also has stints in college baseball with Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State, Austin Peay, Milligan College, and Hinds Community College.

"We are super excited to bring Joel to Oxford and Ole Miss baseball," head coach Mike Bianco said in a statement. "He has a unique and dynamic way of developing pitchers and has proven his success at both the professional and collegiate levels."

"I'm really excited to be joining the Ole Miss baseball family. I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity that Coach Bianco has provided me and my family," Mangrum said in the same statement. "This is a dream come true. We look forward to making Oxford home and helping continue the tradition of Ole Miss Baseball being a national power in college baseball."

Mangrum's last six seasons have been spent in the Guardians organization, and four of those saw him in the role of Minor League pitching coordinator. He was promoted to pitching coordinator in 2020 after being a Minor League pitching coach from 2018-19.

While he was in the role of Minor League pitching coordinator, Cleveland's Double-A affiliate had the second-best ERA and third-best batting average against in the Eastern League for three of his four seasons in the position.

This brings Ole Miss' search for a pitching coach to a close. Recently at an alumni event, athletic director Keith Carter discussed the search and what a coach in this role would add to the Rebels staff.

"We are out in the market right now looking for a pitching coach, and I think that's going to be a really cool addition," Carter said. "It's really changing with the times, allowing Coach B to be more of a manager. Allow the pitching coach to really handle the pitchers.

"That's a big responsibility. You think about a roster of 40 or so, over half of those are pitchers, so you're spending a lot of time with those."

After winning a program-first national championship in 2022, Ole Miss has failed to reach the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons. After retaining Bianco for another season as head coach, this is a staff addition that the Rebels hope will help them return to the postseason next spring.