Defending Champion Ole Miss Eliminated From SEC Baseball Tournament Before It Begins

The Ole Miss Rebels, who were just crowned kings of the college baseball world last June, will completely miss the SEC Tournament less than a calendar year later.

After a series of unexpected occurrences over the weekend that included a three-game sweep of the Ole Miss Rebels by the Auburn Tigers, and a dramatic win by the Missouri Tigers over the Georgia Bulldogs on Saturday, the defending NCAA champion Rebels will miss the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2011.

Coach Mike Bianco summed it up well, "We're not that bad," Bianco said after the Rebels were outscored 24-6 in a doubleheader loss to Auburn that became a series sweep with a 13-5 defeat Saturday. "That's the sad part about it."

He's right. There's no excuse for the Rebels, who were just crowned kings of the college baseball world last June, should completely miss the SEC Tournament less than a calendar year later, with still three games to play in the season.

But in reality, they are that bad. The Rebels are 25-26 overall and just 6-21 in league play, good enough for last in the West Division. 

They have lost eight of their last nine SEC series as they head to Alabama next week. Granted, Auburn is hot right now, but there's no reason Ole Miss should get completely destroyed by the Tigers and outscored 37-11 over the course of three games.

Now the Rebels' players and coaches can sit at home and watch the entirety of the SEC Tournament from the comfort of their couches and contemplate why.

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