Ole Miss Asst. Coach Mike Clement Discusses Adversity, Title Run on D1Baseball Podcast

The Rebels recently won their first baseball national championship in school history after a slow start to the season.

There was a time when the national champion Ole Miss Rebels thought they had dug themselves too large a hole.

The Rebels once sat at 7-14 in SEC play before scrambling together to finish 14-16 at the end of the regular season. Once they squeaked into the NCAA Tournament field, they hit their stride, one they rode all the way to the first national championship in program history.

Ole Miss assistant coach Mike Clement recently joined the D1Baseball podcast to discuss the adversity the Rebels faced throughout the season and the near-miraculous run that ended in a national championship.

"We played must-win games for six weeks," Clement said. "We dug ourselves such a big hole that when we came out of it, we played really loose."

One of the lowest points for the Rebels in the 2022 season came when they had actually started playing better ball. Ole Miss narrowly lost a road series at Arkansas, and the emotion in the outfield was visible from first baseman Tim Elko and pitcher Derek Diamond who did not remove their sunglasses as is custom after the final loss.

"After the game, one of the things that’s a staple of our program is when we meet in the outfield, you have to take your sunglasses off and make eye contact," Clement said. "I walk around to tell them to take their sunglasses off, and I can see Diamond’s lip quivering and a tear going down Elko’s face. They were devastated.

"Credit to Elko, man. He deserves [the national title]. He held that thing together."

The Rebels recently held a celebration of the championship in Oxford and at Swayze Field. You can find a photo gallery of the event here.

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