Ole Miss Rebels baseball

Ole Miss Rebels
2015 Ole Miss Rebels baseball team
Founded	1893
University	University of Mississippi
Conference	SEC West Division
Location	Oxford, MS
Head coach	Mike Bianco (15th year)
Home stadium	Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field (Capacity: 6,000+)
Nickname	Rebels
Colors	Blue and Crimson
College World Series appearances
1956, 1964, 1969, 1972, 2014
NCAA Tournament appearances
1956, 1964, 1969, 1972, 1977, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015
Conference tournament champions
1977, 2006
Conference champions
1959, 1960, 1964, 1969, 1972, 1977, 2009

The Ole Miss Rebels baseball team represents the University of Mississippi in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team participates in the West division of the Southeastern Conference. They are currently coached by head coach Mike Bianco and assistant coaches Carl Lafferty, Mike Clement, and Stephen Head. They are currently the second most populated team in the nation – an achievement reached by keeping extra utility players on the roster. They play home games at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Ole Miss has played in the College World Series five times, most recently in 2014.

History

See also: List of Ole Miss Rebels baseball seasons

The University of Mississippi has games recorded as early as 1893. What is commonly referred to as the "modern era" is considered to have started in 1947.

Twenty different coaches have led the Ole Miss baseball team, but only six of those have done so during the modern era. Mike Bianco became the latest Ole Miss Rebels baseball head coach in June 2000.

In 1977 the Rebels won the inaugural Southeastern Conference tournament championship. They won the tournament again in 2006. They have captured three Southeastern Conference Western Division titles, the last in 2014.

The Rebels club have won seven Southeastern Conference championships and have made the NCAA Tournament nineteen times. They have also advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska five times, most recently in 2014.

The 1893 Ole Miss baseball team.

Early years

The first Ole Miss baseball game on record is a 6–3 loss to Mississippi A&M (now known as Mississippi State University) in Starkville, Mississippi during 1893.

On the eve of World War I the Rebel baseball team was helmed by future New York Yankee and Hall of Fame member Casey Stengel. He compiled a record of 13–9 as skipper of the Rebels and earned the nickname "The Old Perfessor."

2009

For the first time since 1977, the Rebels won a share of the Southeastern Conference regular season title in 2009, sharing the championship with LSU despite losing to LSU in two of its three games against the Tigers. The Rebels went 0–2 in the SEC tournament. The Rebels were selected to host a regional in Oxford where they defeated Missouri and Western Kentucky, advancing them to the super regional, which they were also selected to host. The Rebels fell to Virginia in the super regional to end their season.

2014

The Rebels surprised critics in 2014 by capturing the SEC West title (their 3rd under Mike Bianco) and topping 40 wins for the 4th time. Nine players from the 2014 roster were drafted by Major League teams, the most of any team in the nation. Ole Miss went 3–0 in regional play with a win over Jacksonville St. and two over Washington (including an extra-inning second win) to advance to their 5th Super Regional.

The team traveled to Lafayette, Louisiana to face the #1 ranked Ragin' Cajuns in Super Regional action. Despite losing the first game, the Rebels rallied to win games 2 and 3 and advance to the College World Series.

After opening the CWS with a loss to the Virginia Cavaliers, the Rebels reeled off 2 straight wins against Texas Tech and TCU in the losers bracket, advancing to the Semi-Finals and a re-match with the Cavaliers.

Player awards

National awards

• Johnny Bench Award

Stuart Turner – 2013

• Collegiate Baseball Freshman of the Year Award

Stephen Head – 2003

SEC Awards

• Pitcher of the Year

Drew Pomeranz – 2010

• Player of the Year Award

Stephen Head – 2004

• Freshman of the Year Award

Seth Smith – 2002

Stephen Head – 2003

Jordan Henry – 2007

1st Team All-Americans

Player	Position	Year(s)	Selectors
Jake Gibbs	Third Base	1960†	ABCA
Donnie Kessinger	Shortstop	1964†	ABCA, SN
Dan Adams	Third Base	1970	SN
Paul Husband	Outfield	1972†, 1973	ABCA, SN
Jamey Price	Pitcher	1995	CB
David Dellucci	Outfield	1995	NCBWA
Stephen Head	Utility player	2004, 2005	BA, ABCA
Scott Bittle	Pitcher	2008	BA, NCBWA
Drew Pomeranz	Pitcher	2010†	ABCA, BA, CB, NCBWA
Alex Yarbrough	Second Base	2012†	ABCA, BA, CB, NCBWA
Stuart Turner	Catcher	2013	ABCA, BA
Austin Bousefield	Outfield	2014	ABCA
Source: ABCA: American Baseball Coaches Association BA: Baseball America CB: Collegiate Baseball NCBWA: National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association † Denotes consensus All-American|-

Oxford-University Stadium/ Swayze Field

Main article: Swayze Field

Ole Miss baseball plays their home games at Oxford-University Stadium/ Swayze Field, a $3.75 million facility that was completed in October, 1988. The first game held there was against Cumberland University on February 19, 1989 in which the Rebels took a doubleheader sweep.

Panoramic view of Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field at Ole Miss

Panoramic view of Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field at Ole Miss

Stadium attendance

Year	Games	Attendance	Average
2014	34	271,920	7,997
2013	30	239,909	7,996
2012	25	186,272	7,450
2011	32	261,006	8,156
2010	33	223,035	6,759
2009	39	273,111	7,003
2008	33	155,489	4,712
2007	35	173,523	4,958
2006	36	174,756	4,854
2005	39	170,152	4,363
2004	35	122,382	3,497
2003	35	73,154	2,090
2002	36	84,910	2,359
2001	31	58,929	1,900
2000	32	40,130	1,254
1999	26	54,606	2,100

NCAA Baseball Attendance

Mayor's Trophy and Governor's Cup

Mayor's Trophy/Governor's Cup

Mayor's Trophy	Jackson, Mississippi
Mississippi (14)	Mississippi St. (13)
1982 1984 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1999 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006	1980 1981 1983 1985 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1997 1998 2001
Governor's Cup	Pearl, Mississippi
Mississippi (4)	Mississippi St. (5)
2009 2010 2012 2015	2007 2008 2011 2013 2014

Mayor's Trophy

Started in 1980 by then Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Dale Danks, Jr., the Mayor’s Trophy game had been one of the most anticipated match-ups of the Mississippi college baseball season as it featured Ole Miss versus Mississippi State. In the first 25 editions, the game has drawn an average of 4,887 fans per game. The Mayor's Trophy series ended after the 2006 match-up and was replaced by The Governor's Cup.

With a 1–0 win in 2006 over the #9-ranked Bulldogs, the first shutout ever in the 27-year history of the Mayor's Trophy series, the Rebels took the lead 14–13 in the non-conference series between the teams. That win gave Ole Miss the lead for the first and final time in the Mayor’s Trophy all-time series.

Governor's Cup

With the 2007 season, the non-conference meeting between the two teams moved to Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi – which is the home to the Mississippi Braves – and was begun anew as the two teams competed for the Governor’s Cup for the first time.

• 2007 – As was the case with the Mayor’s Trophy game, the two teams alternate serving as the designated home team. Ole Miss, ranked #19, was the home team in the inaugural game on April 17, 2007. Mississippi State, ranked #15, won the game 14–9.

• 2008 – The unranked Bulldogs won again, 6–5, in 2008 in front of a Governor's Cup record 7,862 fans, taking a 2–0 lead in the Governor's Cup series over the #16 ranked Rebels.

• 2009 – The 17th ranked Ole Miss Rebels took their first Governor's Cup on April 14, 2009 with an 8–1 victory. There was a crowd of 7,458 in attendance as Brett Bukvich recorded a career-high 11 strike-outs in six innings of work as he was named MVP. 7,458 is the 5th largest attendance mark recorded at Trustmark Park.

• 2010 – The 11th ranked Ole Miss Rebels used strong pitching and steady hitting to edge Mississippi State 5–3 for their 2nd consecutive Governor's Cup victory. The MVP was Ole Miss pitcher David Goforth.

• 2011 – Behind the strong pitching performances of Kendall Graveman, Chad Girodo and Taylor Stark Mississippi State rolled to a 6–1 victory over the Rebels to reclaim the cup in front of a crowd of 7,334.

• 2012 – The 22nd ranked Rebels struck out 16 Bulldog batters en route to a 6–3 victory in front of a rain-soaked crowd of 5533.

• 2013– – 16th ranked Mississippi State routed the 18th Ranked Ole Miss by a score of 5–1 in front of a then stadium record crowd of 8,240.

• 2014 – #20 Mississippi State defeated #12 Ole Miss 8–3 to claim back to back Governor's Cup wins for the first time since the 2007–2008 games. For the second year in a row, and the third time overall, both teams entered the game ranked in the top 25. The game once again set a Trustmark Park record with a crowd of 8,496.

See also

• List of NCAA Division I baseball programs