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 (SEC). They are currently coached by Mike Bianco and play at Swayze Field. They have competed in the College World Series six times, with their first national championship coming in 2022.
History
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 Ole Miss baseball, 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.
Since Bianco’s arrival, they have captured four Southeastern Conference Western Division titles, the last in 2018. All-time, the Rebels have won seven Southeastern Conference championships and have made the NCAA tournament 25 times. They have also advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, six times, most recently in 2022.
Early years (1893–1946) 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."
Smith-Swayze era (1947–1971) During the Smith-Swayze era, Ole Miss played in three College World Series. The team also won four SEC championships.
Jake Gibbs era (1972–1990)
After the conclusion of his major league baseball career, Jake Gibbs returned to Oxford to coach the Ole Miss baseball team. His first season demonstrated he was winner as a coach just as he had been as a player. But the 1972 season started slow for Gibbs and the Rebels. Going into the 10th game of the season the team was just 4-5. Ole Miss began a run once conference play began and compiled a 15–3 mark against the other teams in the SEC, including a sweep of rival Mississippi State University. This mark was good enough to secure the SEC title. In the 1972 NCAA University Division baseball tournament the team defeated Jacksonville State but suffered a loss at the hands of ACC Champion Virginia. A subsequent win over Florida State placed them in a rematch with Virginia, a game they won convincingly 9-0. The tournament ended with 2 games against South Alabama, a team that had swept Ole Miss at the beginning of the season. Once again, Ole Miss proved they were the better team when it mattered, winning both and advancing to the College World Series.
The 1977 baseball season saw the Southeastern Conference adopt a conference tournament for the first time. The winner of the conference tournament was extended an automatic invitation to the NCAA tournament. This privilege has continued unbroken to the present. The 1977 Rebel squad, coached by Jake Gibbs, captured the regular season SEC title with a 15–9 record. This gave the Rebels hosting duties for the first conference tournament. Ole Miss turned their home field advantage and #1 seed into a title, winning the inaugural tournament with a record of 4-1.
Don Kessinger era (1991–1996)
By the middle of the 1990s the Rebel baseball team was consistently winning 30 games each season but had been absent from the post season since 1977. The commitment to baseball remained strong, however. Jake Gibbs retired in 1990 and another former Rebel All-American and Major League star Don Kessinger took over the reigns. His 1995 squad won 40 games and ended the team's postseason drought. Led by All-Americans David Delucci and Jamey Price, the Rebels advanced to the championship game of the 1995 NCAA Division I baseball tournament regional but were eliminated by host Florida State.
Pat Harrison era (1997–2000)
In 1999 the NCAA adopted the current 64-team Regional and Super Regional format for playoffs. Ole Miss, a storied program that had long been slumbering, made an appearance in this inaugural tournament, just their second trip to the postseason in 22 years. They won their first regional game under the new format, a 12–3 drubbing of Monmouth before they were eliminated by host Texas A&M.
Mike Bianco era (2001–present)