Rebels Look To Build On Championship Seasons In 2007

Since his arrival in Oxford in 2001, Mike Bianco has had his sights set firmly on his goal of building Ole Miss into one of the nation’s premier programs and making the Rebels a name on the lips of baseball fans across America.

Each season Ole Miss has added to the foundation, and the 2007 season looks to be one where the Bianco-led Rebels will continue to build on that base.

Fresh off a Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship and consecutive 40-win seasons the Rebels went 44-22 a year ago and 48-20 in 2005 Ole Miss enters the new season with the goal of extending its streak of post-season play in Oxford to four straight years and end the year with a trip to Omaha to compete for the national championship.

While the Rebels lost six players to the professional ranks, Ole Miss welcomed 14 new faces to campus this fall along with a core group of returning players looking to pick up where things left off last season.

Pitching Staff

For the Rebels, it arguably all starts with the pitching, as Ole Miss returns its entire starting rotation from a year ago, along with one of the conference’s closers and a stable of arms returning in the bullpen.

Despite the loss of a pair of seniors and junior closer Garrett White last season, the Rebels return 76 percent of the innings pitched in 2006 and 36 of the team’s 44 wins.

“Obviously with the number of pitchers we return from a year ago who gained valuable experience last season and in the post-season, that should be a strength of our team this year,” Bianco said. “The great thing about our staff is the versatility. Not many teams can look at their staff and see all three weekend starters back along with a bullpen that holds pitchers like Craig Rodriguez, Cody Satterwhite and Jesse Simpson returning.”

Will Kline (5-2, 3 Saves), Brett Bukvich (6-6) and Lance Lynn (7-3, 1 Save) all return as the starting rotation that helped the Rebels storm through the Southeastern Conference Tournament and into the Super Regionals of the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

Kline burst onto the scene in the Mayor’s trophy game, shutting down then 10^th-ranked Mississippi State as he led the Rebels to the 1-0 win in his second start of the year. From then on, Kline was a lock on the mound for the Rebels as he shut down opponents, posting 76 strikeouts to only 22 walks on the year. Kline only allowed 26 earned all year.

Bukvich worked his way into the weekend starter role early in the season, pitching complete games at No. 11 Kentucky and against LSU in the SEC Tournament. As a sophomore, the left-hander looks to continue in his role as a weekend starter.

Lynn also worked his way into the weekend rotation after opening his freshman season in the bullpen. The 6-foot-5 righty returns as the Sunday starter after posting a 7-3 record a year ago and tying with Kline for the most strikeouts on the team with 76.

Returning options for the Rebels are also Rodriguez, Satterwhite and Simpson.

Rodriguez, one of two seniors on the team, settled down the young Ole Miss pitching staff last season as he took over the starting Friday role on the road at No. 19 Georgia. The southpaw helped lead the Rebels to the first win in a three-game sweep and continued to perform well as he pitched complete games against Auburn and at No. 7 South Carolina. A versatile pitcher who pitched as a starter and in relief for the Rebels, Rodriguez also picked up the win in the championship game of the SEC Tournament and picked up the win over Miami in the NCAA Super Regional in the relief role.

A Freshman All-America selection a year ago, Satterwhite returns as the wins leader from the Rebel pitching staff. The right-handed hurler posted 11 wins, tying the school record and setting the freshman record for victories in a season with an 11-2 mark.

The Rebels also boast a strong recruiting class that features several incoming pitchers who could see time early, most notably junior college transfer Scott Bittle and freshman Nathan Baker.

“We have done an excellent job as far as recruiting goes,” Bianco said. “Two kids who really stand out are Bittle and Baker. Both could contribute to our success in their first year in the program.”

The key to the pitching staff could be the versatility as much as the returning experience. Each of the returning pitchers has spent time in multiple roles whether it be a starter, reliever or closer for the Rebels. That type of experience could be a big asset as the season continues.

“We are really of the belief that when you get to this level of baseball you have kids who are talented and can succeed in any of the roles,” Bianco said. “Certainly each will have moments in their career where they experience more success in one role than another. We try not to lock kids into a set position, though, and say they can only perform in this role or that role.”

Infield

While infield is an area where the Rebels did lose some production with the departure of Chris Coghlan to the draft, there are two spots in the infield that could be considered locks heading into the 2007 campaign.

Returning at middle infield are what Bianco characterizes as possibly “the best double play combination” in the conference, if not the nation, with All-American shortstop Zack Cozart and Justin Henry at second base.

“It all starts in the middle infield for us,” Bianco said. “The last few years we have been ranked in the top 15 nationally as a defense. We pride ourselves on our defense and feel that if we want to continue to move forward as a program it will continue with a commitment to our defense.”

Cozart, who earned All-America status last year and has been selected as a first team preseason All-America by every publication heading into the season, was the best fielding shortstop in the SEC last year. He posted a .975 fielding percentage as he only committed eight errors on the season.

Henry, who returns for his second season as the team captain, anchors the middle infield with Cozart. The duo was a big part of Ole Miss turning 69 double plays in 2006 as the rangy second baseman made his presence felt on the diamond.

“Zack Cozart is the best defensive shortstop I have ever coached and he is deserving of every accolade he has received,” Bianco said. “He’s a kid who helped lead the USA Baseball national team to a gold medal in the FISA games in Cuba over the summer. Justin Henry is our team captain. He only continues to get better and is a outstanding player in his own right.”

The Rebels will see new faces at the corners early in the season as Ole Miss will look to replace Coghlan at third base, and a freshman and junior will split time at first.

Cody Overbeck returns to the infield at third base and gets the starting nod heading into the season after spending a season in the outfield as a freshman.

“Cody had an outstanding fall and is really finding himself again as an infielder,” Bianco said. “We slid him to the outfield last year to get his bat in the lineup. He’s had a tremendous fall and a great preseason as he finds that rhythm again.”

At first base, the Rebels will look to freshman Andrew Clark and junior Peyton Farr. Both players had good fall seasons and bring a lot to the position. Clark enters as one of the most heralded of the new faces while Farr split time at first last season with C.J. Ketchum.

“Peyton has been in our program and gets better each day he’s on the field,” Bianco said. “Andrew Clark is one of the most talented freshmen we have ever had come into this program and he did nothing to disprove that in the fall.”

Outfield

The outfield also saw the departure of two important keys with the losses of Alex Presley and Mark Wright to the professional ranks. The Rebels return some talent in the versatile Logan Power and bring in some new faces who can step in and produce early.

The outfield has seen competition from the start as players like Jordan Henry, Fuller Smith, Matt Smith and JoJo Tann all vie for a starting spot.

Power, the only returning regular starter in the outfield, has been called the “best defensive outfielder” by Bianco. He looks to make the move from left field to centerfield to replace the departed Presley. The sophomore moved into the starting lineup in left field in the middle of the season and locked down the position with his performance at the plate and defensively.

Looking to take Power’s spot in left is true freshman Jordan Henry, a converted infielder, while junior college transfer Fuller Smith is looking to take right field.

“Jordan Henry may have had the best fall of anyone on the field offensively and defensively,” Bianco said. “It’s exciting that a high school infielder has worked his way into a position to take over in the outfield. Fuller Smith showed why he will be a force in the SEC this season. There is a great chance we could start the season with the best defensive outfield we have ever had at Ole Miss.”

Catcher

Behind the plate the Rebels look to replace starter Justin Brashear who left in the draft, but the Rebels return another capable starter in Brett Basham. Basham split time with Brashear as a freshman in 2006, starting several mid-week games and Southeastern Conference match-ups throughout the year.

“Brett is looking to replace Justin, who like all the catchers in our system, has gone on to the professional ranks,” Bianco said. “We feel he is really strong behind the plate and he has definitely had a great fall. He’s really done a great job of improving his throw. We’ve really seen his leadership qualities come out.”

Also looking to compete for time at the plate are C.J. Ketchum and Alex Kliman. Ketchum moved behind the plate in the fall after playing first base for the Rebels in 2006 while Kliman has continued to push for increased time behind the plate since arriving on campus.

Designated Hitter

Offensively, the Rebels look to continue the success of the 2006 season despite the loss of some powerful bats. A key to the offense is the designated hitter as Ketchum and Kyle Mills are both pushing for the spot.

Ketchum looks to have the starting position lined up heading into the season as a career .345 hitter for the Rebels. The senior has displayed consistency at the plate with the ability to hit for power in his career.

Mills has battled injury at Ole Miss after transferring from Itawamba Community College where he was named National Junior College Player of the Year as a sophomore.

“Kyle has really been stymied by injury, but we are seeing him healthy for the first time and he will push for the starting job as our designated hitter,” Bianco said.

Also battling for the spot as the designated hitter will be Kliman, who has also seen time behind the plate. Kliman has displayed the ability to bring power to the Rebel lineup in his first two years at Ole Miss and looks to continue to improve and stake a claim on the spot in the lineup.

Offensive Philosophy

Despite the losses in the offensive lineup, the Rebels offense looks to hold many of the characteristics of last year’s offense. Ole Miss returns half of its position starters from a year ago, all of whom hit around the .330 mark or above for the year and combined for 40 percent of the team’s runs scored.

Returning to the offensive lineup for the Rebels are consistent hitters and speedy runners with the ability to hit for power. Henry and Cozart were two big base-stealers for the Rebels as the duo combined to go 33-for-40 in steal attempts last year.

“We didn’t hit a lot of home runs last year, but we had good speed and the ability to steal bases,” Bianco said. “We’ll have that again this year. We will not necessarily be known for the long ball, but we do have players who can hit for power. We will continue to run a versatile offense, move runners, hit for a high average. We might not be the most powerful team, but if you can still get the runs across, that power may not be the most important thing.”

The Coaching Staff

Factors in the Rebels making a run through the postseason could be two-fold as Bianco welcomes almost an entirely new coaching staff to Oxford and has put together one of the toughest schedules the Rebels have ever played.

Kyle Bunn and Rob Reinstetle move into full-time assistant positions with the Rebels following the departure of Dan McDonnell and Stuart Lake. Bunn, in his sixth year with the Rebels but first as a full-time assistant, will continue to coach the pitchers, while Reinstetle takes over the duties of hitting coach and recruiting coordinator.

Reinstetle comes to Ole Miss after two years at the College of Charleston and a season at South Alabama where he developed some of the nation’s top offensive teams. His two years at Charleston saw the Cougars boast the first and second-ranked offensive teams nationally in 2004 and 2005.

“It starts with Rob Reinstetle as our recruiting coordinator and hitting coach,” Bianco said. “We hit a home run bringing him to Oxford. We got everything we needed for a recruiting coordinator and hitting coach with that one guy. He has a great reputation and has done a tremendous job since he’s been here recruiting, and his offensive resume’ is tremendous.

“Obviously we are very excited about keeping Kyle Bunn on staff and expanding his duties with the program,” Bianco said. “He’s done an outstanding job developing our pitching staff over the years and we look for that to continue.”

Also taking positions with the Rebel staff are Carl Lafferty and Matt Mossberg. Lafferty served as administrative assistant in 2006 and has now moved to the volunteer assistant position. Mossberg returns to Ole Miss to take the non-coaching position of administrative assistant after serving as recruiting coordinator and assistant coach at Shelby County Community College.

“It’s great to get former players like Carl Lafferty and Matt Mossberg back on staff,” Bianco said. “Carl gets the chance to put the uniform back on and he is a great young coach. He looks to have a great career ahead of him. It’s also exciting to have Matt Mossberg back in Oxford as a part of the program. Not only do I get to work with great people, but it’s nice to have guys who played in your program come back and be a part of continuing that success.”

The Schedule

When it comes to scheduling, Bianco didn’t shy away from competition, despite playing in what is heralded as the nation’s toughest conference in the SEC. Ole Miss will face 12 NCAA Tournament teams from 2006 along with perennial conference powers Minnesota (Big Ten) and The Citadel (Southern Conference).

“This is without question the most difficult schedule we have ever played,” Bianco said. “Playing in the Southeastern Conference is the most grueling gamut of teams a program can have to go through, but we are stepping up to the plate in the non-conference slate.”

In non-conference games, the Rebels will travel to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota, The Citadel and SEC foe Arkansas in a non-conference contest. Ole Miss will also welcome NCAA participants Evansville and Wright State to Oxford for three-game series. The Rebels will take to the road for a contest with South Alabama. In addition, the Rebels will face arch-rivals Southern Miss and conference rival Mississippi State in non-conference games away from the friendly confines of Swayze Field.

“One of the things about a schedule like this is that if we can be successful early in the non-conference season, we will learn a lot about our club as a team and individuals,” Bianco said.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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