Ole Miss Baseball Season Outlook

The following outlook is taken from this year's official team media guide, which includes complete player bios, stats, team record book and a showcase of the university and its sports. Click here to order a copy.

It's a well-known adage in baseball that good pitching beats good hitting. If the adage holds true, Ole Miss baseball should be in fine shape for the 2008 season.

Fresh off a third-straight 40-win season that saw Ole Miss advance to a fifth-straight NCAA Regional and third-straight NCAA Super Regional, the Rebels are in good shape on the mound. That's where it all starts in 2008 as Ole Miss looks to continue its presence in the post-season and among the nation's elite baseball programs.

While the Rebels have a bevy of hitters returning, including reigning SEC Freshman of the Year Jordan Henry, the depth and talent in the pitching staff is one of the things that has Rebel eyes firmly fixed on Omaha.

Pitching

The Rebels return one of the top pitching staffs in the nation led by junior right-handers Lance Lynn and Cody Satterwhite.

Lynn, a 2008 pre-season All-America selection and Wallace Award candidate, is the top returning pitcher in the SEC from a year ago as he finished the season ranked in the conference's top five in several categories including ERA, Opponent Batting Average, Innings Pitched and Batters Struck Out. Lynn set the Ole Miss single-season strikeout mark with 146 in 2007 as he also posted a team-best ERA of 2.85 on the year in being picked for a spot on the All-SEC team.

"Lance Lynn has really been our mainstay," said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. "He began his career as a Sunday starter, then moved to a Saturday role and is now going to be our guy on Friday and start our weekends off on a good note. One of the reasons for this is he has pitched against some of the best in the nation the past two years and has SEC, Regional and International experience."

Satterwhite will be making the shift from closer to starter in 2008 after earning All-SEC honors last year as a sophomore. The right-hander made 27 relief appearances in 2007, picking up four wins and four saves. The shift shouldn't be one that affects the junior too greatly, as the role of closer is almost a misnomer from his sophomore campaign. Satterwhite saw many appearances in long-relief, including a nine-inning outing against Mississippi State in a game that lasted 17 innings.

"Cody could have been a starter for us last season, but he wasn't ready (physically)," Bianco said. "He worked out of the bullpen for us last season as a team player. He really has a team first' attitude. We benefit from not only that, but also the fact that he has seen lots of long relief appearances. Cody showed the ability to be a starter for us as a freshman with some quality starts against SEC competition."

But the strength of the pitching staff doesn't lie solely in the presence of Lynn and Satterwhite, who both were selected to compete with Team USA a year ago. The Rebels return a stable of pitchers who have experience and can answer the call in any situation.

"We have so many guys who can and have played key roles for us," Bianco said. "We have guys who have seen action in both mid-week and Southeastern Conference play and many of them have post-season experience. We are as strong and as deep on the mound as we've ever been."

Two returning pitchers who have filled a variety of roles and will be counted on heavily in the 2008 season are sophomore southpaw Nathan Baker and junior Brett Bukvich. Both saw time as mid-week starters, weekend starters, as well as work out of the bullpen throughout the 2007 campaign.

Baker garnered Freshman All-America and Freshman All-SEC honors a year ago as he posted a 6-2 record, the most wins of any freshman pitcher in the league. Bukvich came up big for the Rebels as he tossed a shutout in the regular season finale at ninth-ranked Arkansas to claim the series for the Rebels and SEC Pitcher of the Week honors.

Another cog in the Rebel pitching staff is junior right-hander Scott Bittle, who finished the 2007 season with seven saves, the second most in the Southeastern Conference. He also had starts in mid-week action and in the SEC Tournament semi-finals against top-ranked Vanderbilt.

"The game is 80 percent pitching," Bianco said. "We're coming into the year feeling good because of that fact. It's not just our talent, but it's also our depth. That will play a factor in the season as we're playing more games and will see more innings pitched each week due to changes in the schedule."

Contributing to that depth is an array of pitchers who saw time on the mound last season and had productive summer league seasons. Sophomore right-hander Wade Broyles garnered Coastal Plains League All-Star honors over the summer, while junior right-hander Justin Cryer saw time on the mound as a reliever in 2007, as did sophomore right-hander Rory McKean.

Also adding depth and talent to the 2008 Ole Miss pitching staff is a crop of newcomers led by a pair of freshmen, southpaw Drew Pomeranz and right-hander Michael Park.

A 12th-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers a year ago, Pomeranz posted a career high school record of 20-6 with 11 saves, fanning 312 batters while walking only 91 in that span. Park also put up impressive numbers and could be one to make a mark as a freshman. The right-hander posted a career mark of 18-2 at Memphis University School and was a Louisville Slugger All-America selection as a junior along with Pomeranz.

Offensive Firepower

It isn't all about the pitching with the Rebels, however, as Ole Miss finished among the top of the SEC in batting a year ago and returns a bulk of the hitters who helped lead the Rebels at the plate.

Returning to the offensive lineup for the Rebels are two of the top three hitters from last season in Freshman All-America selections Jordan Henry and Zach Miller. Henry hit at a blistering .372 clip in the lead-off spot for the Rebels on the way to SEC Freshman of the Year and All-SEC honors. Miller hit .368 on the season and also returns for the Rebels.

But it isn't simply about average, as the top two power hitters on the team return from last season in juniors Cody Overbeck and Logan Power. Overbeck belted out a team-high 14 home runs while Power came up with 11 home runs on the season.

The Rebels are hoping that experience, combined with a new vigor as Ole Miss hit more home runs in fall practice than any other year under Bianco, will make them one of the top overall offensive lineups in the country.

"We lost a bit of the physicalness we had in previous years," Bianco said of his team. "We brought that back this fall. We saw a renewed energy and enthusiasm this fall."

Infield

That renewed energy and enthusiasm wasn't only seen at the plate, but it was seen in the field on the defensive side of the ball as well. Ole Miss returns 7-of-9 position starters from a defense that finished fourth nationally a season ago with a .976 fielding percentage.

While the Rebels are looking to replace a two-time All-America selection in shortstop Zack Cozart, a bulk of the starters return as seven position players are back from the 2007 season. Add to that a crop of hungry newcomers in the nation's 14th-ranked recruiting class and Ole Miss looks to field another solid defensive team.

"We have so many more options this season," Bianco said of his team's depth. "This is the most depth we have had since the 2005 season and it might be the most depth we've ever had here. That has really brought a lot of intensity to our practices."

It begins in the infield as the Rebels return Miller and Overbeck at second and third, while junior Evan Button who started much of the 2007 season at first base will transition to shortstop. Though the starters at those positions return, it doesn't mean that the lineup is set as several newcomers push for playing time.

Junior college transfer Sean Stuyverson and freshman Tim Ferguson are two of the newcomers who could play their way onto the field. Stuyverson, who began his career at Florida State before transferring to Okaloosa-Walton Community College, combine with freshman Tim Ferguson as a pair of versatile middle-infielders who provide incredible depth.

The battle at first base could see one of several players emerge on opening day as redshirt freshman Matt Smith a two-way player in the mold of All-American Stephen Head has battled with freshman Cliff Vaughn and sophomore Cullan Kight for the starting role. Kight started several games in the post-season for the Rebels at first base.

Outfield

The outfield will see fierce competition as well. Henry and Power return alongside senior Fuller Smith as all three players started in the outfield in 2007. Despite that experience, several fresh faces are making their case for a starting nod on opening day.

It's a solid group considering that not only does reigning SEC Freshman of the Year Henry return to stalk the outfield, but Power did not commit an error in the outfield in the regular season.

Two new players battling for a spot in the outfield are junior college transfers Michael Guerrero and Michael Hubbard. Both players have been characterized as power-hitting, middle-of-the-lineup type players and possess great defensive instincts.

Guerrero was an All-Conference and All-Region selection at Meridian Community College as a sophomore, hitting .375 with 11 home runs and 47 RBI. Hubbard was a two-time All-Conference selection and was named conference Player of the Year at Arkansas-Fort Smith his sophomore season as he hit .375 with 21 home runs and 86 RBI.

Catcher

Ole Miss also returns experience behind the plate as junior Brett Basham is back for his third season in a Rebel uniform. Basham saw action in 2006 as a freshman backing up Justin Brashear before moving into a starting role last season, becoming the first sophomore catcher at Ole Miss to be a regular starter under Bianco. Basham was an effective presence at the plate often for the Rebels, finishing the season among the SEC leaders in sacrifice hits.

In one of the biggest battles for starting position, newcomer Kyle Henson also makes a case for the starting nod at catcher. The junior college transfer was a two-time All-Conference selection at San Jacinto College as he hit .315 for his career.

The Schedule

The Rebels once again play a challenging schedule as Ole Miss will play its way through a challenging non-conference schedule in addition to the always rigorous Southeastern Conference slate.

Ole Miss opens the season with a three-game set against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, a 2007 NCAA Regional team, and will also go on the road to face a TCU team that is ranked in the preseason top-25 nationally and is also coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Rebels will then jump straight into conference play at in-state rival Mississippi State.

All told, the Rebels will play nine series, accounting for 24 games, against teams who advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2007. Other NCAA Tournament teams who appear on the Rebels' schedule are Arkansas, Austin Peay, Memphis, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Southern Miss and Vanderbilt.

While the Rebels will face off against quality teams, they'll also do it in a shorter amount of time as the NCAA set a uniform start date, pushing the games into fewer days. Because of that, Ole Miss will see several mid-week two-date series.

"Last year's schedule was a challenge, but this year's schedule is very similar if not more challenging," Bianco said. "The start date has been moved back, so normally we have almost four home weekends to get ready for conference play, but this year we will only have two. Everyone has the same start date, so it's more balanced, but thankfully the changes came in a year when we have more pitching depth."

The Coaching Staff

For the second straight season, the Rebels experienced turnover in the coaching staff as pitching coach Kyle Bunn left for Clemson. Despite that, though, the staff in place for the 2008 season has quickly proven to be an asset for the Rebels.

"This is the second year we've had turnover, but I really think that can be a good thing at times," Bianco said. "I say it can be good because it can help bring a new energy and new insights and perspectives to the program."

Ole Miss is working under hitting coach Rob Reinstetle for the second-straight season as the up-and-coming young coach has put forth some of the nation's top offensive teams three of the last four seasons. The Rebels finished among the SEC leaders in batting a year ago and are poised to continue that upward ascent under Reinstetle in season two.

"Rob Reinstetle did an amazing job in his first season after assuming the role of the two biggest responsibilities as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator," Bianco said. "That could have made for a difficult transition, but he's handled it well. You can see how his personality and philosophy permeates through the hitters."

Over the off-season, Carl Lafferty moved from the position of volunteer assistant to that of a full-time assistant and has assumed the responsibility of working with the catchers while assisting Bianco with the pitchers. An All-SEC catcher under Bianco himself, Lafferty has been a strong addition to the staff since making his return to Oxford.

That fits perfectly with Bianco's view that bringing back someone who is a product of the program can be a key to its continued success.

"It's always great to bring people back to your program," Bianco said. "They understand what you are trying to do from the perspective of a coach and a player, and they bring a tremendous respect for the University and the program with them. Carl Lafferty was by far the best candidate to work with our pitchers and catchers."

Also returning to the field after serving the 2007 season as the Director of Operations is Matt Mossberg. The former Ole Miss outfielder has shifted into the volunteer assistant position for the upcoming year and will be working with the position at which he excelled during his playing days as a Rebel.

"Matt Mossberg is another former player who is returning to the field with us," Bianco said. "He really gets what we are about here at Ole Miss. One of his strengths is that he really understands the game and has a passion for teaching and coaching."

Rounding out the staff as the new Director of Operations is Rob Francis, who joins the Rebels after a successful high school coaching career in Florida at Seminole and East Lake High Schools. Francis also worked as a coach at Florida Gulf Coast University.

"Rob Francis has had experience coaching with a college program and experienced great success as a high school coach," Bianco said. "He is a tireless worker and wears so many different hats. He is an example of the strength gained by having someone who brings new ideas to a program that can make you better."

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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