The University of Mississippi Athletics
Baseball Opens Fall Practice With First Intrasquad Scrimmage
9/24/2018 | Baseball
Young Arms Shine as Rebels Open Fall Camp
The Ole Miss baseball team returned to the field for the first time since a defining 2018 season over the weekend, opening the first official fall practice with a clean scrimmage on both sides of the ball.
Friday marked the official start of the fall practice as well as the first intrasquad scrimmage of the year with the new class of Rebels on the field. The red team, behind a combined effort on the mound from freshmen Gunnar Hoglund and Kaleb Hill, as well as senior Connor Green, worked their way to a 6-0 shutout for the first victory of the fall.
Sunday's scheduled scrimmage was cancelled due to inclement weather, but the Rebels still managed to get a solid workload over the weekend. Coach Mike Bianco was able to mix in a fair amount of newcomers into the action on Friday, with four of the six pitchers that saw action being first-year players, while his veterans put on a show at the plate.
As far as movements around the diamond for Bianco's squad this fall, a few changes can be expected for the Rebels that return seven of their nine majority-starting position players from a year ago.
"(Chase) Cockrell will be in the outfield, (Tim) Elko will play some outfield as well," Bianco said. "You'll certainly see (Thomas) Dillard behind the plate more, but he's done that in the fall. I really think he'll have an opportunity to catch some this year."
Cole Zabowski led the charge offensively for the victorious red team Friday, batting in one and scoring twice, including an energy-inducing home run that leapt off the bat and over the right field wall early in the game. Elko and Cooper Johnson also contributed with a pair of hits, with Johnson driving in a pair of his own, while Kevin Graham, Michael Spears, and Justin Bench each added to the run column with an RBI.
Freshman Josh Hall, notable for his record of the most stolen bases in the history of high school baseball across the country, jumped right back in where he left off in Alabama, swiping two of the four bags that were stolen Friday.
While the red team's bats got the job done on the scoreboard, it was the combined shutout from the bullpen that stifled the blue team's offense and carried the team to victory.
With an entire weekend rotation from a year ago gone and numerous pitchers on the roster shut down for a few weeks due to extensive workloads over the summer, Bianco relied instead on his newcomers, and they did not disappoint.
"It's no secret that we returned most of our position players and lost our starting rotation from last year," Bianco said.
It's also no secret that Bianco and the Rebels will have to draw from their 13th-ranked 2018 recruiting class (Collegiate Baseball) to fill some roster spots from a year ago, and if their first on-field action was any testament, there will be no shortage of competition in filling the roles left vacant by departing players.
Hoglund and Hill, who led off on the mound for the red team, went a combined 4.0 innings of scoreless baseball. The former allowed three hits and one walk to go along with one strikeout, while his successor, Hill, allowed just one baserunner while striking out a pair. Green closed the door on the blue team, going another two innings with just a pair of hits given up.
Hoglund, who was recruited as a multi-dimensional athlete with an abundance of talent both on the mound and at the plate, just saw action on the mound Friday, but don't be surprised to see the 2018 first-round draft pick across the diamond this fall, according to Bianco.
"He'll play a little at first, but mostly for intrasquads, it will be pitching and hitting," Bianco said. "I don't see him in the fall playing anything but first base and DH (and pitcher)."
On the other side of the ball, for the blue team, a pair of junior college transfers from Texas handled the ball, while a veteran presence helped settle the bats of the red team at the end of the game.
Zack Phillips and Taylor Broadway, both first-year transfers, took the reigns at the mound to start off the scrimmage, with each going a pair of innings with near identical stat lines. Each allowed two runs, all earned, with a few hits given up, before Austin Miller, returning for his junior season, closed the door at the end with two solid innings and just one run allowed.
At the plate, the blue team found tough sledding against the arms of the red team but found some success from a few veterans in the lineup. Jacob Adams went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, while his teammate Carl Gindl, returning after an All-Star summer with the Baltimore Redbirds, had a perfect day offensively, going 2-for-2 against his teammates in red jerseys.
The Rebels will continue fall work with practices at Swayze Field during the week and intrasquads on the weekend. All Friday scrimmages are scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m., and Sunday scrimmages at 5:45 p.m., with both open to the public through the fall. Stay tuned to Rebel baseball on social media for schedule updates.
For all Ole Miss Baseball news and information, visit the official athletics site OleMissSports.com. For more social media updates, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Baseball and on Instagram at olemissbsb.
Friday marked the official start of the fall practice as well as the first intrasquad scrimmage of the year with the new class of Rebels on the field. The red team, behind a combined effort on the mound from freshmen Gunnar Hoglund and Kaleb Hill, as well as senior Connor Green, worked their way to a 6-0 shutout for the first victory of the fall.
Sunday's scheduled scrimmage was cancelled due to inclement weather, but the Rebels still managed to get a solid workload over the weekend. Coach Mike Bianco was able to mix in a fair amount of newcomers into the action on Friday, with four of the six pitchers that saw action being first-year players, while his veterans put on a show at the plate.
As far as movements around the diamond for Bianco's squad this fall, a few changes can be expected for the Rebels that return seven of their nine majority-starting position players from a year ago.
"(Chase) Cockrell will be in the outfield, (Tim) Elko will play some outfield as well," Bianco said. "You'll certainly see (Thomas) Dillard behind the plate more, but he's done that in the fall. I really think he'll have an opportunity to catch some this year."
Cole Zabowski led the charge offensively for the victorious red team Friday, batting in one and scoring twice, including an energy-inducing home run that leapt off the bat and over the right field wall early in the game. Elko and Cooper Johnson also contributed with a pair of hits, with Johnson driving in a pair of his own, while Kevin Graham, Michael Spears, and Justin Bench each added to the run column with an RBI.
Freshman Josh Hall, notable for his record of the most stolen bases in the history of high school baseball across the country, jumped right back in where he left off in Alabama, swiping two of the four bags that were stolen Friday.
While the red team's bats got the job done on the scoreboard, it was the combined shutout from the bullpen that stifled the blue team's offense and carried the team to victory.
With an entire weekend rotation from a year ago gone and numerous pitchers on the roster shut down for a few weeks due to extensive workloads over the summer, Bianco relied instead on his newcomers, and they did not disappoint.
"It's no secret that we returned most of our position players and lost our starting rotation from last year," Bianco said.
It's also no secret that Bianco and the Rebels will have to draw from their 13th-ranked 2018 recruiting class (Collegiate Baseball) to fill some roster spots from a year ago, and if their first on-field action was any testament, there will be no shortage of competition in filling the roles left vacant by departing players.
Hoglund and Hill, who led off on the mound for the red team, went a combined 4.0 innings of scoreless baseball. The former allowed three hits and one walk to go along with one strikeout, while his successor, Hill, allowed just one baserunner while striking out a pair. Green closed the door on the blue team, going another two innings with just a pair of hits given up.
Hoglund, who was recruited as a multi-dimensional athlete with an abundance of talent both on the mound and at the plate, just saw action on the mound Friday, but don't be surprised to see the 2018 first-round draft pick across the diamond this fall, according to Bianco.
"He'll play a little at first, but mostly for intrasquads, it will be pitching and hitting," Bianco said. "I don't see him in the fall playing anything but first base and DH (and pitcher)."
On the other side of the ball, for the blue team, a pair of junior college transfers from Texas handled the ball, while a veteran presence helped settle the bats of the red team at the end of the game.
Zack Phillips and Taylor Broadway, both first-year transfers, took the reigns at the mound to start off the scrimmage, with each going a pair of innings with near identical stat lines. Each allowed two runs, all earned, with a few hits given up, before Austin Miller, returning for his junior season, closed the door at the end with two solid innings and just one run allowed.
At the plate, the blue team found tough sledding against the arms of the red team but found some success from a few veterans in the lineup. Jacob Adams went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, while his teammate Carl Gindl, returning after an All-Star summer with the Baltimore Redbirds, had a perfect day offensively, going 2-for-2 against his teammates in red jerseys.
The Rebels will continue fall work with practices at Swayze Field during the week and intrasquads on the weekend. All Friday scrimmages are scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m., and Sunday scrimmages at 5:45 p.m., with both open to the public through the fall. Stay tuned to Rebel baseball on social media for schedule updates.
For all Ole Miss Baseball news and information, visit the official athletics site OleMissSports.com. For more social media updates, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Baseball and on Instagram at olemissbsb.
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