The University of Mississippi Athletics
Belief Remains Guiding Inspiration for Ole Miss in Omaha
6/24/2022 | Baseball
Rebels Meet the Media, Take Final Practice at Carles Schwab Field
By: Jeff Roberson
OMAHA, Neb. - The journey continues for Ole Miss and Oklahoma baseball at the 2022 College World Series. The day before game one of their championship series, they met the press and also had practice at Charles Schwab Field.
Both teams had postseason road journeys from their home ballparks, the Sooners winning a Regional in Gainesville, Fla., and a Super Regional in Blacksburg, Va. The Rebels won their way through Coral Gables, Fla., and Hattiesburg, Miss.
Now there are two teams remaining, and two (or three) games to crown a national champion.
"It's obviously good to still be here and wake up in Omaha," Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said on Friday. "We have a great opportunity in front of us. I know the guys are excited."
Oklahoma is 3-0 this week, and the Rebels are 3-1. Ole Miss was 7-0 in the postseason prior to arriving in Omaha, while OU lost once in the Regional and once in the Super Regional.
Bianco said he hadn't really called upon anyone since he's been here for advice or to talk about what it might take to get through the tournament after a loss - except one person.
"(The loss) just happened (Wednesday) night, and our path is a little different than Oklahoma's," Bianco said. "They've been sitting for a couple of days. The only one I've spoken to is Coach (Skip) Bertman. He had some advice, and I don't want to be too specific about it. Being conscious of the time and the time off, to make sure that you keep (the players) busy, that it's structured, but also give them time to enjoy it, to stay loose and stay calm. It's kind of a juggle with that, but not as much after playing (a game) yesterday. It would have been more of a juggle with us with two days off."
The Rebels bounced back from their Wednesday night loss to Arkansas by eliminating the Razorbacks on Thursday afternoon.
"We got back to the hotel (Thursday) night, ate dinner, answered texts and emails - as many as you can anyway," Bianco said. "Then wake up this morning and you have a couple of hours with media, ESPN, photo shoots, and those type things. We'll have practice and then a team dinner tonight with the players and their families. The only person I've spoken to is Coach (Bertman)."
Justin Bench, one of the team's veteran players, said that the Rebels still are playing is no surprise to them.
"It's a lot about belief. All the guys on the team, we never stopped believing," he said. "The NCAA put us in, and now we're playing for a national championship."
Hunter Elliott, a true freshman pitcher, agreed with his teammate.
"There's a ton of belief in the guys," he said. "We've always thought we were this good. We were ranked No. 1 at one point. In baseball sometimes you scuffle, and we were scuffling there for a while. But we just continued to believe and knew we were good enough. And now we've ended up here."
Bianco said he has noticed the fans and their excitement at the games. He also knows more of them are on their way to Omaha.
"I've answered a lot of texts messages and emails," he said. "Lot of ticket requests, a lot of 'Sorry, I'm out of tickets.' But it's been awesome. My whole family is here, and that's a good thing. They've been really generous to let me do what I need to do. You're here for a long time. We've been here 10-plus days. There's got to be some time to decompress a little bit and sit back and enjoy it."
After this national championship series against Oklahoma, there will certainly be a lot more time to do just that.
OMAHA, Neb. - The journey continues for Ole Miss and Oklahoma baseball at the 2022 College World Series. The day before game one of their championship series, they met the press and also had practice at Charles Schwab Field.
Both teams had postseason road journeys from their home ballparks, the Sooners winning a Regional in Gainesville, Fla., and a Super Regional in Blacksburg, Va. The Rebels won their way through Coral Gables, Fla., and Hattiesburg, Miss.
Now there are two teams remaining, and two (or three) games to crown a national champion.
"It's obviously good to still be here and wake up in Omaha," Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said on Friday. "We have a great opportunity in front of us. I know the guys are excited."
Oklahoma is 3-0 this week, and the Rebels are 3-1. Ole Miss was 7-0 in the postseason prior to arriving in Omaha, while OU lost once in the Regional and once in the Super Regional.
Bianco said he hadn't really called upon anyone since he's been here for advice or to talk about what it might take to get through the tournament after a loss - except one person.
"(The loss) just happened (Wednesday) night, and our path is a little different than Oklahoma's," Bianco said. "They've been sitting for a couple of days. The only one I've spoken to is Coach (Skip) Bertman. He had some advice, and I don't want to be too specific about it. Being conscious of the time and the time off, to make sure that you keep (the players) busy, that it's structured, but also give them time to enjoy it, to stay loose and stay calm. It's kind of a juggle with that, but not as much after playing (a game) yesterday. It would have been more of a juggle with us with two days off."
The Rebels bounced back from their Wednesday night loss to Arkansas by eliminating the Razorbacks on Thursday afternoon.
"We got back to the hotel (Thursday) night, ate dinner, answered texts and emails - as many as you can anyway," Bianco said. "Then wake up this morning and you have a couple of hours with media, ESPN, photo shoots, and those type things. We'll have practice and then a team dinner tonight with the players and their families. The only person I've spoken to is Coach (Bertman)."
Justin Bench, one of the team's veteran players, said that the Rebels still are playing is no surprise to them.
"It's a lot about belief. All the guys on the team, we never stopped believing," he said. "The NCAA put us in, and now we're playing for a national championship."
Hunter Elliott, a true freshman pitcher, agreed with his teammate.
"There's a ton of belief in the guys," he said. "We've always thought we were this good. We were ranked No. 1 at one point. In baseball sometimes you scuffle, and we were scuffling there for a while. But we just continued to believe and knew we were good enough. And now we've ended up here."
Bianco said he has noticed the fans and their excitement at the games. He also knows more of them are on their way to Omaha.
"I've answered a lot of texts messages and emails," he said. "Lot of ticket requests, a lot of 'Sorry, I'm out of tickets.' But it's been awesome. My whole family is here, and that's a good thing. They've been really generous to let me do what I need to do. You're here for a long time. We've been here 10-plus days. There's got to be some time to decompress a little bit and sit back and enjoy it."
After this national championship series against Oklahoma, there will certainly be a lot more time to do just that.
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