The University of Mississippi Athletics

Baseball Practice Report: Memphis on Deck
10/25/2023 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss baseball treated fans to an 18-0 win over Jacksonville State in its first of two exhibitions against outside competition two weeks ago, and Mike Bianco's Rebels are all set for their final fall exhibition Sunday at 1 p.m. CT vs. Memphis.
This will be Rebel fans' final opportunity to see the team against outside competition before the 2024 season begins in February. All fall exhibitions and intrasquad scrimmages are free and open to the public at Swayze Field.
Gates open at 11 a.m. CT. Parking is available for free in all lots across the street from the stadium, in left field and in street spots adjacent to the field. Parking is not permitted in right field. Limited concessions will be available in the main concourse.
HUGHES HEATING UP
A First Team All-Southern Conference selection in 2023 and a Freshman All-American in 2022, Treyson Hughes came to Oxford with plenty of accolades. The outfielder out of Warner Robins, Georgia, is the highest-rated player in the Rebels' incoming transfer class, slotted at No. 11 in the nation by D1Baseball.
The decorated junior had a bit of a slow transition to start the fall, logging just a trio of hits through the first two weekends, but the bat that landed him in the SEC didn't take too long to heat up. Since the third week of fall ball, over the course of seven games, Hughes has hit .385 with a double, three home runs, nine RBI, six runs scored and four stolen bases. He's also shown great defensive capabilities, making him a prime candidate to start alongside Ethan Groff in the outfield.
"Probably most of the accolades and the ratings come from the bat. You can see that immediately," Bianco said. "Very quick, loose swing that generates—for a guy who isn't big in stature—can generate a lot of bat speed and a lot of power. He actually got off to, probably frustrating for him, a little bit of a cold start. But baseball is that type of game where sometimes that happens. But certainly in the last three-plus weeks, he's swung the bat as well as anybody in the lineup."
FRESHMAN FILLING IT UP
The transition to the SEC is rarely an easy one, especially when the move is from the high school level, but so far freshman Wes Mendes has handled it well. The left-hander out of Tampa, Florida, is Ole Miss' second-highest rated signee to make it to campus, and he has wasted little time showing his mettle on the mound.
Mendes is the only freshman with a sub-3.00 ERA, sitting at 2.79 through 9.2 innings of work. The Tampa Jesuit product is also third on the team with a 3.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio (14 Ks, 4 BBs), equaling the efficiency of some of Ole Miss' most experienced arms like Riley Maddox (4.5), Xavier Rivas (4.4) and Grayson Saunier (3.0).
As Ole Miss has learned first-hand through the success of its own southpaws like Ryan Rolison, Doug Nikhazy and Hunter Elliott, adept left-handed pitching equals wins, and the Rebels are hoping Mendes join the growing line of lefties to help the program.
"A left-hander who has probably an underrated fastball. He's going to throw the ball in the low 90s and a really good curveball and changeup. Still working on a slider. But I think the best thing that Wes does is he throws the ball in the zone, attacks the strike zone," Bianco said. "He pitches with a lot of confidence, that's hard for a lot of young guys to do immediately when they get to college. Looks the part. Looks like a guy who is really going to help us out on the mound."
This will be Rebel fans' final opportunity to see the team against outside competition before the 2024 season begins in February. All fall exhibitions and intrasquad scrimmages are free and open to the public at Swayze Field.
Gates open at 11 a.m. CT. Parking is available for free in all lots across the street from the stadium, in left field and in street spots adjacent to the field. Parking is not permitted in right field. Limited concessions will be available in the main concourse.
HUGHES HEATING UP
A First Team All-Southern Conference selection in 2023 and a Freshman All-American in 2022, Treyson Hughes came to Oxford with plenty of accolades. The outfielder out of Warner Robins, Georgia, is the highest-rated player in the Rebels' incoming transfer class, slotted at No. 11 in the nation by D1Baseball.
The decorated junior had a bit of a slow transition to start the fall, logging just a trio of hits through the first two weekends, but the bat that landed him in the SEC didn't take too long to heat up. Since the third week of fall ball, over the course of seven games, Hughes has hit .385 with a double, three home runs, nine RBI, six runs scored and four stolen bases. He's also shown great defensive capabilities, making him a prime candidate to start alongside Ethan Groff in the outfield.
"Probably most of the accolades and the ratings come from the bat. You can see that immediately," Bianco said. "Very quick, loose swing that generates—for a guy who isn't big in stature—can generate a lot of bat speed and a lot of power. He actually got off to, probably frustrating for him, a little bit of a cold start. But baseball is that type of game where sometimes that happens. But certainly in the last three-plus weeks, he's swung the bat as well as anybody in the lineup."
FRESHMAN FILLING IT UP
The transition to the SEC is rarely an easy one, especially when the move is from the high school level, but so far freshman Wes Mendes has handled it well. The left-hander out of Tampa, Florida, is Ole Miss' second-highest rated signee to make it to campus, and he has wasted little time showing his mettle on the mound.
Mendes is the only freshman with a sub-3.00 ERA, sitting at 2.79 through 9.2 innings of work. The Tampa Jesuit product is also third on the team with a 3.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio (14 Ks, 4 BBs), equaling the efficiency of some of Ole Miss' most experienced arms like Riley Maddox (4.5), Xavier Rivas (4.4) and Grayson Saunier (3.0).
As Ole Miss has learned first-hand through the success of its own southpaws like Ryan Rolison, Doug Nikhazy and Hunter Elliott, adept left-handed pitching equals wins, and the Rebels are hoping Mendes join the growing line of lefties to help the program.
"A left-hander who has probably an underrated fastball. He's going to throw the ball in the low 90s and a really good curveball and changeup. Still working on a slider. But I think the best thing that Wes does is he throws the ball in the zone, attacks the strike zone," Bianco said. "He pitches with a lot of confidence, that's hard for a lot of young guys to do immediately when they get to college. Looks the part. Looks like a guy who is really going to help us out on the mound."
Players Mentioned
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