The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, February 23
Oxford, Miss.
4 PM
Ole Miss
vs
High Point
Baseball Hosts High Point for First Home Series of 2024
2/22/2024 | Baseball
| Friday, February 23 4 p.m. CT  |
Saturday, February 24 5 p.m. CT |
Sunday, February 25 1:30 p.m. CT |
| PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: RHP JT Quinn 0-0, 8.10 ERA, 6 K, 3 BB High Point: LHP Brett Wozniak 0-0, 7.20 ERA, 3 K, 3 BB |
PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: LHP Gunnar Dennis 1-0, 4.50 ERA, 1 K, 3 BB High Point: RHP Gus Hughes 1-0, 1.80 ERA, 6 K, 1 BB |
PROJECTED STARTERS Ole Miss: RHP Grayson Saunier 0-0, 9.82 ERA, 5 K, 3 BB High Point: RHP Howell Polk 0-1, 7.20 ERA, 4 K, 0 BB |
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss Baseball (2-3) hosts High Point University (1-4) this weekend for its first home series of the season.
LEADING OFF
- Ole Miss dropped its home opener against Arkansas State Wednesday night.
- Judd Utermark hit his first home run of the season while both Brayden Jones and Mason Nichols put together scoreless outings in the loss.
- The Rebels opened their 2024 season last weekend with a four-game set against Hawaii on the island, splitting the series with the Rainbow Warriors.
- The Rebels won the first two games, including a 13-inning marathon on Friday night. It was the longest game Ole Miss has played since the 2015 season.
- Ethan Lege hit .545 (6-for-11) with two doubles and three RBI over three games last weekend while starting games at both second base and left field.
- Josh Mallitz worked two scoreless innings with three strikeouts in game four against Hawaii in his first appearance since the 2022 College World Series.
- Ole Miss is the only program in the country that has five players on D1Baseball's Top-100 2025 MLB Prospect list.
- Newcomer Treyson Hughes was named a Preseason All-American by the NCBWA.
- Ole Miss and High Point have only met once before this weekend, competing against each other in the Keith LeClair Classic in 2020.
- Ole Miss will play two midweek games next week, hosting both Little Rock and Missouri State.
SCOUTING REPORT
High Point University is in only its third season under head coach Joey Hammond. In the 2023 season, the Panthers ended with an overall record of 20-34 (12-14 Big South). The Panthers have four players who were named to the Big South Preseason All-Conference Team including senior pitcher Gus Huges who finished the 2023 season fourth in the conference in batters struck out (90) and in opposing batting average (.239).
HPU travels to Oxford for a three-game series this weekend. Earlier this season, the Panthers fell to Appalachian State, 1-7, on Monday night. Infielder graduate student Cael Chatham made some noise for the Panthers with a 349-foot home run and made his DI appearance on the mound, throwing 1.0 innings, allowing no hits and recording one strikeout.
High Point has only played Ole Miss once before in program history during the 2020 season. The Rebels came away with the 6-2 win against the Panthers.
ARM BARN
The Rebel bullpen worked to the tune of a 3.86 ERA through four games last weekend with eight different pitchers putting together scoreless outings. Mason Nichols worked a career-high 4.1 innings and picked up the win on Friday while Wes Mendes worked a three-inning save in his collegiate debut.
Mason Morris worked a career-high 2.2 innings, surrendering just one hit and striking out three. Connor Spencer struck out the side and earned a save in his first appearance as a Rebel. Josh Mallitz put together two scoreless innings in his return from surgery and Austin Simmons worked a 1-2-3 inning on Sunday in his collegiate debut.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Eight freshmen made their collegiate debut over the Rebels' opening weekend in Hawaii. Trenton Lyons, Drew Markle and Campbell Smithwick all tallied their first career hits at the plate. Seth Farni and Brayden Randle also saw action as pinch hitters for Ole Miss. On the mound, Patrick Galle, Wes Mendes and Austin Simmons combined for 4.1 innings without surrendering a hit. Mendes struck out four batters in 3.0 innings of work, picking up the save in Saturday's victory over the Rainbow Warriors. Simmons, a standout dual-sport athlete with the Ole Miss football team, pitched a perfect inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced.
ALL-AMERICAN IN THE OUTFIELD
Treyson Hughes was named a 2024 Preseason All-American by the NCBWA, making the Third Team in the outfield.
Hughes is a junior transfer who played his first two seasons at Mercer where he played in 115 games for the Bears. The Georgia native boasts a career .352 batting average with 105 total RBI and 127 runs scored over two seasons.
Last season, he hit .387 and set a new single-season runs scored record at Mercer, crossing the plate 74 times in 58 games. Hughes led the Southern Conference in on-base percentage and runs scored, earning 2023 First Team All-SoCon and SoCon All-Tournament team honors.
BIG MAL IS BACK
Josh Mallitz was named to the 2024 Stopper of the Year Watch List, opening the season among the nation's best in the bullpen.
Malllitz returns to the mound this season after sitting out the entirety of the 2023 season recovering from injury.
In 2022, the Florida native was an integral part of the team's national championship run, posting a 1.45 ERA over 31 innings of work. He held opponents to a .171 batting average while racking up 48 strikeouts.
Mallitz made five appearances during the team's postseason run, allowing just one run while striking out 18 over 10.2 innings. In game one of the College World Series Final, Mallitz worked two innings and struck out four Sooners.
THE ROAD TO 1,000
Head coach Mike Bianco comes into the 2024 season needing just 21 wins to reach 1,000 for his career. He has 979 career wins, 879 as head coach of the Rebels and 100 from his time at McNeese State. He currently sits at No. 11 amongst active head coaches on the all-time NCAA career wins list.
In 23 seasons leading the program, Bianco has delivered 18 postseason appearances, including eight Super Regional berths and a pair of trips to the College World Series. He has racked up 879 victories, holding a 879-514-1 (.631) record. Those wins are the most in Rebel baseball history and rank second all-time among coaches in the SEC. He also stands as the winningest and longest-active coach in the SEC among the sports of baseball, men's basketball and football.
TRANSFER TO THE SIP
D1Baseball ranked Ole Miss' 2024 transfer class the No. 7 class in the country and No. 5 in the SEC back in January. Five new Rebels were ranked in the top-70 in the publication's 2024 Impact Transfer rankings including Treyson Hughes (No. 11), Andrew Fischer (No. 17), and Luke Hill (No. 20) who were all ranked in the top 20.
Jackson Ross and Kyler Carmack were also included on the list at No. 25 and No. 65 respectfully.
WHAT SOPHOMORE SLUMP?
Ole Miss has five sophomores ranked in D1Baseball's Top-100 2025 MLB Draft Prospects, something that no other program in the country can claim.
JT Quinn leads the way coming in at No. 27, followed by Luke Hill (No. 38), Andrew Fischer (No. 40), Grayson Saunier (No. 57), and Liam Doyle (No. 91).
CONTACT HIGH
Ethan Lege struck out just 16 times in his 181 at bats last season, making him one of the hardest players to strike out in the country. The Rebel infielder only struck out more than once in a game one time (2/24 vs. Maryland) in 51 games and only had eight strikeouts during SEC play.
YOUNG GUNS
220.2 innings (48 percent) of Ole Miss' innings on the mound in 2023 were thrown by freshmen. Seven freshmen pitched at least seven innings and five pitched 25 or more innings. JT Quinn lead the youngsters with 55.1 innings worked, followed by Grayson Saunier who pitched 46.
Both Quinn and Saunier, along with Brayden Jones, Sam Tookoian, and Mason Morris return to the staff this season and will play integral parts on the Rebels' pitching staff.
MISSISSIPPI MADE
Of the 44 players on Ole Miss' roster in 2024, 17 of them hail from the state of Mississippi (38.6 percent). Overall, 16 different states are represented on the roster, ranging from California to New Hampshire.
NEW LOOK SWAYZE
Ole Miss officially announced expansion plans at Oxford-University Stadium that include a new club section, increased entrance to the venue and a plaza to honor the Rebels' first baseball national title team.
The project, which will add approximately 450 premium seats, will begin at the conclusion of the upcoming season and will be in place for the 2026 campaign.
The new club will be erected where the current concessions stand is located at the end of the third base line. Club ticket holders will enjoy covered, reserved seats outdoors, and within the club area, can take advantage of a spacious social area, personal lockers, TVs, private restrooms and complimentary food. In addition, the club features 38 feet of drink rails to compliment the chairback seats.
Adjacent to the new stadium gates, the First Champions Plaza will be erected outside the facility along University Place. The exhibit will feature a statue and visuals that celebrate the Rebels' 2022 national championship.
REBS ON THE NATIONAL STAGE
The Rebels are scheduled to appear on SEC Network eight times, ESPNU twice, and ESPN2 once during the 2024 campaign. Ole Miss' first game on national TV will be March 16 as they host South Carolina for game two of their three game series. The Rebels can then be seen on the national stage five times in April and five times in May.
National TV Games
March 16 vs. South Carolina (1 p.m. CT) – SEC Network
April 4 at Arkansas (6 p.m. CT) – SEC Network
April 12 vs. Mississippi State (7 p.m. CT) – SEC Network
April 13 vs. Mississippi State (7:30 p.m. CT) – ESPN2
April 25 vs. Alabama (6:30 p.m. CT) – ESPNU
April 27 vs. Alabama (2 p.m. CT) – SEC Network
May 1 vs. Mississippi State (Governor's Cup) (6 p.m. CT) – ESPNU
May 4 at Auburn (7 p.m. CT) – SEC Network
May 5 at Auburn (3 p.m. CT) – SEC Network
May 10 vs. Texas A&M (7:30 p.m. CT) – SEC Network
May 12 vs. Texas A&M (5 p.m. CT) – SEC Network
SWAYZE CRAZIES
Ole Miss set a new average attendance record at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field last season, averaging 10,095 fans per home game. The Oxford faithful also set a new single-season total attendance record as 323,047 totals fans came through Swayze Field during the 2023 season.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss baseball on X at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissBaseball, on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemissbsb and on TikTok at @olemissbsb. Also, follow head coach Mike Bianco on X at @CoachMikeBianco.
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