With his dugout full of talented hitters, Coach Mike Bianco has many options
OXFORD, Miss. — This young season has already provided a few interesting quandaries for Ole Miss head baseball coach Mike Bianco, courtesy of the abundance of talent he has in his dugout. And, yes, it’s a nice problem to have.
It seems as if every time he inserts a first-time starter into the starting nine, they go yard. And even when they’re reinserted into the starting lineup, they go yard. It’s like, “You get a homer and you get a homer and you get another homer.”
Now, who knows how long this can realistically continue but it’s as fun as it gets at the moment. Through four games, seven Rebels have gotten a starting nod in all of them. They’ve collectively hit .400 with 38 knocks in 95 at-bats.
While his regulars are hitting that blistering .400, Coach Bianco’s supporting cast is hitting a whopping .363, having hit four of the Rebels’ 11 round-trippers.
First-baseman Anthony Calarco’s three-game starting streak ended Tuesday against Arkansas State when Ole Miss defensive tackle Tywone Malone got the first start of his two-year career at Designated Hitter. Tywone is known for turning batting practices into home run derbies. His first swing at a letter-high breaking ball resulted in an absolute no-doubter.
Calarco, meanwhile, is sitting pretty with a .375 average early. While he hasn’t shown the home run power quite yet, he has put the ball in play in every plate appearance, plus he’s walked once. He’s exhibiting a very good eye in the box.
The quandaries continue when you realize just how many more players are showing their stuff.
Freshman Will Furniss has started two games, one as DH and the other at 1B, and homered in both. Frosh Judd Utermark homered in his only start in the DH spot. Both of these homers came in their first college at-bats. Reagan Burford opened the season in the starting lineup at DH and only had two plate appearances, but he’s in the mix, as well.
Then you have a slew of pinch-hitters (thus far) who’ve shown their wares when getting the call. Captain Garrett Wood had the run-rule walk-off single in the opener, while John Kramer and Tim Simay have provided this opportunistic trio a 3-for-3 record at the plate.
Some of the most productive pressure doesn’t come from the opposition, but from those you’re around every day, those whose excellence drives your own performance to greater heights. Iron sharpens iron, as the old saying goes.
Or, maybe everyone gets a lucky Jobu figure for their locker like No. 9 hitter Peyton Chatagnier told us he has in his. Peyton is literally on fire, hitting a team-leading .583 with two blasts mixed in. He has a happy bat.
Kemp Alderman’s power has been on display thus far with his two doubles, two home runs and eight RBI while boasting a .467 batting average.
Then there’s Jacob Gonzalez. The Rebel shortstop leads the team with nine RBI. Over the three-game series with Delaware, Gonzalez went 4-for-12 (.333 BA) with a double, a grand slam, eight RBI and two walks.
Ethan Lege, meanwhile, is following in Justin Bench’s footsteps in this regard; he’s on pace to get hit by a pitch over 40 times during the regular season, “taking one for the team.”
The other regulars, TJ McCants, Calvin Harris and Ethan Groff are hitting a combined .387.
Again, everywhere Coach Bianco looks, he’s got hitters who are producing. The DH spot is up for grabs, a decision which may also affect who starts full time at first base. Or, will we see a continuation of this successful rotation of extremely strong hitters coming to the plate?
We’ll find out more this weekend against the top-ranked team in the Big Ten, the Maryland Terrapins.
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
David Walker
David Walker was named Louisiana’s High School Player of the Year at just 16 years old and, at 17, became college football’s first quarterback to earn Freshman of the Year honors. He remains the NCAA’s youngest-ever starting quarterback, a distinction that has stood for decades.
Transitioning from a wide-open high school offense to Emory Bellard’s renowned wishbone triple option, Walker excelled as a dual-threat quarterback. He graduated as Texas A&M’s all-time winningest quarterback and served as a two-time team captain, helping to transform a program that had endured 15 losing seasons in the previous 16 years.
After his playing career, Walker coached and taught algebra at six Texas high schools before moving into private business. In 2011, he published his memoir, “I’ll Tell You When You’re Good,” a title inspired by the coaching philosophy of Shannon Suarez, the Sulphur High and Louisiana High School Hall of Fame coach who was a significant influence on Walker’s life and career.
Walker’s compelling storytelling in his autobiography reflects the breadth of his experiences in high school and college football, and it is an undeniable fact that he saw more action than any athlete in the history of the NCAA. Since 2013, he has contributed to The Rebel Walk, sharing his insights and expertise with readers.
