Ole Miss center fielder Ethan Groff ready to “run it back” with the Rebs
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss baseball enjoyed a great Monday as two top transfer players committed to the Rebels — FAU third baseman Jackson Ross and Arizona State shortstop Luke Hill — and Ethan Groff, a key piece of last year’s team, announced his intention to “run it back.”
The Rebels’ starting center fielder, Groff tweeted his plans:
Run it back Rebz🔥 pic.twitter.com/YeaQhY1ljn
— Ethan Groff (@ethangroff12) July 18, 2023
Groff, an Orlando, Florida native, played for Tulane before transferring last season to Ole Miss.
For the Rebels, Groff started in all 53 games he appeared, hitting .272 as he tallied 56 hits, six home runs, 47 runs scored, and 42 RBI. He notched 13 extra-base hits.
ETHAN GROFF GIVES THE REBS THE LEAD
BEER SHOWER ALERT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/TkbahZYrNI
— 11Point7: The College Baseball Podcast 🎙 (@11point7) April 8, 2023
Groff tied with Calvin Harris for second-most walks drawn and was also successful on 16-of-19 steal attempts last season. In the outfield, he was outstanding, committing just one error in 53 games played as he recorded a .993 fielding percentage while garnering 134 putouts.
ETHAN GROFF MY GOODNESS#SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/a44osW7vrV
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 13, 2023
Groff’s return to the team for the 2024 season will be key as head coach Mike Bianco and staff look to rebuild from last season where they failed to reach the 2023 SEC and NCAA tournaments after winning the national title in 2022.
Ole Miss had four players chosen in the 2023 MLB Draft: Jacob Gonzalez, Kemp Alderman, Calvin Harris and Jack Dougherty. Additionally, three of the Rebels’ high school signees were selected as well.
The Diamond Rebels have enjoyed success thus far in the NCAA transfer portal, picking up some players in key areas of need.
These transfers include: Mercer outfielder Treyson Hughes, Arkansas State right-handed pitcher Kyler Carmack, Duke infielder Andrew Fischer, Southeastern right-handed pitcher Connor Spencer and Monday’s acquisitions of Hill and Ross.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
