Seven Ole Miss baseball players named to Perfect Game’s lists of nation’s best: two freshmen, five sophomores recognized
OXFORD, Miss. — We are officially one month away before the Diamond Rebs take the field in Honolulu for their first series of the 2024 season. Perfect Game has released its rising freshman and sophomore lists of the nation’s best, and seven Ole Miss players are on the lists. Let’s dive into who has been recognized.
Two Ole Miss freshmen, Campbell Smithwick and Wes Mendes, were named to Perfect Game’s Top 75 freshmen list.
Top 75 Freshman Rankings
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No. 18, Campbell Smithwick – C
No. 25, Wes Mendes – P/OF
Smithwick will likely be the starting catcher on opening day and has been widely acknowledged as one of the best defensive catchers in his class. At the plate, Smithwick has shown all sorts of versatility, from simply putting the ball in play to hitting it 400+ feet.
Earlier this fall, Coach Bianco talked about the talented freshman.
“He’s super talented and a kid that we knew for years when he came here, he was going to have a chance to play and play immediately. In his first inter-squad game, I think he hit a home run, in his first fall game, he hit a home run, and he caught well. But he’s also a kid that wants to get better. He realizes that it’s not the easiest program to be a catcher, especially a freshman catcher, because all of the coaches have been catchers and are very critical of that position,” Bianco said.
Mendes joins Smithwick on Perfect Game’s list. Mendes is a two-way player out of Tampa, Florida who played outfield and pitcher throughout the fall. In the 2023 class, he was ranked as the 92nd player in the nation, but after displaying his abilities in fall ball, there was no doubt that he would get promoted in the rankings. On the mound, Mendes throws a fastball that sits around 91–95 mph with a curveball that sits around 80 mph.
As Coach Bianco has stated before, he is not afraid to play freshmen, especially ones with the skill level of Wes Mendes.
In fact, two star players Bianco played as freshmen — pitchers JT Quinn and Grayson Saunier — join three other rising sophomores, Andrew Fischer, Luke Hill and Liam Doyle on the list of the Top 100 Sophomores. Fischer, Hill and Doyle are all transfers to Ole Miss.
Top 100 Sophomore Rankings
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No. 13, JT Quinn – P
No. 33, Andrew Fischer – 3B
No. 44, Grayson Saunier – P
No. 51, Luke Hill – SS
No. 84, Liam Doyle – P
JT Quinn, the highest-ranked of the bunch at No. 13, is a 6’foot-6 right-hander who is also out of Tampa, Florida. Quinn, who started 12 games last season, features an upper 90’s fastball with a tight breaking ball that sits around 85 mph. The sophomore is in position for a breakout season.
Andrew Fischer comes in at No. 33 on the list. He transferred from Duke University, where he slashed for 11 home runs, 33 runs batted in, and a .289 average. At the hot corner, Fischer only committed one error in the entire season and finished with a .979 fielding percentage. Fischer will be a fantastic addition to this Rebel lineup.
Grayson Saunier sits at No. 44 on the list of the Top 100 rising sophomores. Saunier, the Rebels’ other returning starting pitcher is ready to take his game to a whole new level in his second year. Saunier features a fastball and slider combo that does a fantastic job keeping hitters off balance. I can confidently say that Grayson and JT will be quite the duo this spring, especially after gaining so much experience pitching in the SEC as true freshmen.
Coming in at the 51st spot is Luke Hill, a Baton Rouge native who spent his freshman year playing at Arizona State. Hill collected 42 RBI’s with a .314 batting average and .389 on-base percentage as a Sun Devil. The predicted starting shortstop will add a strong arm, speed, and range to the infield.
Wrapping up Perfect Game’s rankings is No. 84 Liam Doyle, a pitcher who transferred from Coastal Carolina in the offseason. Doyle finished his freshman year with a 4.15 earned run average, but most recently in the Pizza Bowl (a fall inter-squad game), Doyle pitched two innings and struck out four batters. The southpaw has an extremely high ceiling and will be used frequently by Coach Bianco in 2024.
Ole Miss fans, be sure to keep an eye out for these players as well as all of the talented players on the roster as we approach opening day.
Hawaii-bound
The Rebels will open their 2024 season in the state of Hawaii with a four-game set against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. Their first game of the season will be on February 16, followed by a doubleheader with Hawaii on the 17th and the final game of the series on the 18th.
For all of your baseball content and more, be sure to stay tuned to The Rebel Walk. Hotty Toddy!
