Ole Miss Baseball Hosts Arkansas State for 2024 Home Opener

OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) Ole Miss Baseball returns home to Swayze Field this Wednesday to host Arkansas State for their 2024 home opener. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m. today.

LEADING OFF

• Ole Miss opened its 2024 season last weekend with a four-game set against Hawaii on the island.
• 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.
• Mason Nichols and Wes Mendes put together strong performances out of the bullpen with Nichols picking up his first win of the season and Mendes earning a three-inning save.
• Josh Mallitz worked two scoreless innings with three strikeouts 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.
• This is the first time in program history that the Rebels and the Rainbow Warriors have met and the first time that Ole Mis has played in Hawaii.
• Ole Miss will welcome High Point to Swayze Field this weekend for their first home series of the season.

SCOUTING REPORT

Arkansas State is in its 16th season under head coach Tommy Raffo, making him the longest tenured coach in school history. Coming off an Opening Weekend series sweep, the Red Wolves dominated Omaha by only allowing nine runs while posting 33 runs over the Mavericks. Infielder junior Austen Jaslove had a standout weekend, averaging .714 at the plate and earned four runs, 10 hits, two home runs and five RBIs in 14 at-bats.

Last season, Arkansas State finished 20-31 (9-19) and finished 12th in the conference. In the offseason, the Red Wolves added 19 new players to the roster with five of them being freshman. The 2023-24 transfer class features 11 junior college players and four Division I additions.

This will be the 116th meeting between the Rebels and the Red Wolves as Ole Miss holds a 91-24 record over Arkansas State. Last season, the Rebels took down Arkansas State in both matchups with the final score of 11-3 at home and 6-3 away.

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.