Reb Talk: Mike Bianco, Ole Miss Baseball Glad to be Home, Rebels’ Skipper Announces Pitching Rotation for the Week
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss baseball head coach Mike Bianco joined Ole Miss radio announcer David Kellum on “Reb Talk” this week to discuss opening weekend against Hawaii and the plan for this upcoming week.
Coach Bianco started by informing Kellum and the fans gathered that the team returned to Oxford yesterday and had a light practice today to get the guys “moving.” Bianco also talked about the series against the Rainbow Warriors, breaking down the good and the bad from this weekend.
“Obviously, it wasn’t quite the trip we wanted from a baseball standpoint. We got the first two and didn’t play well the last two,” Bianco said.
“It’s four games out of the gate and not how you want to do it. We didn’t play like the team that I’ve watched over the last six months. It was unfortunate, but there were some really bright spots, especially out of the bullpen.“
Head coach Mike Bianco on the Hawaii series
As Bianco mentioned, Ole Miss split 2-2 with Hawaii over the weekend while allowing six errors and walking 10 batters in the series finale on Sunday.
As Coach Bianco explained, however, there were quite a few bullpen performances that look to be a great sign for the Reb’s pitching staff this season. Josh Mallitz, Cole Tolbert, Austin Simmons, Mason Morris, Mason Nichols, and Connor Spencer are just some of the names who pitched at least one inning and allowed zero runs out of the pen.
Due to Mason Morris’ performance on Friday night, when he pitched 2.2 innings, struck out three, and allowed zero runs, Bianco announced him as the starting pitcher against Arkansas State on Wednesday.
Weekend Rotation
As for the weekend rotation, things will remain the same against High Point in the three-game series at Swayze, with JT Quinn on Friday, Gunnar Dennis on Saturday, and Grayson Saunier for Sunday. The trio saw their fair share of ups and downs this weekend, but as explained by Coach Bianco, he and the team will likely feel far more comfortable playing at Swayze Field for the first time this season on Wednesday night.
“I told my wife, it sounds bad — you go all the way to Hawaii, but I’ve never been so happy to be home. I’m super excited to be at Swayze Field tomorrow.“
Coach Bianco
Next Up
Ole Miss takes on Arkansas State Wednesday at Swayze Field! First pitch is set for 4 p.m. Hotty Toddy!
