Mike Bianco and Ole Miss baseball cap horrible, no good, very-bad week with sweep at LSU
Mike Bianco and the 2024 Ole Miss baseball Rebels faced a four-game, must-win week.
They lost them all.
Even worse, each was a Quadrant 1 opportunity to boost their measly postseason resume. So, Saturday, a 9-3 loss to cap an LSU sweep in Baton Rouge, was effectively the end of the season.
Sure, the Rebels did enough to at least make it into the SEC Tournament. But those results don’t matter. Ole Miss had to win Saturday and get at least two in Hoover to be eligible for the postseason.
“Not a good week. Not a good weekend from us,” Bianco said afterwards. “We’ve got to turn it around for the tournament.”
The only question on anyone’s mind — from the top (administration) on down — is what, if anything, happens with Bianco.
His Rebels won the program’s one and only title over a magical run in the summer of 2022. Ole Miss was the last team named to the NCAA Tournament and now-iconically won 10 of 11 games, including a sweep of Oklahoma in the College World Series finals.
But everything else results-wise over the last three years has been objectively awful. Ole Miss has won less than 30 percent of its SEC games since the championship. Bianco is nearing the end of his 24th Ole Miss season.
The Rebels closed the regular season 27-28 overall, including an 11-19 mark in SEC games. They’ll be the No. 12 seed in the SEC Tournament and play Tuesday. LSU improved to 36-20 (13-17 SEC).
“It’s a quick turnaround,” Bianco said. “We’ll head back to Oxford tonight and get ready to head to Hoover. Everyone knows what’s at stake there. You gotta win.”
Take three, E @ethangroff12 | SECN+ pic.twitter.com/NPYbnYLAhg
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 18, 2024
HOW IT HAPPENED | LSU 9, Ole Miss 3
LSU scored eight runs over the firs four innings to coast to a sweep-clinching, 9-3 series win over Ole Miss on Saturday.
Tommy White launched his 22nd and 23rd home runs of the season to lead the Tigers. Ole Miss scored a run in the sixth on a Regan Burford sacrifice fly to right field. Ethan Groff doubled and tripled in the loss.
Mason Nichols (4-2) worked into the fourth inning and was tagged for four earned runs on five hits with a strikeout and three walks. Nichols was followed by Mason Morris, Brayden Jones, Ryne Rodriguez, JT Quinn and Mitch Murrell.
Luke Hill and Will Furniss were credited with an RBI each. Nate Ackenhausen (3-4) was the second of seven pitchers for LSU and got the win. The Tigers had 12 hits. Ole mMiss had seven. White had five RBI.
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