Of all the schools on this list or even in the country, there is not one that represents college baseball like Ole Miss. After winning 42 games in 2022 and making it to the College World Series, the 2023 Rebels only won 25 games and missed the SEC tournament altogether, finishing 7th out of 7 in the West. After the season ended, they lost a lot of key pieces, but most importantly, they lost Jacob Gonzalez. After three years as a starter for Ole Miss, Gonzalez was the rock of the team, earning all-SEC honors three times, hitting .327 in his final year and was taken 15th overall.
Photo Cred: NCAA
The draft also took two players who started every game last year, Kemp Alderman and Calvin Harris, and one of their top arms in their pen, Jack Dougherty. They also had their three top prospects drafted, pitchers Josh Knoth and Zander Mueth, and infielder Cooper Pratt. The rest of the players they lost were to the portal or graduation, losing TJ McCants and Peyton Chatagnier to other schools and pitcher Mitch Murrell to eligibility. In 2024, Ole Miss starting pitching will rely on new and old faces. 2023 starters Greyson Saunier and TJ Quinn are back and looking to retain their roles for this season after Saunier finished with a 6.9 ERA in 19 starts and Quinn a 6.8 in 17 appearances (12 starts).
Newcomer Gunnar Dennis from Meridian CC will slide in as the third starter, transferring in for his junior year. Out of the pen, the Rebs will be leaning on returners Mason Nichols and Xavier Rivas to take the lead. Both are coming back after being two of the top arms for them in 2023 and are going to try to make even bigger impacts this year. They will also be getting help from some other familiar faces like Cole Tolbert, Sam Tookoian, and Josh Mallitz.
Photo Cred: BVM Sports
Some of the new faces that will also be getting innings are Coastal Carolina transfer Liam Doyle, Arkansas State transfer Kyler Carmack, and freshman Patrick Galle. Hitting for the Rebels, they will be led by returners like Will Furniss, Ethan Lege, and Ethan Groff. Furniss was the best of them in 2023, hitting .298 with 39 hits. A lot of the lineup, though, will consist of new guys.
Transfers like Jackson Ross (Coastal Carolina), Andrew Fischer (Duke), Treyson Hughes (Mercer), and Luke Hill (Arizona State) will all have significant roles in the lineup this year, possibly starting every game. Reagan Burford is another returner who will have a larger role in 2024, having only started in 14 games last season. They will have a few bats on the bench too, some returners and some freshmen, but the lineup will mostly remain consistent throughout the 2024 season.
