The SEC showed its might as a baseball conference once more in producing the most NCAA Tournament bids from a single conference in history. Ole Miss wasn’t one of them.
The Rebels, instead, posted the second of back-to-back losing seasons. Still, Mike Bianco and his Ole Miss coaching staff are returning for 2025. Bianco will be in his 25th season.
They have work to do. Ole Miss hitting coach Mike Clement previewed the off-season ahead when he joined Ben Garrett (OMSpirit.com) for this (May 28, 2024) edition of ‘The Flagship.’
“Moving forward, certainly we’re going to be active in the portal,” Clement said. “We’re going to get some portal players. I’m sure we’ll have a few guys in the portal, but the retention is going to be really good.
“It’s not going to be some overhaul where we have to go find a completely new team.”
First on the agenda is a plug-and-play shortstop, followed by an infusion of defense at catcher.
But Clement said the Rebels like their core, which has been bolstered over the last week by the announced returns of, among others, transfers Andrew Fischer, Luke Hill and Liam Doyle.
The now-open transfer portal runs through the first week of July. The MLB Draft is July 12.
“We’ve got to play better defense,” Clement said. “We’re always going to be in the market for a pitcher or two. We’re always going to be in the market for the best available hitter — whatever that looks like or wherever that guy plays.
“But you can’t win and be bad defensively. We’ve got gaps to fill from that standpoint.”
Clement said the Rebels will be keeping their collective fingers crossed during the draft on two 2024 signees in particular.
“I think Slade Caldwell is going to get drafted really good,” he said. “If I hedged my bet on that one, that one may work against us. I feel really good about Owen Paino — a left-handed-hitting shortstop from New York, who’s famous and has a chance.
“I know he’s asking for a lot of money and really wants to come to school. He’d have to be blown away.”
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