What Mike Bianco said about outlook of Ole Miss baseball freshmen, including Austin Simmons
OXFORD — Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco believes that his roster ‒ which underwent offseason reconstruction following the Rebels' first losing season since 1997 ‒ has the luxury of balance.
The Rebels will have veterans to lean on, but not at the expense of roster spots for exciting young players who can help Ole Miss win down the line. Some of them, perhaps, might even help the Rebels when they begin their 2024 season on Feb. 16 at Hawaii.
When asked by The Clarion Ledger which freshmen he anticipated playing early, Bianco focused on three names.
One of them was Wes Mendes, a lefthanded pitcher and outfielder from Tampa, Florida. He was tabbed by Perfect Game as the No. 92 overall prospect in his class. Accounting for the fact that the majority of the players ranked ahead of him joined the professional ranks, Mendes will be among the highest-regarded freshmen in college baseball.
"I think Wes Mendes was terrific this fall and certainly will help us in some capacity," Bianco told The Clarion Ledger. "Is that out of the bullpen? Is that as a starter? A lot has to do with how good of a start he gets off to, and how that leads into the next role."
Catcher Campbell Smithwick, out of Oxford High School, was ranked even higher than Mendes at No. 63. Considered a top-160 draft prospect by MLB.com last summer, Smithwick is another name Bianco tabbed among the freshmen who could play early.
The Rebels lost star catcher Calvin Harris after last season. None of the other catchers on their roster have Division I experience, leaving plenty of opportunity for the talented rookie to seize.
"When you look at Campbell Smithwick behind the plate, he had a really good fall offensively," Bianco said. "I think he's even better defensively than even (how) he caught this fall. We're excited about him."
Bianco also said he thought Brayden Randle showed well in the fall. He could contribute to a reconstructed Ole Miss infield.
"Probably in my head, those three freshmen probably stuck out a little more than some of the other guys," Bianco said. "But other guys did well and I think are going to deserve opportunities and be out there.
"The hard thing is: Who's going to be ready to take the step? Obviously, guys will have opportunities. Some of the guys, because of what they did in the fall, will probably get the first opportunities. But sometimes it doesn't work like that in our game. Sometimes taking that step forward is hard for some guys. It takes them, you know, a year, sometimes more than that."
A more experienced option that Bianco also brought up is lefthanded pitcher Gunnar Dennis, who spent two seasons playing junior college baseball at Meridian.
He struck out 74 batters in 70 innings last season with a 3.50 ERA.
The progress of two-sport star Austin Simmons will also be top of mind for many Ole Miss fans. Simmons, a quarterback who reclassified up by two years to join the Rebels' football team, is also a renowned baseball prospect.
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Bianco doesn't have much information on Simmons' outlook just yet because of the quarterback's commitment to the football team in the fall.
"I've watched him throw twice off a mound," Bianco said. "I think the next three weeks are super important to being able to answer that question. He's obviously very talented. He's a tremendous athlete or you wouldn't be able to do what he's doing. I certainly think he has a future in baseball and a future of helping us have success here, but I don't know what that is."
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: These Ole Miss baseball freshmen could contribute quickly for Mike Bianco
