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Ole Miss baseball transfer portal class ranked in nation's top 10 by D1Baseball

david eckert, mississippi clarion ledger
·2 min read

OXFORD — Lane Kiffin isn't the only coach in Oxford who knows how to use the transfer portal.

Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco put together the No. 7 transfer portal class in the country, according to D1 Baseball's rankings.

The class ranks as the fifth-best transfer crop in the SEC, behind LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Arkansas.

Ole Miss baseball's key transfer portal additions

Several of Ole Miss' impact transfers will bolster the Rebels' infield. Ole Miss added Arizona State's Luke Hill, FAU's Jackson Ross and Duke's Andrew Fischer, all of whom played on the left side of the infield at their previous stops.

Fischer played an outstanding third base for the Blue Devils and had a .999 OPS last season. Hill, playing shortstop for Arizona State, hit .314 with 42 RBIs last season. Ross had 14 homers and hit .345 as FAU's third baseman last year.

Ole Miss made another key addition in Mercer outfielder Treyson Hughes, who batted .387 with 11 homers in a first-team All-SoCon showing in 2023.

Bianco also added a trio of small-school pitchers in Arkansas State's Kyler Carmack, Coastal Carolina's Liam Doyle and Southeastern Louisiana's Conner Spencer.

D1 Baseball included junior college transfers in its assessment of the Rebels' class, touting Meridian's Gunnar Dennis and Weatherford Junior College's Ryne Rodriguez as players who could help the Rebels in 2024.

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Why Ole Miss baseball needs impact from the transfer portal

Ole Miss followed its 2022 national championship with its first losing season since 1997.

The Rebels missed the SEC tournament as one of the two worst teams in the conference, finishing 25-29 overall and 6-24 in conference play.

Ole Miss will lose its three most productive players from last season's roster, with shortstop Jacob Gonzalez, catcher Calvin Harris and outfielder Kemp Alderman departing for the professional ranks.

National championship contributors TJ McCants and Peyton Chatagnier also departed via the transfer portal.

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss baseball transfers: Mike Bianco class ranked top 10 nationally