Ole Miss completed its fall practice schedule recently and will return to the field in the spring. The Rebels open Feb. 16 at home against Winthrop. There's an 8-game homestand to open the year before the Rebels head to Long Beach for a three-game series.
Remember all scrimmages were at Oxford Middle School, but they did the best they could with the smaller dimensions. I haven't heard if Ole Miss is going to go ahead and switch to the first base dugout at the beginning of the year or not.
Here are some random thoughts from the fall and what be the case heading into the spring.
I continue to hear good things from around the league about the catcher-coach wireless system for calling pitches. The occasional signal loss is an issue but could be fixed by February. It's going to quicken games (remember, all SEC games only this year) if extra replay doesn't cancel some of that out.
Offensively so much of the result is going to be how the sophomore class improves since their freshmen seasons. Thomas Dillard had a really good fall offensively and also looks more comfortable in a corner outfield spot. As you know, he runs and moves better than it seems. He drew some walks and punished bad pitches for most of the fall. Part of me wants to see it in SEC play and witness he can show more bat control, but if you're looking to buy stock he's not a bad candidate at all.
Grae Kessinger is completely healed from that Jones fracture and was also more comfortable and better during the fall. I expect a very steady year from him.
Nick Fortes and Cooper Johnson are expected to split the catching duties a little more evenly, at least at the start, this season. Fortes will play somewhere everyday and is the team's best hitter. You'll see him at catcher, first base and DH throughout the year. People forget he was Ole Miss' top rated recruit two years ago. He's playing like it. Johnson was great again defensively this fall. He's not going to hit .350, but he's not going to hit just over .100 for two months like last year either. I think he'll look offensively like he did the last month or so. It's manageable and could have some hot streaks.
I think Ole Miss will put Nick Fortes, Ryan Olenek, Will Golsan and Tim Rowe in the middle of the order and then work around it. There's not a true leadoff hitter right now in my opinion, but I do really like freshman Anthony Servideo. The left-handed hitter has a touch of pop in the gaps and is the leader to play second base. You'll really like him if he handled the transition as a freshman.
Rowe is doing such a better job of hitting the ball the other way lately. He was so pull-happy last year, and it limited his ability offensively to do a lot from a consistency standpoint. Second year JUCOs have a tendency to really progress in year two, and he fits that profile as an offensive threat.
Golsan will play center, and Olenek can fill in wherever needed. Dillard might have a firm hold on left field, and we'll see if one of the freshmen outfielders -- Michael Spears or Carl Gindl emerge at some point. Both hit the ball OK but the defense has to improve to factor in. The Rebels were 10th in the SEC in defense last year. That won't cut it.
From a defensive standpoint (reads and fielding), I think these are the best outfielders in order: Golsan, Olenek, Dillard, Spears, Rowe, Seamster and Gindl. Obviously a couple of those down the list have a lot of speed, so there's upside if the other things improve.
Freshmen corner infielders Tim Elko (a huge get) and Tyler Keenan can play third or first and will get a chance if they hit. At least in the fall, Cole Zabowski didn't progress like some other sophomores, so there are opportunities for Elko and Keenan at first when Fortes isn't there.
Chase Cockrell will get at-bats, but his contact percentage is a deterrent unless the power numbers are insane.
A wildcard everywhere is Jacob Adams, the junior college prospect who broke his foot early in the semester and missed the fall. There's ability there, but we just haven't seen it yet.
Ole Miss had most of its best arms shut down for most of the fall to rest after long summers, but that served positives on multiple counts. The much-needed pitchers got to regroup, and it gave more innings for those in competition for roles.
If the season started today I'd expect these 12 pitchers to be the ones looking for niches: Ryan Rolison, James McArthur, Brady Feigl, Dallas Woolfolk, Will Ethridge, Houston Roth, Greer Holston, Parker Caracci, Connor Green, Jordan Fowler, Austin Miller and Will Stokes
Feigl showed a lot of improvement. There was an uptick throughout his repertoire and a lot more command with his secondary pitches. I like him to be really good this year.
Rolison was the No. 1 prospect in the Cape this past summer. He's the ace. Enjoy his final season in Oxford.
Green has shifted to a submarine arm slot this fall and it might gave him a new opportunity. There's a lot of buzz from players that Green was the toughest player to hit during the fall. He can throw from that angle in the mid to high 80s and seems to control the offspeed stuff.
Miller is a big 6-foot-7 JUCO righty that's 88-92. He'll pitch. The question is what role is it going to be.
Remember all scrimmages were at Oxford Middle School, but they did the best they could with the smaller dimensions. I haven't heard if Ole Miss is going to go ahead and switch to the first base dugout at the beginning of the year or not.
Here are some random thoughts from the fall and what be the case heading into the spring.
I continue to hear good things from around the league about the catcher-coach wireless system for calling pitches. The occasional signal loss is an issue but could be fixed by February. It's going to quicken games (remember, all SEC games only this year) if extra replay doesn't cancel some of that out.
Offensively so much of the result is going to be how the sophomore class improves since their freshmen seasons. Thomas Dillard had a really good fall offensively and also looks more comfortable in a corner outfield spot. As you know, he runs and moves better than it seems. He drew some walks and punished bad pitches for most of the fall. Part of me wants to see it in SEC play and witness he can show more bat control, but if you're looking to buy stock he's not a bad candidate at all.
Grae Kessinger is completely healed from that Jones fracture and was also more comfortable and better during the fall. I expect a very steady year from him.
Nick Fortes and Cooper Johnson are expected to split the catching duties a little more evenly, at least at the start, this season. Fortes will play somewhere everyday and is the team's best hitter. You'll see him at catcher, first base and DH throughout the year. People forget he was Ole Miss' top rated recruit two years ago. He's playing like it. Johnson was great again defensively this fall. He's not going to hit .350, but he's not going to hit just over .100 for two months like last year either. I think he'll look offensively like he did the last month or so. It's manageable and could have some hot streaks.
I think Ole Miss will put Nick Fortes, Ryan Olenek, Will Golsan and Tim Rowe in the middle of the order and then work around it. There's not a true leadoff hitter right now in my opinion, but I do really like freshman Anthony Servideo. The left-handed hitter has a touch of pop in the gaps and is the leader to play second base. You'll really like him if he handled the transition as a freshman.
Rowe is doing such a better job of hitting the ball the other way lately. He was so pull-happy last year, and it limited his ability offensively to do a lot from a consistency standpoint. Second year JUCOs have a tendency to really progress in year two, and he fits that profile as an offensive threat.
Golsan will play center, and Olenek can fill in wherever needed. Dillard might have a firm hold on left field, and we'll see if one of the freshmen outfielders -- Michael Spears or Carl Gindl emerge at some point. Both hit the ball OK but the defense has to improve to factor in. The Rebels were 10th in the SEC in defense last year. That won't cut it.
From a defensive standpoint (reads and fielding), I think these are the best outfielders in order: Golsan, Olenek, Dillard, Spears, Rowe, Seamster and Gindl. Obviously a couple of those down the list have a lot of speed, so there's upside if the other things improve.
Freshmen corner infielders Tim Elko (a huge get) and Tyler Keenan can play third or first and will get a chance if they hit. At least in the fall, Cole Zabowski didn't progress like some other sophomores, so there are opportunities for Elko and Keenan at first when Fortes isn't there.
Chase Cockrell will get at-bats, but his contact percentage is a deterrent unless the power numbers are insane.
A wildcard everywhere is Jacob Adams, the junior college prospect who broke his foot early in the semester and missed the fall. There's ability there, but we just haven't seen it yet.
Ole Miss had most of its best arms shut down for most of the fall to rest after long summers, but that served positives on multiple counts. The much-needed pitchers got to regroup, and it gave more innings for those in competition for roles.
If the season started today I'd expect these 12 pitchers to be the ones looking for niches: Ryan Rolison, James McArthur, Brady Feigl, Dallas Woolfolk, Will Ethridge, Houston Roth, Greer Holston, Parker Caracci, Connor Green, Jordan Fowler, Austin Miller and Will Stokes
Feigl showed a lot of improvement. There was an uptick throughout his repertoire and a lot more command with his secondary pitches. I like him to be really good this year.
Rolison was the No. 1 prospect in the Cape this past summer. He's the ace. Enjoy his final season in Oxford.
Green has shifted to a submarine arm slot this fall and it might gave him a new opportunity. There's a lot of buzz from players that Green was the toughest player to hit during the fall. He can throw from that angle in the mid to high 80s and seems to control the offspeed stuff.
Miller is a big 6-foot-7 JUCO righty that's 88-92. He'll pitch. The question is what role is it going to be.
