GameDay Primer: Ole Miss’ Bianco takes next shot at 1,000-win club at No. 23 Georgia
Mike Bianco’s wait for 1,000 was extended at least a few more days.
Ole Miss baseball had a scheduled road trip to Arkansas State in the midweek. However, the game was rained out, meaning the next, best opportunity for Bianco to reach the career-wins milestone comes on Friday (April 19) at 5 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.
The Rebels are at No. 23 Georgia for a three-game set this weekend. Bianco is one win shy (999) of hitting the mark. He’s vying to become just the 21st active coach to reach 1,000 and the 98th all-time.
Bianco has led Ole Miss to 18 postseason appearances over his 24 seasons, including the program’s first-ever national championship in 2022. Other accomplishments include eight Super Regional berths and a pair of College World Series trips.
Bianco’s the winningest coach in Ole Miss history. He’s third in the SEC in career wins.
LEADING OFF
Ole Miss is coming off its first series win over in-state rival Mississippi State since 2015.
The Rebels won two out of three last weekend and snapped an eight-game losing streak.
Ole Miss currently boasts the third-toughest schedule in the sport. The Rebels are 19th in the country in strikeouts per nine (10.5). They’re 14th in walks drawn (224) and fifth in sacrifice flies (26).
“Everybody wants it from both sides,” Bianco said of the series win over Mississippi State, the first for Ole Miss in over 3,000 days. “Both fan bases (and) both coaching staffs, there’s a lot of emotion.
“I’ve been here for 24 years. It maybe took me a year or two to kind of figure (the rivalry) out, but the truth is, it doesn’t matter what we play them in, everybody wants to win. There’s an extra something on the line.
“At the end of the day, we both have really good programs. It’s a head-scratcher why we struggled so much. We both played pretty well over the (however many years). I’m just happy we won.”
GEORGIA SCOUTING REPORT
Wes Johnson is in his first season as head coach of the Bulldogs. Johnson was a well-traveled and accomplished college pitching coach prior to Georgia. His SEC stints alone include Mississippi State and Arkansas. He was with the Minnesota Twins from 2019-2022.
Johnson spent one season as LSU pitching coach before taking over at Georgia. The Bulldogs were 29-27 (11-19 SEC) last season. Their season came to an end with a 9-0 loss to South Carolina in the SEC Tournament.
They’re led by one of the nation’s very best players, Charlie Condon. Condon helped the Bulldogs get off to a 17-1 start. Georgia is currently 27-9 (7-8 SEC) and fresh off a series win over Missouri.
Condon, an outfielder, is ranked by Baseball America as the top prospect for the 2024 MLB Draft. He’s a redshirt sophomore hitting .482 batting average. Condon has 24 home runs, 52 RBI and a 1.109 slugging percentage.
Condon was the 2023 National Freshman of the Year by Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, D1Baseball.com and NCBWA. Condon’s on the watch list for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award.
Ole Miss and Georgia are meeting for 91st time in history. The Rebels hold a 49-41 series advantage. They took two of three from the Bulldogs last season.
