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No contract changes for Ole Miss’ Bianco after bounce-back year, Carter confirms

Ben Garrettby:Ben Garrett•07/05/25•

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Keith Carter and Mike Bianco
Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter and head baseball coach Mike Bianco celebrate the first major Ole Miss national championship since the 60s

Ole Miss baseball in 2025 bounced back from back-to-back losing seasons with 43 wins and a Regional host. 

The Rebels fell just one run shy of hosting their first Super since 2009. 

Athletics director Keith Carter joined the Ole Miss Spirit’s ‘Talk of Champions’ podcast recently to discuss a wide-range of topics, including his decision to keep Bianco’s contract as-is, as first-reported by Chase Parham of the Inside the Rebels last month. 

Ole Miss and Bianco agreed to a contact extension following the Rebels’ national championship run in the summer of 2022. He has three years remaining and is entering his 26th year at the helm.

“We talked and obviously have a great relationship with Mike,” Carter said. “It was a great year, a fantastic bounce-back year. The last two years are just total outliers in his whole career. Mike’s been super consistent and obviously got the natty in ’22. To bounce back this year was awesome. Obviously a disappointing end to the season; I think Mike would tell you that. You run into just a really hot team in Murray State. Just couldn’t get them out. Nobody could get them out there for a while.”

Ole Miss has already done the heavy-lifting for next season’s roster and now awaits the outcome of the MLB Draft in eight days. 

The Rebels are expected to bring back, among others, Judd Utermark and Will Furniss. Ace left-hander Hunter Elliott is a possibility, too, if much more of a long shot. 

Utermark led the team in home runs (22) last season. Ole Miss has added eight transfers, led by a pair of slugging corner outfielders in Daniel Pacella (Illinois State) and Tristan Bissetta (Clemson). Pitchers Grant Richardson (Grand Canyon), Wil Libbert (Missouri) and others are potential weekend rotation options. All listed are draft risks. 

But the Rebels are expected to be right in the fight again. They’ve even added from the team that eliminated them. Ole Miss signed Murray State second baseman Dom Decker, who ended his season on a 43-game on-base streak. 

RELATED: Illinois State transfer Daniel Pacella bringing the lumber to Ole Miss baseball

Decker and the Racers won the Oxford Regional as the 4-seed.

He was 5 for 17 with two RBI. Decker had the go-ahead hit in the opening round to send host Ole Miss to the losers’ bracket. 

Decker collected three hits in five at-bats in the Regional championship, the first claimed by the Racers in their 86 seasons. He added an RBI and three runs. Murray State ultimately reached the College World Series, the first team from the MVC since 2003 to do so.

“That hurt to lose that regional at home, but, man, getting back to who we are [and] obviously doing some great things in the portal for next year’s roster,” Carter said. “Bringing some guys back that I think will be impact players. 

“I have no doubt Mike’s going to do what Ole Miss is and get consistent again. And if you keep putting yourself in that position you’re going to get through the door to the Super Regional again [and] get to Omaha again. I know we’re going to support all that — Mike [and Ole Miss assistants Carl Lafferty, Mike Clement and Joel Mangrum] — and look forward to next year, for sure.”

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