Baseball Practice Report: Positon-By-Position Breakdown

Pitchers:

While there is still a lot to be determined in this young pitching staff, one thing is clear: there is depth. The weekend starters are not yet set, but it looks as though freshman Bobby Wahl and senior R.J. Hively will take the hill on Fridays and Saturdays, respectively, for the Rebels. The Sunday spot seems to be down to three guys, but it’s anyone’s battle at the start of spring practice.

“Coach (Mike Bianco) has said that whoever performs the best is going to get the weekend spots, so we’ll see what happens,” Wahl said.

Sophomore Mike Mayers may have a slight lead at the moment with a season of SEC experience under his belt. However, freshmen Josh Laxer and Hawtin Buchanan, as well as juniors Tanner Bailey and Dylan Chavez, are right there in the mix. Look for Mayers to take the Sunday spot to start the season with two of the other four pitchers to fill the mid-week spots.

“(Mayers’) slider is something he’s worked on since last year,” head coach Mike Bianco said. “I think it’s just normal progression. He pitched over 50 innings last season, which is a ton for a freshman. The slider is better, but I think he’s better all around.”

Junior Brett Huber will be counted on in the late innings of the game and fill the closer’s role as he did his freshman year.

“Right now, I’m just working on commanding the strike zone and stuff like that,” Huber said. “I’m just working on being more consistent out there. Last year I had some problems with that.”

Catcher:

The battle going on behind the plate may be the most intriguing heading into spring practice. Sophomore Will Allen leads the race, but senior Taylor Hightower, junior Kody Sepulveda and freshman Austin Knight are all making a push for playing time.

“Being an SEC Division 1 athlete, you’ve got to love competition,” Allen said. “You’ve got to love fighting for (the starting spot), but at the end of the day, we are all great friends. We call each other to come to the cages and get some defensive work in.

“We’re working hard, and we’re competing. But we’re still great friends and putting the team first.”

The key to this battle is defensive skills behind the plate, which Bianco puts a premium on. If Allen can keep his defensive mistakes to a minimum, this will be his job to lose. Hightower has the most experience by far, but he has to be more consistent at the plate.

“Will has been the leader of those guys,” Bianco said. “He’s done the most to this point. You want them all to play well. They have all improved. Watching them work, I’m really impressed.”

First Base:

For the first season in quite some time, first base seems to provide both consistency and depth. There’s no doubt that senior Matt Snyder will hold down the fort there as long as his body will allow him to. The key for Snyder is to play smart and protect himself from injury. Backing up Snyder will be freshman Sikes Orvis. He shows a load of potential with a steady glove and a solid bat.

Second Base:

If there is one position on the field that Bianco doesn’t need to worry about, it’s at second base. Junior Alex Yarbrough is arguably the Rebels’ most complete and consistent player, fielding his position well, hitting for power and hitting for average. In the preseason, Yarbrough was named as one of the top 10 middle infielders in the nation by the scouting service Perfect Game. Freshman Jake Overbey, Preston’s younger brother, will back up Yarbrough and add valuable depth to the position.

Shortstop:

At shortstop, the battle is between senior Blake Newalu and sophomore Austin Anderson. It remains to be seen who has the edge right now, but you may very well see a platoon situation in which both play significant innings at the position. Both players have the ability to play other infield positions, so the backup will provide a utility infielder and pinch hitter off the bench.

Third Base:

After struggling to find the right guy at third base this past season, junior college transfer Andrew Mistone looks to be the clear leader with a big bat and solid defense at the hot corner. Sophomore Preston Overbey, who could also play first base as well as the corner outfield positions, looks to be a second option at the position.

Outfield:

The Ole Miss outfield will see a lot of different guys with the amount of depth this team offers this season. The most likely candidates to start the season opener at TCU are junior Tanner Mathis in left, freshman Will Jamison in center and senior Zach Kirksey in right.

Mathis is one of the most consistent guys on the team, so expect to see him somewhere in the outfield.

Jamison is a highly thought-of freshman, whose speed has been compared to former Rebel Jordan Henry and may give Bianco the luxury of having Mathis move from center to left.

Kirksey provides a big bat in the line up, but he will need to cut down on his strikeouts significantly to be a more significant contributor this season.

Other guys who will play in the outfield include Overbey, freshman two-sport athlete Senquez Golson and freshman Auston Bousfield. Both Golson and Bousfield provide great defense in the outfield, but they will need time to adjust to collegiate pitching.

“Depth isn’t just about being able to play different line-ups or moving guys around. It’s not just from the football standpoint that if someone gets hurt, you have another guy to replace him,” Bianco said. “To me, one of the biggest things it does is put a lot of pressure on them. Day in and day out, they’re standing next to third base, shortstop or centerfield and realizing everything counts.

“Every ground ball counts. Every batting cage counts. I think it works two-fold. One, it kind of pressurizes them in the fall and the spring where they are used to that pressure every day having to make plays. But then also, it almost relieves the pressure knowing if they’re not getting the job done, we can put someone else in.”

Designated Hitter:

To start the season, Preston Overbey will more than likely find himself in this role, but Snyder and Orvis are both candidates at this spot depending on who plays first base for the Rebels.