It's been a long off-season for the Rebels and our fans. The last two seasons have brought nothing but disappointment and left a sour taste in our mouths. Yet, we have arrived at the start of another season, just days away from the first pitch. The 2025 Ole Miss Rebels will travel to Arlington, Texas, to compete in the Shriners Children's College Showdown with three marquee matchups and the opportunity to announce to the college baseball world that the Rebels are back.
While some are counting out the Rebels once again, I feel differently about this team. This is a deep roster, as we have previewed considerably, at the catcher position, shortstop, infield, and outfield. The starting rotation has the potential to be great, and the bullpen is loaded. We will focus more on the outlook for this team and season in Wednesday's article. This article will be specifically for opening weekend.
According to D1 Baseball, Ole Miss will play three of the top 25 opponents this weekend, which is a great opportunity for this unproven bunch. On Friday, the Rebels will take on #21 Arizona at 3. On Saturday at 7, the Rebels will take on a new SEC foe, the #19 Texas Longhorns. This will be the only meeting of the two this season, barring a matchup in Hoover. Finally, on Sunday at 2:30, the Rebels will play the 15th-ranked Clemson Tigers.
Ole Miss Projected Lineup
- 3B Luke Hill
- RF Judd Uttermark
- CF Isaac Humphrey
- 1B Will Furniss
- C Campbell Smithwick
- LF Mitchell Sanford
- DH Collin Reuter
- SS Owen Paino
- 2B Hayden Federico
I am going with this for the game one lineup vs. Arizona. However, I don’t feel confident at all. I know that Hill, Uttermark, Humphrey, Furniss, Smitchwick, and Sanford will be in the lineup. I am also pretty confident about the first six of the batting order. I went with the true freshman middle infield in Paino and Federico, but that can certainly not be what Bianco rolls with.
Brayden Randle will almost certainly play this weekend. He was an everyday guy as a freshman last year, and I expect him to be in the mix. Luke Cheng, who I had as sort of an afterthought, is playing really well in the spring scrimmages, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get a runout. We also have Ryan Moerman, the Illinois transfer who will certainly get some plate appearances in Arlington, either playing one of the corner outfield spots or at DH.
We also have a problem at catcher; three very capable options exist. I think we may see three different catchers in all three games. We know how Bianco feels about Smithwick; he has also been one of the better hitters on the team in Fall and Spring ball. That is why I have him penciled in for Opening Day. Reuter is swinging one of the best bats on the team in Spring scrimmages, and while he is a bit weaker defensively, he is serviceable. I have him at DH because he seems to be the bat we need to get into the lineup the most. Finally, we have Austin Fawley, who has, I think, quite clearly established himself as the best defensive catcher of the three and also swung a great stick in fall ball. I expect him to catch at least one game this weekend.