Who will be the Catcher for the 2025 Ole Miss Baseball Team?

My first article on Ole Hotty Toddy was about the SS position and potential of Freshman Owen Paino to be a breakout superstar for the Rebs. I thought about it and thought it would be a good idea to make it somewhat of a series, breaking down the different position groups.

The position that we will be covering today is the catcher position. Historically, the Ole Miss backstop has been very good. Head Coach Mike Bianco, a former catcher himself, has consistently churned out great catchers at Ole Miss. Calvin Harris, Hayden Dunhurst, Thomas Dillard, and Nick Fortes are just a few from recent years. However, the catching position for the 2024 Ole Miss Rebels was a bit of a black hole, both offensively and defensively.

2024

Campbell Smithwick

The catching position was supposed to be manned by the heralded freshman, Campbell Smithwick, after he was not selected in the MLB Draft and made it to campus. This was considered a massive get for the Rebels, and Head Coach Mike Bianco heaped praise on Smithwick, calling him “as talented as any freshman catcher we’ve ever had walking in.” 

According to Perfect Game, the former #155 MLB Draft prospect and the 64th-ranked player in the nation didn’t quite catch fire early last season. Defensive struggle plagued Smithwick, both with passed balls and throwing out runners. This was no more perfectly encapsulated than a total meltdown in the 9th inning against Auburn. His bat also was slow to come along, however he did end the season with an encouraging .266 BA and .449 OBP. His plate discipline and ability to draw walks were impressive for a freshman. The power never quite developed, hitting only 1 HR and slugging under .350.

Trenton Lyons

Due to Smithwick's struggles, Bianco was forced to try to find another answer. The other two catchers were JUCO transfer Eli Berch and freshman Trenton Lyons. Lyons never quite cracked it as a starter, starting only seven games. At the season's conclusion, Lyons opted to enter the portal and landed at NC State. 

Eli Berch

The other catcher, Eli Berch, ended up becoming the regular starter for the Rebels behind the plate. However, it was quite clear that Berch wasn’t an SEC-caliber player. While he was a steady defensive catcher, he left some to be desired. Additionally, he really struggled at the plate once SEC play came around. Birch slashed .204/.333/.255, which is quite frankly abysmal numbers. Berch would also enter the portal and found a new home at LA Tech.