Ole Miss Rebels baseball

Ole Miss Rebels
Founded: 1893
University	University of Mississippi
Conference	SEC West Division
Location	Oxford, MS
Head Coach	Mike Bianco (9th year)
Home Stadium	Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field (Capacity: 6,000+)
Nickname	Rebels
Colors	Yale Blue and Harvard Crimson
CWS Appearances
1956, 1964, 1969, 1972
NCAA Tournament Appearances
1956, 1964, 1969, 1972, 1977, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Conference Tournament Champions
1977, 2006
Conference Champions
1959, 1960, 1964, 1969, 1972, 1977, 2009

The Ole Miss Rebels baseball team represents the University of Mississippi in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team participates in the West division of the Southeastern Conference. They are currently coached by head coach Mike Bianco and assistant coaches Carl Lafferty and Matt Mossberg. They play home games at Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field. Ole Miss has played in the College World Series four times, most recently in 1972.

History

The University of Mississippi has games recorded as early as 1893. What is commonly referred to as the "modern era" is considered to have started in 1947.

Twenty different coaches have led the Ole Miss baseball team, but only six of those have done so during the modern era. Mike Bianco became the latest Ole Miss Rebels baseball head coach in June 2000.

The Rebels club have won six Southeastern Conference championships and have made the NCAA Tournament sixteen times. They have also advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska four times, the last in 1972.

The 1893 Ole Miss baseball team.

Early years

The first Ole Miss baseball game on record is a 6-3 loss to Mississippi A&M (now known as Mississippi State University) in Starkville, Mississippi during 1893.

2009

For the first time since 1977, the Rebels won a share of the Southeastern Conference regular season title in 2009, sharing the championship with LSU despite losing to LSU in two of its three games against the Tigers. The Rebels went 0-2 in the SEC tournament. The Rebels were selected to host a regional in Oxford where they defeated Missouri and Western Kentucky, advancing them to the super regional, which they were also selected to host. The Rebels fell to Virginia in the super regional to end their season.^[1]

Oxford-University Stadium/ Swayze Field

Main article: Swayze Field

Ole Miss baseball plays their home games at Oxford-University Stadium/ Swayze Field, a $3.75 million facility that was completed in October, 1988. The first game held there was against Cumberland University on February 19, 1989 in which the Rebels took a doubleheader sweep.

Panoramic view of Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field at Ole Miss.

Stadium Attendance

Year	Games	Attendance	Average
2009	39	273,111	7,003
2008	33	155,489	4,712
2007	35	173,523	4,958
2006	36	174,756	4,854
2005	39	170,152	4,363
2004	35	122,382	3,497
2003	35	73,154	2,090
2002	36	84,910	2,359
2001	31	58,929	1,900
2000	32	40,130	1,254
1999	26	54,606	2,100

NCAA Baseball Attendance^[2]

Mayor's Trophy and Governor's Cup

Mayor's Trophy

Started in 1980 by then Jackson, Mississippi Mayor Dale Danks, Jr., the Mayor’s Trophy game had been one of the most anticipated match-ups of the Mississippi college baseball season as it featured Ole Miss versus Mississippi State. In the first 25 editions, the game has drawn an average of 4,887 fans per game. The Mayor's Trophy series ended after the 2006 match-up and was replaced by The Governor's Cup.

With a 1–0 win in 2006 over the #9-ranked Bulldogs, the first shutout ever in the 27-year history of the Mayor's Trophy series, the Rebels took the lead 14–13 in the non-conference series between the teams. That win gave Ole Miss the lead for the first and final time in the Mayor’s Trophy all-time series.

Governor's Cup

With the 2007 season, the non-conference meeting between the two teams moved to Trustmark Park in Pearl, Mississippi - which is the home to the Mississippi Braves - and was begun anew as the two teams competed for the Governor’s Cup for the first time.

• 2007 - As was the case with the Mayor’s Trophy game, the two teams alternate serving as the designated home team. Ole Miss, ranked #19, was the home team in the inaugural game on April 17, 2007. Mississippi State, ranked #15, won the game 14-9.

• 2008 - The unranked Bulldogs won again, 6-5, in 2008 in front of a Governor's Cup record 7,862 fans, taking a 2-0 lead in the Governor's Cup series over the #16 ranked Rebels.

• 2009 - The 17th ranked Ole Miss Rebels took their first Governor's Cup on April 14, 2009 with an 8-1 victory. There was a crowd of 7,458 in attendance as Brett Bukvich recorded a career-high 11 strike-outs in six innings of work as he was named MVP. 7,458 is the 5th largest attendance mark recorded at Trustmark Park.

• 2010 - The 11th ranked Ole Miss Rebels use strong pitching and steady hitting to edge Mississippi State 5-3 for their 2nd consecutive Governor's Cup victory. The MVP was Ole Miss pitcher David Goforth.

References

1. ^ The Clarion-Ledger: UM beats Ark. for regular-season title
2. ^ http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=1104