OXFORD – Ole Miss junior infielder Luke Hill isn’t preoccupied with what outsiders think of the 2025 edition of the Rebels. Because, as he sees it, if his team takes care of business the way it thinks it can, the narratives will shift in an instant.
Ole Miss has missed the last two NCAA Tournaments after winning the 2022 College World Series and has seen its roster fluctuate drastically over that time due to the MLB Draft and the transfer portal.
Following a 27-29 season that saw the Rebels lose their final six games, Ole Miss was picked to finish 15th of 16 teams in the SEC’s 2025 preseason poll. Ole Miss begins its season at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas this weekend. The Rebels play No. 21 Arizona on Friday, No. 19 Texas on Saturday and No. 15 Clemson on Sunday.
While a trio of top-25 teams to open the season is a tall task, it’s also one Hill sees as an opportunity.
“I don’t really pay too much attention to it. Because at the end of the day, if you go out and take two out of three or win three out of three in Arlington or do what you’re supposed to do, people are going to be talking about you, and the whole narrative’s flipped,” Hill said. “Because, let’s say we go out in Arlington, we have a great weekend, people are going to completely forget about the preseason talk and whatnot. So, we just have to put our head down and work and go out and win some ballgames.”
Hill and junior first baseman Will Furniss became invaluable leaders and team builders as the Rebels’ roster was in flux over the offseason. Andrew Fischer and Liam Doyle – who figured to be big pieces in Ole Miss’ lineup and rotation, respectively – both transferred to Tennessee. Pitchers J.T. Quinn and Grayson Saunier transferred to Georgia and Texas, respectively, and promising lefty Wes Mendes transferred to Florida State.
Rather than fret and contemplate a move as well, the juniors helped recruit and keep players at Ole Miss, touting their own positive experiences. The result was Baseball America’s No. 10 class nationally for newcomers, which includes high school players and transfers.
“Whenever … everything was happening, the transfer portal opened and (was) about to close, and we were kind of talking with each other because everything that we thought was going to happen didn’t happen. People left that we didn’t think were going to leave,” Furniss said. “And so I called him, he called me, and we kind of just mutually agreed that we needed to help try to keep guys here as well as bring other guys in. So when recruits would come to town, we’d get their numbers … and we’d text them and make sure that they had somebody from Oxford that is here to hang out with them, kind of show them around, show them the town, show them why we love Oxford and why we want to stay so bad.”
Another returner Ole Miss expects big things from this season is sophomore catcher Campbell Smithwick. The Oxford High School product was a big piece of the Rebels’ recruiting class last season but faced his share of highs and lows. Though he hit .266, he had his struggles behind the plate with two errors and 11 passed balls, eventually seeing time in the outfield and at designated hitter. Smithwick had a strong summer in the Cape Cod League, hitting .303 with six doubles. He also changed the way he receives behind the plate, going to a “one-knee stance.”
Smithwick’s freshman season wasn’t easy, but he learned invaluable lessons about himself in the process.
“(I learned) that everyone struggles. I had my struggles – a lot – and before coming here, realistically, I hadn’t had a lot of struggles,” Smithwick said. “So, coming in as a freshman, I expected to play well and didn’t. And so now I know what it’s like to fail. And I’ve had, thankfully, great coaches around me and great teammates that have helped me get through that. And now I know that it’s not the end of the world and that my life’s bigger than baseball. …
“Failure happens to everybody, and now this year, when we have a freshman struggle or whatnot, I can put my arm around somebody just like some of the older guys did for me last year.”
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