Preparing to host a regional never gets old for Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco.
“Each year, you are a little more excited,” Bianco said. “In football, there are 105, 110 teams, and more than half of those (around 70) play in a bowl game. In baseball, there are 301 teams. The top 64 get this invite. That is special. I don’t think you ever take this opportunity for granted.”
On Sunday, the NCAA tournament selection committee named Ole Miss one of 16 regional hosts. On Monday, top-seeded and No. 6 Ole Miss (43-17) learned it will face fourth-seeded Utah (25-27) at 7 p.m. Friday at Oxford-University Stadium.
No. 2 seed Tulane (39-19) will play No. 3 seed Louisiana Tech (40-18) at 3 p.m. Friday in the opening-game of the four-team double-elimination tournament.
“If you at look each regional, you could find a way to say that is the hardest regional,” Bianco said. “We have two conference champions coming here (Tulane won the American Athletic Conference regular-season title, while Utah won the Pac-12 regular-season title). You would think it is unheard of that a champion from a Power-5 conference (Utah) would be a No. 4 seed, but that is exactly what we are looking at.
“I think you just focus on the game at hand. You can’t get caught up in the path you have (to the College World Series). You have to focus on finding a way to win that first game. Then you come out the next day and try to win the next one.”
Utah finished 19-11 in Pac-12 play. The league doesn’t play a postseason tournament. Utah took two of three games from fellow regional participant Washington to win the school’s first Pac-12 title in any sport.
The Rebels won’t take the Utes lightly. Ole Miss will start junior right-hander Brady Bramlett (8-3, 3.14 ERA). Bianco said Ole Miss will stick to its usual pitching rotation this weekend.
Ole Miss has qualified for a regional in 14 of Bianco’s 16 seasons as coach. Ole Miss will play host to a regional tournament for the seventh time — all under Bianco.
“This is a great time of the year,” Bianco said. “To be in that room when you know your name is going to pop up, to see the guys’ faces and to see the energy is exciting. That is what you play for. You play for the opportunity to play in the postseason.
“Each team who is here is here for a reason. You have either played consistently throughout the season, like we have, or you have that No. 1 pitcher who can get you a win almost every weekend. You have that really great offensive lineup or you have a great defensive team, but there is something that has worked and gotten you to this point.”
With a Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) of 5, Ole Miss was the highest RPI team not to receive a national seed. The Southeastern Conference earned a league-record four national seeds (Florida, Texas A&M, Mississippi State, and LSU).
Ole Miss finished one game behind LSU in the SEC regular-season standings, but it took the season series two games to one. In the SEC tournament, each team advanced to the semifinals. LSU secured the No. 8 national seed thanks in large part to winning 14 of its final 16 games entering this weekend.
“There was disappointment, but it was very short-lived,” Bianco said. “You know you are in a position (for a national seed), but you know you are not projected to receive it. The committee got it right. LSU deserved a national seed. So did we. You could have also argued for South Carolina from our league. Each were right there.
“However, you are only disappointed for a couple of minutes. You have a chance to play and you are excited about that. The goal is to find a way to win games starting this weekend at home.”
The Oxford Regional is paired with the Coral Gables Regional, meaning if the seeds hold Ole Miss would play Miami for a right to advance to the College World Series. Ole Miss qualified in 2014 by beating Louisiana-Lafayette in a super regional on the road.
“It’s not foreign territory,” Bianco said. “You do have more challenges on the road. However, we have faced some adversity and really grown up throughout the season. Playing in the SEC toughens you and gets you ready for opportunities like this.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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