Mike Bianco’s Ole Miss baseball team will begin its season at No. 16 in the baseball America Top 25 preseason poll. The Rebels open their season on Fri. Feb. 13, when Nevada comes to Swayze for a three-game series.
Baseball America said about the Rebels: “Ole Miss’ path since its national title has been uneven. The Rebels followed that championship with back-to-back losing seasons in 2023 and 2024, then rebounded with 48 wins in 2025, a result that appeared to steady the program’s footing. The surface calm did not last. An early exit from their own regional reopened questions that many assumed had already been answered, particularly about whether recent volatility was an anomaly or a trend. Mike Bianco enters his 26th season with a roster that reflects urgency rather than rebuild. Talent is not in short supply, and several notable returners altered the offseason calculus. Ole Miss has assembled a group with enough experience and depth to make another run toward Omaha, provided it can convert regular-season stability into postseason traction.”
All told, there were 11 SEC teams ranked inside the Baseball America Top 25, including LSU, Mississippi State, Auburn, Georgia, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and Florida. Exactly one-half of the top 10 belong to the Southeastern Conference.
BASEBALL AMERICA TOP 25
- UCLA
- LSU
- Mississippi State
- Georgia Tech
- Auburn
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Texas
- TCU
- Arkansas
- Coastal Carolina
- Florida State
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- Oregon State
- Ole Miss
- Vanderbilt
- Louisville
- Oklahoma
- Clemson
- West Virginia
- Florida
- Southern Miss
- East Carolina
- Miami