OMAHA, Neb. – For most people, 26 years will require a lot of change, and while that may be true, on thing that has remained constant for nearly three decades for Ole Miss, is Mike Bianco.
Mississippi head coach Mike Bianco poses with the championship trophy after a win over Oklahoma in Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals, Sunday, June 26, 2022, in Omaha, Neb. (AP Photo/John Peterson)(John Peterson | AP)
As the longest-tenured active head coach in the SEC, the winningest coach in program history, and the only coach to bring a national championship to the Ole Miss baseball program, experience begins to bask in the locker room, and on the diamond for Ole Miss players.
“Our goal here is to win Omaha, and win a national championship”
A message shared from Tristen Bissetta on some of the statements said from Coach Bianco to make players feel like they’ve been here before, and not get caught under the bright lights.
Ace Hunter Elliott is the only player that remains from the 2022 national championship team, which means for the rest of this group, a lot of first times will happen in Omaha.
Bianco’s pedigree extends all the way back to LSU as a assistant coach in the 1990s. Bianco makes his third trip to Omaha with the Rebels, and his players will embark on his confidence and swagger to hopefully reach the ultimate goal.
With experienced coaches, you usually get nothing but honesty, and wether it’s calling this years squad a “bus team”, giving a honest breakdowns of his team and his first opponent at Omaha, North Carolina, this Ole Miss team has basked on the experience of their head coach this season. With a difficult schedule this year, Ole Miss has been one of the most persistent teams in the country, continuing to fight and claw to rightfully earn their way to the College World Series this season.
And this is a testament to Bianco’s ability to block out the outside noise, as he’s faced adversity like no other coach this season.
Since defeating Auburn in the super regional, Bianco has continued to remind people, that this moment is not about him, it’s about his players, and they’re the ones that got him here, not the other way around.
“It’s not about me. I’m proud of these guys and all the things that you’ve seen. There’s so much the last couple weeks where people have talked about the team and how cool it is, how close they are. You hear bits and pieces of their interviews with you guys, and it’s amazing how often they go back to their teammates and how much they love playing with one another and being with one another. To me, that’s cool. As coaches, when you talk about culture and all those different things, those things matter. Homers and the last inning matter, but it’s hard to get to those points without collectively, throughout the year, pulling for one another and caring for one another. When your team does that, it makes you feel good as a coach.”
By winning another National Championship, Bianco would join elite company as less than 20 coaches have ever won multiple titles.
As most people reminisce on the 2022 run, things feel different this year, and for all the good reasons. This isn’t a “last team in” situation, this team has handled business throughout the post season so far, and is firing on all cylinders at the right time.
Ole Miss will take on North Carolina Friday, June 12 at 6 p.m. CT, on ESPN.
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