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Resurgence of Omaha-bound Rebels is largely about Mike Bianco

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‘It's about the players,' Bianco says, but the resurgence of Omaha-bound Rebels is largely about him

HATTIESBURG — and a couple of his star players were holding court Sunday in the postgame press conference after finished its 10-0, 5-0 blitzkrieg of Southern Miss in the Hattiesburg Super Regional.

Most questions were directed to Bianco, the 22-year Rebel head coach, and most questions were about what the team's resurgence has meant to him in a season when he unprecedented criticism from his own fans.

Rick Cleveland

At one point, Bianco clearly wanted the line of questioning to go another direction.

“It's not about me, I mean that,” Bianco said. “I didn't throw, catch or hit a ball out there. It's about these guys …”

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He's right. This is college baseball. It should be about the players. It should be all about the spectacular Sunday pitching performance of 19-year-old Tupelo left-hander Hunter Elliott, who pitched like a 29-year-old Major League veteran. It should be about , the still-playing Ole Miss baseball legend, who came back for his senior year because he wanted to go to Omaha — and now he will. It should be about Justin Bench, another senior and the Rebels' best defender at any number of positions who pounded out three hits against superb Southern Miss pitching.

But today, especially today, the story is Bianco, the winningest coach in Ole Miss history — and a class act — who was roundly criticized on social , fan websites and from the grandstands. This wasn't a vocal minority. This was the majority of a fan base.

Bianco says he doesn't read what he calls “the noise.”

“I've learned a long time ago I can't live in that world,” Bianco said. “I know it's out there but I try to stay away from it, and I think I do a good job of it.”

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Most everybody else reads it and hears it. And all that negativism filtered all the way down to Hattiesburg where Scott Berry, the Southern Miss coach, heard it and was dumbfounded by it.

“Whenever (Bianco) decides it's time to go, they ought to build a statue at that stadium for all he has achieved,” Berry said. “He's one of the best around, and he always does it with class.”

This was a bitter defeat for Berry, mind you. His team won 47 games, set attendance , hosted a regional and then a super regional. But still, he was genuinely happy for Bianco.

“Obviously, we wanted to be the ones going to Omaha,” said Berry, another coach who oozes class. “But if it couldn't be us, I'm glad it is them. That's a classy program. I'll be pulling for them to win the whole thing.”

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Bianco and his staff do deserve much of the credit for keeping the Ole Miss ship afloat when a team ranked No. 1 in the nation early in the season fell to 7-14 in the SEC at one point. The question wasn't whether Ole Miss would make the . That seemed utterly impossible. The question was whether they could even win enough games to make the SEC Tournament field and whether they would even finish with a winning record.

Bianco deflected any praise for the turn-around to his senior leaders, to his staff, to the starting pitching prowess of the one-two punch of Dylan Delucia and Elliott and to his coaching staff. He even mentioned a former Rebel and Major Leaguer Chris Coughlan gave to his team prior to the Missouri in May.

Coughlan's message, said Bianco: “He challenged the guys not to listen to the noise. He said don't you dare let what people are saying on social media take your mind off your goals. Your job is to win the national championship.”

That remains a distinct possibility, truly incredible when you think back to May 1 when the Rebels had dropped to 24-19 overall and 7-14 in the league.

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Here's the deal: College baseball, as has been written countless times, is all about getting hot at the right time. That time is now, and Ole Miss is a red-hot team. The Rebels have won five straight games against top-shelf opposition. They beat two future professional pitchers here, two guys who have been invited to try out for the U.S. National collegiate team Bianco will coach later this summer.

The Rebels are hitting well, pitching well, fielding well. They appear to have genuinely good team chemistry. Now that Tennessee has been vanquished, the College World Series is wide open.

Stranger things have happened. Heck, stranger things already have. Maybe they'll start on that Bianco statue later this summer.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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Mississippi News

Powerball jackpot increases to $935 million after no one wins the top prize

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www.wjtv.com – Matthew Knight – 2024-03-28 05:00:55

SUMMARY: The Powerball jackpot is now at $935 million after no winners were drawn. The Mega Millions jackpot was won in New Jersey for $1.13 . The Powerball jackpot has not been won since New Year's Day. The next drawing is for a sole winner who will be paid over 30 years through an annuity. Experts recommend taking the annuity option as it provides more control and protection for the winnings. Taxes will be withheld regardless of the payout option. Financial and legal advice is recommended for jackpot winners. Powerball is played in 45 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Mississippi News

Warming trend for Easter weekend – Home – WCBI TV

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www.wcbi.com – Isaac Williams – 2024-03-28 04:08:29

SUMMARY: The weather in Columbus, Mississippi will be cold in the mornings but warm up in the afternoons for the Easter . Thursday will be sunny with highs in the 60s, dropping to the 30s at night with patchy frost. Friday will have highs in the 70s, and the weekend will be even warmer with temperatures in the 80s and no rain expected. Next will see warm and humid with the possibility of scattered showers and thunderstorms on Tuesday. It is still unsure if the storms will be severe.

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Mississippi News

Two Rankin County teens arrested for shooting death of 14-year-old in Jackson

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www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2024-03-27 19:16:28

SUMMARY: Two teenagers from Rankin County, Maxle Mooneyham, 16, and John Foote, 17, were in connection to the shooting of 14-year-old Cameron Horne-Crook in . The suspects were charged with murder and were assisted in their arrest by Rankin County deputies and Pearl . Horne-Crook was shot multiple times on March 25 in the 3500 block of Ridgecrest . He was a student at Northwest Rankin Middle School. The names of the suspects were corrected by Jackson police in an updated announcement.

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