Christian Trent (Ole Miss)

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Top 25 Breakdown: No. 18 Ole Miss

2014 Record: 48-21. RPI: 4.

Coach (Record at school): Mike Bianco (557-322-1, 14 years).

Postseason History: 19 regionals (active streak: 3), 5 CWS trips (active streak: 1).

Ole Miss' Projected Lineup

Pos. Name, Yr. AVG/OBP/SLG HR RBI SB C Austin Knight, Sr. .303/.324/.303 0 10 0 1B Sikes Orvis, Sr. .294/.397/.540 14 53 1 2B Tate Blackman, Fr. HS -- Altamonte Springs, Fla. 3B Colby Bortles, So. .250/.386/.397 2 14 0 SS Errol Robinson, So. .294/.371/.324 0 19 5 LF Connor Cloyd, Jr. Tr. -- Maple Valley, Wash. CF JB Woodman, So. .298/.346/.429 2 20 10 RF Cameron Dishon, Jr. .071/.235/.071 0 1 0 DH Kyle Watson, Fr. HS -- Southaven, Miss.

Pos. Name, Yr. W-L ERA IP SO BB SV LHP Christian Trent, Jr. 9-0 2.05 110 86 20 0 RHP Sam Smith, Sr. 5-4 3.61 94 54 21 0 RHP Sean Johnson Jr. Tr. -- Iowa Western CC RHP Scott Weathersby, Sr. 4-1 2.14 38 51 10 2

SEE ALSO: Five Questions With Ole Miss’ Mike Bianco

Hitting: 55. Replacing the dangerous trio of Austin Anderson, Auston Bousfield and Will Allen won’t be easy, but the Rebels should have a very serviceable offense in 2015. Former hitting coach Cliff Godwin is now the head coach at East Carolina, and he was replaced by Kansas State’s Mike Clement, who has experience and a good reputation from an offensive standpoint. Robinson, Orvis, Woodman and a more experienced Knight and Bortles give the Rebels ample experience and potential at the plate. But to reach the CWS again, Bianco’s club will need some youngsters, such as the ultra-talented Blackman, to rise to the occasion.

Sikes Orvis (Ole Miss athletics)

Power: 60. One of the big staples of the Mike Bianco era has been the Rebels’ ability to generate power production in the middle of the lineup. That isn’t expected to change this season. The Rebels have some dangerous hitters in this lineup, including the burly Orvis, who finished last season with 14 homers and Bortles, who has good raw power. Woodman should have a great year after settling in to his own as a talented freshman last season. The Rebels also have Robinson, who possesses surprising pop, and an intriguing freshman in Watson, who displayed some power during fall workouts. Overall, Bortles seems to be the guy the Ole Miss coaching staff is very excited about from a power standpoint.

Speed: 60. It would be a surprise if the Rebels aren’t more aggressive on the basepaths this spring. The Rebels have some legitimate speed at several positions. Robinson and Cloyd are above-average runners, while Dishon, Blackman and Woodman are premium athletes who can really fly. Those guys should help set the table for big boppers Orvis and Bortles in the middle of the lineup.

Defense: 60. The Rebels will have plenty of speed this season, and that really should work to their advantage from a defensive standpoint. The outfield will cover a ton of ground with the speedy Woodman, Dishon and Cloyd patrolling it. In the infield, shortstop Robinson had some error issues at times last season, but really settled in as the season progressed and showed to be an skilled defender with range and arm strength. Also up the middle, the Rebels like the skill set of Blackman, while Orvis is consistent at his position. Behind the plate, Knight isn’t ultra flashy, but he’s a catch-and-throw guy with experience. Overall, there’s not any huge concerns defensively with this club.

Starting pitching: 55. Chris Ellis stepped up for the Rebels when they needed him the most last season, but Ellis is gone and Bianco’s club must move on without him. The Rebels could miss Ellis in a big way, but we’re hedging our bets toward the Rebels being just fine in the starting pitching department. Ole Miss received an early Christmas present when Trent decided to return for another season. Trent tallied a 2.05 ERA in 110 innings last season, and clearly was Ole Miss’ most consistent arm. Trent, a potential top 3-5 rounder in the draft this June, isn’t a blow-away type of arm, but has an impressive array of pitches and does a good job of keeping hitters off balance. Trent sits 88-92 with his fastball, 79-82 mph slider, and also possesses a low-80s changeup. Most impressive about Trent is his bulldog approach. Smith also returns after tallying a 3.61 ERA in 94 innings last year. Smith will sit anywhere from 88-93 with a sharp 80-83 mph slider. He also utilizes a curveball and changeup, and is a true four-pitch mix guy. Smith has a durable frame that allows him to withstand the rigors of an SEC season. Ole Miss rounds out its rotation with Johnson, a junior-college transfer who competed for a national title last spring. Johnson has a massive 6-foot-7 frame and sits anywhere from 88-93 with his fastball, with some cutting action, while also possessing a mid-80s slider, upper-70s curveball, and a low-80s changeup. Look for the Rebels’ starting rotation to be very stable. You could also see righty Brady Bramlett, who had a terrific summer, move into the rotation at some point.

Bullpen: 60. Coaches always say there’s no substitute for experience. If that’s the case, the Rebels are in good shape at the back-end of games with the return of Weathersby. Weathersby tallied a 2.14 ERA in 38 innings last season, and displayed good command, finishing the year with 51 strikeouts and just 10 walks. The veteran will sit anywhere from 88-92 with his sometimes-cutting fastball, while also having an upper-70s curveball and low-80s changeup. Weathersby has some deception in his motion and has great makeup. The Rebels also will rely on lefty Wyatt Short to eat up a lot of innings out of the bullpen. Short logged some important innings as a freshman last season, and proved to be a very consistent option. Short isn’t a big guy, but has a quick arm and a fastball that touched 93 mph in the fall. He also possesses a slider, but most importantly, he has consistent command of the strike zone. Also keep an eye on freshman Will Stokes, a smallish low-three-quarters righty with a lively 89-93 fastball and a power slider in the low 80s.

Experience/intangibles: 65. For years, Ole Miss was a program that simply was unable to reach the College World Series. Well, Bianco and his staff exorcised those demons last year by beating red-hot Louisiana-Lafayette to make the program’s first appearance since the 1972. Time will tell if the Rebels will now be able to return to Omaha more consistently, but there’s no doubt they will enter the ’15 season more relaxed and without that proverbial monkey on their back. Sure, the Rebels have some key cogs to replace, specifically from an offensive standpoint, and with the departure of Allen behind the plate. However, the returns of Weathersby and Orvis are huge from a leadership standpoint. This Ole Miss squad has a real chance to be very, very good.