Mike Bianco’s been to Omaha enough times to know the shortest road there isn’t always the prettiest one.
But this weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Ole Miss coach has something rare. Geography is working in his favor.
The Lincoln Regional puts the Rebels just up the road from TD Ameritrade Park and the College World Series, making this one of the closest regional sites to Omaha on the bracket.
For a program still carrying the sting of a home regional loss a year ago, there’s no better place to flip the script.
“Happy to be in Lincoln,” Bianco said at his opening press conference. “Happy to get back to a normal routine.”
That might sound low-key for a team with Omaha ambitions, but that’s Bianco’s way.
Keep it simple. Trust the process. Run your guy.
Elliott Gets Ball First
And his guy on Friday is Hunter Elliott. Bianco didn’t overthink it.
When your Friday night starter checks every box of best matchup, best chance to advance, right feel for the moment, you hand him the ball.
“When it goes hand in hand where you think it’s your best matchup and your best chance to move forward,” Bianco said, “you hand it to the guy that you’ve trusted all year long to open up a weekend for you.”
That’s exactly what Ole Miss is doing.
Rabe’s Journey to Rotation
If Elliott is the anchor, Taylor Rabe is the story.
The right-hander missed his entire freshman spring with an injury and came back last year still working through his throwing protocol as the season started.
He’d barely pitched in college games when the year began.
“He had never really pitched in any college baseball games,” Bianco said.
He figured it out in a hurry. Rabe worked out of the Ole Miss bullpen early in 2025 before the coaching staff moved him into the rotation — and he hasn’t looked back.
“Once we pushed him into that starter role, you knew not only does he give you length, he’s a strike-thrower, he can control the running game,” Bianco said. “He does all the things you’d want from a guy that starts the game for you.”
Rabe credits the bullpen experience for making him a smarter pitcher when he takes the mound as a starter.
“Being in the bullpen, you know exactly what the bare minimum is you need to do to get ready to come in and pitch,” Rabe said. “Then when you start, you have so much time. It’s different.”
He also said it’s given him more empathy for relievers. “You definitely feel for those guys out there when they have to get hot in the first inning because you load the bases or something like that.”
Federico Brings Sophomore Savvy
Center fielder Hayden Federico is only a sophomore but he’s already thinking like a veteran.
Last year’s postseason run of 30 SEC games, an SEC Tournament push and a home regional left its mark on him.
“I learned a lot and I failed a lot,” Federico said. “I think that was a good thing.”
He’s not shy about what he expects from Lincoln either.
Federico checked out the ballpark, walked around the city and had dinner out last night before the regional opens this evening.
“The playing surface was awesome, one of the best we’ve been to this year,” he said. “I heard the fans are awesome and that makes it a lot more fun.”
No Easy Way Out — And Rebs Don’t Want One
None of these guys are looking for a soft landing.
“I don’t think we were ever looking for the easiest regional,” Rabe said rather plainly.
Federico echoed that.
“Obviously it’s a tough regional but at the end of the day, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best,” he said.
The Rebels went through 30 SEC games this spring. They’ve seen good arms and tough competition.
A regional in Lincoln, even a hard one, doesn’t scare a team that’s been battle-tested since February.
“It doesn’t really change,” Rabe said. “It’s just another weekend for us playing good teams in a cool ballpark.”
That cool ballpark, by the way, used to be a minor league facility. Federico noticed right away. “I knew it was going to be a nice place,” he said. “But when I got here, it was really pretty.”
Rabe was equally sold — though he had a more specific reason to love Lincoln.
“I got to go out to Misty’s last night,” he said. “It’s a really good steakhouse.”
A team that can enjoy a steakhouse the night before a regional is a team that probably isn’t rattled.
Ole Miss looks loose, focused and ready to turn last year’s postseason disappointment into distant memory starting this weekend just down the highway from Omaha.
