The last time the Ole Miss Rebels left Monroe, Louisiana, over spring break, the world shut down.
That was in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, but things have changed since then. The world is now open again, and the challenges that were brought on by this year's trip were very different than those of four years ago.
This time around, it was simply a trip out of town over spring break (which brings difficulties in itself), but it also served as the final "tune-up" game before conference play opens on Friday night.
Fortunately for the Rebels, they came away with a 5-3 win thanks to some clutch performances at the plate in the ninth inning, but this game served as another step towards the meat of the season.
"It's a challenge to come here on spring break, play that last midweek game before the looming SEC series that everybody is excited about," head coach Mike Bianco said postgame on Tuesday. "Even though we didn't score a ton of runs, I thought our guys were locked in. We got 12 hits. We just missed a couple big hits that would have broken the game open, but you need games like this. I thought we played really well."
"Played really well" is high praise from Bianco, especially as conference play sits on the horizon. Consider Tuesday's game a test passed, but the exams will certainly get more difficult from here on out.
The Rebels will open conference play on Friday night against the South Carolina Gamecocks in Oxford. First pitch at Swayze Field is slated for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on SEC Network+.
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