Could Ole Miss Baseball Surge To a Top-8 National Seed in NCAA Tournament?

Mike Bianco and the No. 17 ranked Ole Miss Rebels are clicking at the right time with postseason baseball in full swing for the program out of Oxford.

After entering the SEC Tournament this week on the outside looking in when it came to an opportunity to host a Regional, Bianco and Co. are cruising.

The Rebels opened postseason play with back-to-back-to-back victories over the Florida Gators, Arkansas Razorbacks and LSU Tigers to reach the SEC Tournament Championship Game.

Now, Ole Miss has cemented their status to host a Regional in Oxford next weekend, but is becoming a Top-8 National Seed still in the cards?

D1 Baseball's Mark Etheridge believes with a win on Sunday against the Vanderbilt Commodores, it's possible.

"I do think Ole Miss has an argument for a top eight," said Mark Etheridge of D1Baseball.com. "A win over Vanderbilt Sunday might be enough to confirm the Rebels push past Auburn and perhaps LSU as well.

"And honestly, entering tournament week I wasn't confident Ole Miss would host. Three games later, it could be a top 8. That's how narrow the margins are in the SEC."

Vanderbilt currently holds the No. 1 RPI, and with a win over the Commodores, it would boost the Rebels' resumé once again to round out SEC Tournament play.

Ole Miss currently sits with the No. 10 RPI and lead the nation with 19 Quad 1 victories of their own in 2025.

Bianco and Co. have the No. 5 strength of schedule in college baseball with the program quickly becoming a team to keep tabs on with the chance to become a Top-8 seed within arms reach.

"We just want to continue to play well. I know it sounds like coach-speak, but it's really not about who you're playing. We feel we're pretty good, as well, and when we play well, we can play with anybody in the country," Bianco said on Saturday.

"One of the things that we've talked about for a long time now is can we play consistently well over a period of time. Baseball is a tough game to do that. But this team has done it now for a few weeks."