April 3, 2008

Ohio State stopped Ole Miss one game short of the National Invitation Tournament championship game.

The Rebels will have better fortunes next season.

Andy Kennedy’s squad, had it won a couple games on the road and found a way past Georgia in the Southeastern Conference Tournament, would have been a sure bet for the NCAA Tournament field of 65. Instead, seven road conference losses and their first-round exit from the SEC Tournament landed the Rebels an NIT berth.

The Rebels won two home games in the NIT, then defeated a quality Virginia Tech team on the road before falling Tuesday night to Ohio State.

Teams that got the best of the Rebels this season shouldn’t count on it for long. Ole Miss returns a wealth of talent, led by sharpshooters Chris Warren and David Huertas. Another fine recruiting class is expected and Kennedy has proven his ability to win in only two seasons in Oxford.

Bank on Ole Miss being in the Big Dance next year.

Polk walked when he was ready to walk

Have three or four days? Ask outgoing Mississippi State baseball coach Ron Polk about the NCAA’s treatment of college baseball programs.

After fighting with Big Brother for more than three decades, Ron Polk will fight no more. He will leave the game after this season — his 29th in Starkville. He is angered about the NCAA’s plan to further reduce baseball scholarships and team roster size.

Some may question his on-field antics when it comes to his treatment of umpires, but no one can question the impact Polk has had on college baseball in this state and around the Southeastern Conference.

Dudy Noble Field is still a jewel of college baseball. Oxford University Stadium is undergoing a dramatic facelift that will double the capacity of the grandstand. Southern Miss unveiled a new press box and multi-level skyboxes at Pete Taylor Park.

College baseball, both talent and facility-wise, is as fine in this state as any in the country. It’s why our schools routinely get chosen for NCAA Regionals and Super Regionals. Polk’s Bulldogs hosted a Super Regional last year and Ole Miss had hosted Super Regionals two of the last three years.

All college baseball teams in this state owe a little to Ron Polk. He did nothing but help the game in Mississippi.

His replacement will have large shoes to fill. Polk has pushed one of the Bulldogs’ own, Tommy Raffo, as the next coach. Raffo graduated from MSU and has been coaching in Starkville since his career started.

If all is right in the college baseball world, he will be the big boss next year.

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Sean P. Murphy is sports editor of The Vicksburg Post. E-mail him at

smurphy@vicksburgpost.com