Ole Miss opens CWS tonight against old foe Virginia

It’s only been five years since Ole Miss and Virginia went toe-to-toe in a super regional series. In college baseball, that represents an eternity.

Both rosters have undergone complete turnover since. The only Ole Miss player still in uniform from that 2009 series is Jordan Henry, a Vicksburg native who is now a student assistant coach.

Even so, the programs have seemed linked ever since. Virginia beat Ole Miss in that super regional and again in the 2010 Charlottesville Regional. Tonight, they’ll meet in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

It’s Ole Miss’ first CWS appearance since 1972 — when, coincidentally, it beat Virginia in a playoff round. For Virginia, it’s the third trip to the CWS in six seasons — a run that started with the 2009 super regional victory over the Rebels.

“Once you play them, you recognize them more. I think when you see them in a regional or super regional, watch them go to Omaha, I think for the fans and even for the coaches and players you remember back to that (2009) series,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. “Not that it’s significant now, but you’re probably more aware of their success and certainly they’ve been tremendous.”

Both Bianco and Virginia coach Brian O’Connor downplayed their programs’ history with each other. Too much time has passed, both of them said, for any of it to be relevant when it comes to matchups or preparation.

“Those were different teams, different players, so nothing that we’ve done in the past with regards to Ole Miss I think factors in at all into Sunday night,” O’Connor said.

Instead, they’ll both have their hands full dealing with the 2014 versions of their opponent.

Virginia (49-14) is one of only two national seeds to have advanced to the CWS. Its pitching staff ranks fifth nationally in ERA, at 2.31, and No. 2 with a 1.03 WHIP.

Staff ace Nathan Kirby is 9-2 with a 1.73 ERA, and averages a strikeout an inning. He’ll get the ball for the Cavaliers tonight, and will have to contend with an Ole Miss lineup that’s hitting .303 as a team — the best average of any team in the eight-team World Series field.

“Coming into the season, there was certainly some uncertainty about our staff. I felt like we had a lot of talent. There was a lot of skill on the staff, but there wasn’t a lot of experience because what we had lost from the year before,” O’Connor said. “But I’ll tell you, it took shape really, really quickly. Nathan Kirby has been our No. 1 all year long, and he’s been tremendous. I think our pitching staff is talented. I think the depth is really good.”

Ole Miss (46-19) will counter with Chris Ellis, who went 10-2 with a 2.45 ERA, but was rocked in his last outing. In Game 1 of the super regional against Louisiana-Lafayette, he gave up five runs in just 2 1/3 innings.

Early last week, Bianco said he considered going with Christian Trent, but ultimately decided to roll with his ace.

“He’s been our ace, he’s been our ace all year long, and I just thought it didn’t make sense to rearrange the rotation for that, to just keep them in their normal rest,” Bianco said.

CWS on TV

Today

2 p.m. ESPN2 – TCU vs. Texas Tech

7 p.m. ESPN2 – Ole Miss vs. Virginia (Radio: 1490 AM)