CARY, N.C. — USA Baseball today named University of Mississippi’s Mike Bianco the manager of the 2022 Collegiate National Team. Bianco is entering his 22nd season leading the Rebels, where he earned National Coach of the Year honors in 2020 and has become the winningest coach in Ole Miss history since taking over the program in 2000.
This role will mark Bianco’s USA Baseball managerial debut and his second time overall working with the Collegiate National Team. His first stint with Team USA came in 2013 when he served as the pitching coach for the red, white, and blue. He led the U.S. pitching staff to a collective 1.87 ERA, a 20-3 record, and 222 strikeouts during the summer campaign.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mike back to Team USA as the manager of the Collegiate National Team in 2022,” USA Baseball General Manager of National Teams Eric Campbell said. “Mike is an outstanding baseball coach who has set a remarkable standard of excellence and success in his long tenure at the University of Mississippi. His expertise and passion for the game will be invaluable assets for these young athletes and we look forward to having him lead what will undoubtedly be an exceptionally talented team this summer.”
“I am honored and humbled to be selected as the manager of the Collegiate National Team,” said Bianco. “I did it as an assistant back in 2013 and it was one of those ‘dream come true’ scenarios. Anytime you can put USA across your chest and represent your country is a special thing and to do it again as the manager is a really cool feeling.”
Bianco has posted an 812-462-1 (.637) record in 21 seasons at the helm of the Ole Miss program and has guided the Rebels to 17 postseason appearances, seven Super Regionals, and a College World Series berth in 2014. He earned both his 900th career victory and his 800th win in an Ole Miss uniform with a defeat of Texas A&M on May 8, 2021, becoming one of just 16 active head coaches to reach the 900 mark and one of just two in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) alongside Arkansas’ Dave Van Horn. During his tenure, Bianco has led the Rebels to 30 or more wins in all his 20 full seasons, including nine 40-win campaigns. The Rebels posted three straight 40-win seasons for the first time in school history from 2005-2007 and racked up another trio of seasons that surpassed the 40-win mark in 2018, 2019, and 2021.
Additionally, Ole Miss has tied the program record of 48 wins three times in Bianco’s career, most recently matching the mark with a 48-17 (.738) record in 2018 – the best win percentage by a Rebel team in 48 seasons. In 2020, Bianco led the Rebels on a 16-1 start to the season, ending on a 16-game win streak that was the longest in the nation and one victory short of the program record for consecutive wins when the season was cut short due to the pandemic. For his efforts, Bianco became the first Ole Miss head coach to be named National Coach of the Year in 2020. The program has also become a powerhouse in the SEC under Bianco’s leadership, winning four Western Division titles, two SEC Tournament titles, and one regular-season championship.
Over the course of his career at Ole Miss, Bianco has seen 119 of his players selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft with 20 drafted in the past four years alone. Under his guidance, 20 Rebels have gone on to earn spots on Major League rosters, including 2017 All-Star Zack Cozart, two-time All-Star and 2011 World Series champion Lance Lynn, and 2016 All-Star and 2018 World Series champion Drew Pomeranz. Additionally, Bianco has also coached 89 All-America and Freshman All-America selections and 70 All-SEC players.
Ten of his former players have competed on the Collegiate National Team, including Seth Smith (2003), Stephen Head (2003), Zack Cozart (2006), Cody Satterwhite (2007), Lance Lynn (2007), Drew Pomeranz (2009), Bobby Wahl (2012), Doug Nikhazy (2019), Hayden Dunhurst (2021), and Jacob Gonzalez (2021).
The remaining 2022 Collegiate National Team staff, as well as more information about the 2022 Collegiate National Team schedule, will be announced at a later date.
