With Mizzou baseball’s season officially in the books — for all the wrong reasons — I figured it was the perfect time to look back at the worst conference records in each SEC team’s history. Just a little something to lift everyone’s spirits.
Disclaimer: Due to rule changes over the years and teams shifting conferences, not all have played a full 30-game SEC schedule. These records reflect each team’s worst conference finish in a season with at least 24 games.
Ole Miss: 6-24 (1997)
Entering the season with the largest roster in the SEC at 20 players, new Ole Miss head coach Pat Harrison found himself in the middle of a difficult stretch in the program’s history. Following the worst season in school history in 1996, when the Rebels won just seven games, Harrison was hired to help rebuild the program in Oxford. However, his first season proved even more challenging, as Ole Miss finished last in the SEC Western Division for the second consecutive year. It wasn’t until 1999 that Harrison guided the Rebels to a winning conference record — the same year the NCAA adopted the 64-team playoff format.
Statistically, Ole Miss appeared solid at the plate — but within the SEC, the Rebels ranked near the bottom in most offensive categories. Their .295 team batting average was the second worst in the conference, where the top mark exceeded .350. They also finished last in on-base percentage at .370. Of the five players who appeared in more than 50 games, only one hit below .300, and he still posted a respectable .275. The team’s top hitter, Brad Henderson, would be a Golden Spikes contender today with the numbers he put up — batting .402 with 92 hits and an even walk-to-strikeout ratio.
Despite strong individual averages, the team struggled to turn hits into runs. A high number of runners left on base and a lack of extra-base power contributed to the issue. Of their 548 total hits, only 182 went for extra bases, meaning they recorded an extra-base hit just once every three hits. Only four players managed more than 20 extra-base hits on the season.
On the mound, the problems were even more apparent, as the Rebels finished with a team ERA of 6.70. Their top two starters — each of whom made at least 10 starts — both posted ERAs above 5.00, with one finishing the season above 10.00. The lowest ERA on the team came from Lance Tolbert, who recorded a 4.99 ERA over 21 appearances. Beyond that, every other pitcher finished with an ERA over 5.00, including three who ended the year above 9.00.
Despite the struggles, Ole Miss managed to turn things around the very next season, winning 13 SEC games and taking a step forward in rebuilding the program.