OXFORD — Signaling a significant change for the Ole Miss baseball program, Mike Bianco made his pitching coach hire official on Thursday.

The Rebels announced the addition of Joel Mangrum, who most recently spent six seasons with the Cleveland Guardians. Four of those came as the organization's minor league pitching coordinator.

A graduate of Mississippi College and a native of Brandon, Mangrum was responsible for overseeing development and helping Guardians' pitchers transition from the minor leagues to the majors. This year's Cleveland team owns Major League Baseball's sixth-best ERA. Three members of its five-man starting rotation are homegrown talents nurtured, in part, by Mangrum. Five key arms in the Guardians' bullpen came through the minor leagues during Mangrum's stint, too. All five of them have ERAs below 2.70.

Before his time in pro baseball, Mangrum worked as an assistant coach at Louisiana-Monroe, New Mexico State, Austin Peay, Milligan College and Hinds Community College.

"We are super excited to bring Joel to Oxford and Ole Miss baseball," Bianco said in a release. "He has a unique and dynamic way of developing pitchers and has proven his success at both the professional and collegiate levels."

The appointment is the product of an offseason discussion between Bianco and Ole Miss Athletic Director Keith Carter after the Rebels stumbled to their second consecutive losing season on the back of a national title in 2022.

Bianco, a former catcher, has traditionally carried out the duties normally assigned to a pitching coach, including calling pitches in-game. The announcement did not specify whether he will turn that responsibility over to Mangrum.

The Rebels, with a staff pummeled by injuries, have struggled on the mound during their two-year lapse. Ole Miss has finished with the third-worst team ERA in the SEC in each of the last two seasons, posting a 5.88 mark last season and a 6.40 ERA in 2023.

"It's really changing with the times, allowing Coach B to be more of a manager ... allow the pitching coach to really handle the pitchers," Carter said at an event in Memphis last week. "That's a big responsibility. You think about a roster of 40 or so, over half of those are pitchers, so you're spending a lot of time with those."

Despite those numbers, Mangrum inherits a staff that isn't short on promise. Lefthander Liam Doyle showed dominant potential after his midseason move into the weekend rotation. Freshman Wes Mendes was particularly impressive as the season came to a close. And righthanded starters Riley Maddox and Mason Nichols both showed bursts of brilliance to help stabilize a rotation that started the season in disarray.

Both Maddox and Nichols will be eligible for the 2024 MLB Draft, as will injured lefthanders Hunter Elliott and Xavier Rivas – who both missed the 2024 campaign.

"I'm really excited to be joining the Ole Miss baseball family," Mangrum said in a release. "I'm incredibly thankful for the opportunity that Coach Bianco has provided me and my family. This is a dream come true. We look forward to making Oxford home and helping continue the tradition of Ole Miss baseball being a national power in college baseball."

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David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Joel Mangrum: Ole Miss baseball hires pitching coach from Guardians