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Ole Miss shortstop works to fill leadership role in his own way

Errol Robinson is back for his third season as Ole Miss' starting shortstop.
Errol Robinson is back for his third season as Ole Miss' starting shortstop.

OXFORD | Errol Robinson has seen the extremes during his college career.

As a freshman, the Rebels relied on upperclassmen and depth to snap the College World Series drought, win a couple games after getting there and finish third in the country.

Then came 2015 when a lack of leadership, experience and, frankly, overall talent had the Rebels on the NCAA bubble for much of the season and ended with a winless showing in the Los Angeles Regional.

“There are a whole bunch of tangibles and intangibles when you talk about the team from last year," the third-year shortstop said. “There was a leadership thing that we would sometimes lack and sometimes it was the talent and amount of experience. That’s huge in this conference. Leadership is huge whether it’s a captain figure or someone who bounces off the mound and gets that last strike or hit to win a series.”

With six or seven position starters returning, depending how you do math, Robinson sees similarities to 2014, when Austin Anderson, Will Allen and others guided Ole Miss to an SEC West title.

The Boyd, Maryland, native isn’t trying to be those guys, but he understands his role. He’s boisterous at times, but the goal is to always lead by example while making sure to take notice of the younger players. Teammates did that for him in 2014 when he started 66 games.

“Each year in (Robinson’s) maturation as a player he’s gotten better and better, and his leadership has taken another level,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said. “He’s taking younger guys under his wing. One of the things we lacked last year is we were young and needed more leadership. This year has been different and Errol is at the lead of it.”

Nearly two-thirds of Ole Miss’ 2015 at-bats came from freshmen or sophomores compared to just 27 percent the prior season. Eighty percent of Ole Miss' at-bats from last season return for this year.

Robinson’s ready for the leadership task, as he’s tried to be a sponge and form his style from the baseball minds around him. A new mentor entered this past summer, as Robinson’s second summer in the Cape Cod summer league included former Mississippi State and Georgia head coach and current UAB volunteer Ron Polks as one of his coaches with the Hyannis Hawks.

“Being a better leader and taking things away from what different coaches had to say,” Robinson said. “I’m so used to hearing coach Bianco and what he has to offer, which is a lot, but being able to play under legendary coach Polk from Mississippi State was really good and really cool.

“I came back with new things and I’m trying to lead while also allowing the younger guys to follow my example.”

Robinson had the assist that sent Ole Miss to Omaha in 2014, and he sees in this current version the needed ingredients to be more like that club. The Baseball America first team preseason All-America selection may be the first college middle infielder taken in this summer’s MLB First Year Player Draft.

That goal is there and in front of him but winning and putting last season to bed comes before the individual accolades.

“He lives for these moments and pressure and excitement,” Bianco said. “It’s why he brings energy to the stadium. He’s a big-moment player. Some kids don’t want to be there and don’t want the spotlight. You want guys to want to be there.”

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