OXFORD, Miss. (AP) Mississippi baseball coach Mike Bianco would receive a one-year contract extension through the 2009 season under a recommendation by athletic director Pete Boone to chancellor Robert Khayat.<br>
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``Mike has done an incredible job in bringing the Ole Miss baseball program to the level of not only being one of the best in the Southeastern Conference, but one of the top programs in the nation,'' Boone said. ``The excitement that Mike has brought to the program is evident by season ticket sales, individual game attendance, and attendance in post-season play which ranked among the national elite.''<br>
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The announcement issued by Ole Miss officials came three days after the Rebels lost to Texas in Game 3 of the first super regional in school history.<br>
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Ole Miss set a school single-season record with 48 wins, won a share of its first Southeastern Conference West Division title since 1982, received its first-ever national seed in the NCAA tournament and swept through its own regional.<br>
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``I'm very appreciative of the confidence Chancellor Khayat and Pete Boone continue to express for our baseball program and the vision we share,'' Bianco said. ``I'm excited about the opportunities that are in front of us. My entire family really enjoys living in Oxford, and we plan to be here for a long time as we continue to reach for our goal of making it to the College World Series and winning the national championship.''<br>
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Bianco is 198-110-1 in five seasons at Ole Miss and has a career record of 298-181-1 in eight seasons as a head coach.<br>
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The LSU graduate and one-time Tigers assistant coached three seasons at McNeese State before coming to Ole Miss in 2001. He is a native of Seminole, Fla.<br>
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(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
