The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Arkansas State
Baseball Hosts Arkansas State Tuesday for 2025 Home Opener
2/17/2025 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. – Hot off a good showing in Texas last weekend, Ole Miss Baseball will open a 12-game homestand Tuesday evening when they welcome Arkansas State to Swayze Field. First pitch is now set for 2 p.m. due to to travel concerns related to winter weather for Arkansas State.
LEADING OFF
- The Rebels won two of their three games this weekend at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown, defeating No. 21 Arizona and No. 15 Clemson.
- Ole Miss is now 5-1 at Globe Life Field, having swept the weekend the first time they competed there in 2021.
- Luke Hill hit .556 (5-for-9) with two home runs, a triple, and six RBI over the weekend. His two home runs against Clemson marked the first time he hit multiple home runs in a single game in his career.
- Hunter Elliott returned to the mound for the first time in nearly two years, working five innings and picking up the win.
- Walker Hooks retired every batter he faced in his collegiate debut, striking out four of the eight hitters.
- Will McCausland picked up his first win as a Rebel on Sunday, working 3.2 innings as striking out eight in relief.
- Hayden Federico went 3-for-5 with a double, three runs scored, and two RBI in his collegiate debut against Clemson.
- Ryan Moerman and Isaac Humphrey each hit a home run in their first weekend as Rebels, combining for seven total hits.
- The Rebels will host Eastern Kentucky this weekend for their first home series of the season.
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
RHP Alex Canney (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Jelle van der Lelie (0-0, 5.40 ERA)
TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for all home games at Swayze Field can be purchased here. Season tickets are still available for the 2025 season and can be purchased here.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday’s game against Arkansas State will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Jake Hromada (PxP) and Keith Kessinger (analyst) on the call.
Fans can also listen to the game on the Ole Miss Radio Network with David Kellum (PxP) and Brad Henderson (analyst) on the call.
NUKE HILL
Luke Hill got off to a sizzling start in 2025, hitting .556 with an OPS of 2.027 and three extra-base hits over three games at the Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Texas. The junior from Baton Rouge had a career day in the Rebels’ upset win over No. 15 Clemson on Sunday, putting together the first multi-home run game of his career. He went 3-for-3 with two home runs, a triple, five RBI, and four runs scored against the Tigers. Hill was also a main piece of Ole Miss’ 2-1 win over No. 21 Arizona, as he went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly that drove in the first run of the game.
RETURN OF THE KING
Hunter Elliott dominated No. 21 Arizona in his first start in nearly two years, working five shutout innings and picking up his first win since Opening Day of 2023. The redshirt junior held the Wildcats to just two hits on the day while striking out three batters in his long-awaited return. Elliott used just 15 pitches to retire the final six batters he faced and even picked off a baserunner in the third.
FOR THE CAUSE
Will McCausland made his Rebel debut Sunday afternoon, picking up the win over Clemson. He worked 3.2 innings, allowing just three hits and striking out eight batters in what was the first appearance out of the bullpen in his career. He retired the first seven hitters he faced and made eight of 11 outs via the punchout.
HOOK ‘EM
Walker Hooks made his collegiate debut on Saturday against No. 19 Texas, coming out of the bullpen with the bases loaded and just one out. He struck out the first two hitters he faced and would go on to retire all eight he saw. The freshman had four total strikeouts over his 2.2 innings of work.
PRESEASON ALL-SEC
Hunter Elliott was named to the 2025 Preseason All-SEC Team as one of five starting pitchers named to the Second Team.
Elliott is the first Rebel to be named to the Preseason All-SEC Team since Jacob Gonzalez in 2023 and the first Rebel pitcher to earn the honor since Parker Caracci in 2019.
Since being named a three-time Freshman All-American in 2022, Elliott has been sidelined for nearly two full seasons with an elbow injury. In 2022, Elliott set an Ole Miss freshman record for strikeouts in a season with 102. He finished second on the team with a 2.70 ERA over 20 appearances.
FRESHMEN READY TO MAKE AN IMPACT
The 2025 freshman class was named the No. 4 class in the country by three different publications: D1Baseball, Baseball America, and Perfect Game. They are one of five SEC classes in the top 10 and the third-highest ranked in the conference.
The class includes Hayden Federico, Owen Hancock, Walker Hooks, Cooper Johnson, Jackson Miller, Brett Moseley, Owen Paino, Jake Reigert, Tate Sirmans, Ethan Surowiec, and Cade Townsend.
Owen Paino is arguably the most heralded on the list as he was also named the No. 48 overall shortstop in the country by D1Baseball, No. 6 on Perfect Game's 2027 MLB Draft Board, No. 7 on Perfect Game's Fresh Arrivals On Campus, No. 8 on Perfect Game's Top 75 Collegiate Freshmen, and No. 12 on Baseball America's Top 25 College Baseball Freshmen.
TRANSFER TO THE SIP
Ole Miss’ 2025 roster features 10 new transfers from Division I, Division II, and JUCO ranks.
Mitchell Sanford, a transfer from New Orleans, and Isaac Humphrey, a transfer from Louisville, were both ranked on D1Baseball’s Top 50 Transfer Impact Hitters. D1Baseball also named them as two of the Top 35 outfielders in the country.
Sanford is the reigning Southland Hitter of the Year and was also named to the All-Southland First Team and All-Defensive Team in 2024 after hitting .381 with New Orleans last year. Humphrey played three seasons at Louisville where he hit .300 in 166 games in his career.
Will McCausland, a transfer from Saint Joseph’s, was named to D1Baseball’s Top 85 Transfer Impact Pitchers after playing two seasons for the Hawks. Ryan Moerman, an outfielder from Illinois, is a two-time All-Big Ten Second Team honoree who has played in 129 career games.
Alex Canney, a pitcher from Division II National Champions Tampa, is a three-time All-American and six-time All-South Region award winner.
The combined newcomer class of both transfers and freshmen was ranked No. 10 in the country by Baseball America.
STAY CONNECTED
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Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss baseball on X at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissBaseball, on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemissbsb and on TikTok at @olemissbsb. Also, follow head coach Mike Bianco on X at @CoachMikeBianco.
