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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Thursday, March 19
Oxford, Miss.
7 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Kentucky
Baseball Welcomes No. 15 Kentucky for First SEC Home Series
3/18/2026 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss Baseball (17-5, 1-2 SEC) hosts No. 15 Kentucky (18-2, 3-0 SEC) this weekend for their first home SEC series of the season. The series begins on Thursday with first pitch set for 7 p.m. on SEC Network. Friday's first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. and Saturday will begin at 1:30 p.m.
LEADING OFF
Game 1: LHP Hunter Elliott (2-0, 4.38 ERA) vs. LHP Ben Cleaver (1-0, 1.84 ERA)
Game 2: TBA vs. RHP Jaxon Jelkin (4-0, 3.38 ERA)
Game 3: LHP Wil Libbert (2-2, 5.96 ERA) vs. RHP Nate Harris (3-1, 4.03 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday's game will be broadcast live on SEC Network with Clay Matvick (PxP) and Lance Cormier (analyst) on the call. Friday and Saturday's games will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Richard Cross (PxP) and Keith Kessinger (analyst) on the call.
Fans can listen to all Ole Miss Baseball games, home and away, on the Ole Miss Radio Network with David Kellum (PxP) and Brad Henderson (analyst) on the call.
SCOUTING REPORT
Head baseball coach Nick Mingione is in his 10th year guiding Kentucky's program. He's one of the most successful coaches in program history, twice earning National Coach of the Year honors from Perfect Game and the NCBWA, most recently in 2024. The Wildcats took a slight step back last season but still finished above .500 and reached the NCAA Clemson Regional.
Kentucky appears to be back on track in 2026, starting 18-2 through 20 games, including a three-game sweep of Alabama to open conference action last weekend. The Wildcats have a potent offense, scoring at least 10 runs in nine of their games so far this season. They excel in baserunning, ranking fourth in the country and second in the SEC with 64 stolen bases to this point of the season.
Junior outfielder Jayce Tharnish leads the team in stolen bases and hits, recording 14 and 31, respectively. However, Ethan Hindle is Kentucky's most dangerous batter with 17 extra base hits this season, including nine doubles and six homers. He's driven home a team-leading 25 runs and is slugging at .716 percent.
Kentucky could be without preseason All-American Tyler Bell, who has been dealing with shoulder soreness and has participated in only six games this season. He was in the lineup for Kentucky's last game on Sunday against Alabama.
Kentucky's weekend rotation have consisted of Jaxon Jelkin, Ben Cleaver and Nate Harris. Jelkin is undefeated for the year with four wins and 26.2 innings worked. He's struck out 31 batters. Harris has been productive as just a sophomore, giving up no home runs to the 92 batters he's faced. Cleaver has been solid, holding a 1.55 ERA, but has seen limited action in his starts. He's recording more than a strikeout per inning though, with 200 K's over 14.2 innings worked.
WORLD BASEBALL REBS
Ole Miss had two representatives in the recently completed World Baseball Classic, Dylan DeLucia and Josh Mallitz.
DeLucia pitched for Team Italy, making two appearances including a start against Great Britain. Over two outings for the Italians, DeLucia worked 7.2 innings with eight strikeouts and a 2.35 ERA. In the quarterfinals against Puerto Rico, DeLucia worked four scoreless innings and earned a hold for his efforts.
Mallitz made two appearances for Team Israel allowing just two baserunners over two innings of work.
FRESH START
Tristan Bissetta is ranked in the top five in multiple categories in the SEC in his first season in the conference. He is ranked second in home runs (11), third in hits (35), third in total bases (73), fourth in RBI (34), and fifth in batting average (.412) and slugging percentage (.859).
Bissetta has three multi-homer games already under his belt, coming against Jackson State, Baylor, and Austin Peay. He had never hit more than one home run in a game before coming to Ole Miss.
On February 18 against Jackson State, Bissetta hit two home runs in the third inning, becoming the first Rebel to accomplish the feat in almost a decade. Nick Fortes was the last Rebel to hit two home runs in the same inning, doing so in 2017 against ULM.
He has already surpassed both his home run and RBI totals from 2025.
CALIFORNIA DEALIN'
Cade Townsend currently sports a 0.92 ERA after five starts, the fifth-lowest ERA among SEC pitchers. He has allowed just two earned runs all season, the first coming in his first start against Nevada and the second coming last weekend against Texas.
The California native has struck out seven or more batters in four of his five starts and set a new career high of nine in a combined shutout against Ohio State.
Townsend was named to the College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year Watch List last week.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Judd Utermark now sits at 39 career home runs which is nine shy of the Ole Miss all-time record. He passed 2022 National Champion Kevin Graham in game two of a doubleheader against Evansville and now sits in sole possession of sixth place.
His next home run will put him in a tie for fifth but will also make him just the seventh Rebel to hit 40 home runs in their career.
Ole Miss Career Home Run List
1. Kyle Gordon 48
2. Tim Elko 46
3. Matt Smith & Matt Snyder 41
5. Brad Henderson & Jacob Gonzalez 40
6. Judd Utermark 39
7. Kevin Graham 38
8. Burney Hutchinson & Stephen Head 37
10. David Dellucci & Michael Rosamond 36
EARLY LEAD
Ole Miss is outscoring opponents 96-42 over the first four innings. They have scored 30 runs in the first inning and scored at least once in the first inning in 13 of their 22 games. The Rebels are 13-0 when scoring in the first inning.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Brett Moseley and Tate Sirmans each launched a home run for their first collegiate hit Opening Weekend against Nevada. Moseley hit a pinch-hit, two-RBI home run in the eighth inning of game one and Sirmans hit a solo shot in the fourth inning of game two. It was also Sirmans' first career start.
Moseley and Sirmans join a decent sized list of Rebels who hit a home run for their first career hit. Will Furniss and Judd Utermark each hit a pinch-hit home run for their first hits in 2023 when they were freshmen. Austin Fawley also hit a home run for his first career hit as a redshirt freshman at Kentucky in 2024.
BIG GAME HUNTER
Hunter Elliott returns to the Ole Miss rotation as the most experienced pitcher on the staff. He turned in one of the best seasons in Rebel history last year, becoming just the fifth pitcher to record a 10-win, 100-strikeout season finishing with a 10-3 record and 102 punchouts. He also became just the fourth pitcher in program history to record 100+ strikeouts in two different seasons. His 2.94 ERA was the lowest by a Rebel starting pitcher since his freshman season when he finished with an ERA of 2.70.
Elliott is the only returning pitcher in the country to have earned 10+ wins and struck out 100+ hitters in 2025.
BRING THE BOOM
The Ole Miss offense set a new program record for home runs in a season in 2025, crushing 124 home runs. It was just the second time in program history that an Ole Miss team has cracked the 100-home run mark.
The Rebels finished fifth nationally in total home runs, ninth nationally in home runs per game (1.94), and 13th nationally in walks drawn (345). They were one of just four programs in the country to have two 20+ home run hitters and one of six programs to finish with 100+ home runs, 100+ doubles, and 100+ hit by pitches.
There are only 16 returning players who hit 20 or more home runs in 2025 and three of them will be in Ole Miss' Opening Day lineup: Judd Utermark, Austin Fawley, and Daniel Pacella.
BASH BROS
Judd Utermark and Austin Fawley both broke the 20-home run mark in 2025, becoming the first pair of Rebel teammates in program history to each hit 20+ home runs in a single season.
Utermark finished with 22 home runs, the second-most by a Rebel in a single season, just two shy of the program record of 24 set by Tim Elko in 2022.
The 2025 Rebels finished with three hitters with 15+ home runs for the first time in program history and six hitters with 10+ home runs, also for the first time in program history.
IMPROVEMENT ON THE MOUND
In the first season under pitching coach Joel Mangrum, the Ole Miss pitching staff finished sixth nationally in total strikeouts. They struck out 669 hitters, 127 more than their total from 2024, which was the largest increase in the country.
The staff also finished 12th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 10.8 strikeouts per game.
D1BASEBALL PRESEASON PLAYER RANKINGS
Ole Miss was well represented in D1Baseball's annual Preseason Player Rankings, placing at least one player at almost every position. Hunter Elliott was the highest ranked Rebel coming in at No. 5 on the list of Starting Pitchers. Cade Townsend also made the list at No. 117.
Austin Fawley was ranked as the No. 8 Catcher, Judd Utermark was ranked as the No. 10 Third Baseman, Dom Decker was ranked the No. 26 Second Baseman, and Will Furniss was ranked the No. 30 First Baseman. Daniel Pacella came in at No. 59 on the list of Outfielders and Landon Koenig (#51) and Owen Kelly (#78) each made the list of Relief Pitchers.
PRESEASON AWARDS
Hunter Elliott has been one of the most decorated players heading into the 2026 season. He was named to the 2026 Golden Spikes Award Watch List and earned Preseason All-America honors from the NCBWA, Perfect Game, D1Baseball, The Diamond Report, and Just Baseball Media. He was also named to the Preseason All-SEC Team that is voted on by the league's head coaches.
Judd Utermark was named a Preseason All-American by the NCBWA and Will Furniss was named to the Preseason All-SEC Team at first base. Austin Fawley was one of 10 catchers in the country to make the 2026 Buster Posey Preseason Watch List.
NEW FACES IN THE DUGOUT
Ole Miss added 19 new faces to the roster for the 2026 season, 10 transfers and nine freshmen. With 21 overall letterwinners lost from the 2025 season, the newest Rebels will look to make an immediate impact on the field.
Daniel Pacella and Tristan Bissetta, both Division I transfers, will man the corner outfield positions in 2026. Pacella comes from Illinois State where he hit .310 with 48 home runs over 107 games for the Redbirds. He hit 20 home runs in 2025, the second-most in program history. Bissetta spent his first three seasons at Clemson, hitting .266 over 87 games. He hit .298 in 2024 before his 2025 season was cut short by an arm injury.
Dom Decker will be injected into the infield after having a breakout season with Murray State in 2025. He started in 60 games for the Racers, hitting .351 with an on-base percentage of .496 which was top 40 in the NCAA.
Wil Libbert opens the season as the third member of the weekend rotation after spending his two seasons at Missouri. He worked 53.2 innings over 11 starts in 2025, striking out 55 hitters and posting a record of 3-4.
STAY CONNECTED
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
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.
LEADING OFF
- Ole Miss defeated Austin Peay 9-5 on Tuesday for a midweek victory.
- Tristan Bissetta hit two home runs in the win, his third multi-home run game of the season.
- Bissetta is on a nine-game hitting streak, hitting .417 (15-for-36) with six home runs, 15 RBI, and 10 runs scored during that stretch.
- His biggest home run of the season came last Friday with two outs in the ninth inning against Texas. The senior launched a 464-foot grand slam to keep the Rebels alive and ultimately set up the win in the 11th inning.
- The win on Friday against the Longhorns was the third-consecutive conference opener win for the Rebels, winning the series openers against Arkansas in 2025 and South Carolina in 2024.
- Bissetta comes into the weekend ranked second in the SEC in home runs (11), third in hits (35), third in total bases (73), fourth in RBI (34), and fifth in batting average (.412) and slugging percentage (.859).
- Judd Utermark is on a 10-game hitting streak, hitting .417 (15-for-36) with four home runs, 13 RBI, 11 runs scored, and nine walks during that stretch.
- Utermark is third in the SEC in runs scored (31), fourth in runs per game (1.41), seventh in home runs (10), and eighth in slugging percentage (.788).
- Dom Decker is third in the SEC and 11th in the NCAA in walks with 24. He is averaging 1.09 walks per game.
- Hunter Elliott is ranked 10th in the SEC in strikeouts with 38 punchouts on the season. His K/9 sits at 13.86 which is fifth in the SEC.
- Taylor Rabe has issued just one walk over 15.1 innings of work this season, coming in his first outing of the year against Nevada on February 14.
- The Ole Miss pitching staff has struck out 256 batters, second-most in the SEC and fourth in the NCAA.
Game 1: LHP Hunter Elliott (2-0, 4.38 ERA) vs. LHP Ben Cleaver (1-0, 1.84 ERA)
Game 2: TBA vs. RHP Jaxon Jelkin (4-0, 3.38 ERA)
Game 3: LHP Wil Libbert (2-2, 5.96 ERA) vs. RHP Nate Harris (3-1, 4.03 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Thursday's game will be broadcast live on SEC Network with Clay Matvick (PxP) and Lance Cormier (analyst) on the call. Friday and Saturday's games will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Richard Cross (PxP) and Keith Kessinger (analyst) on the call.
Fans can listen to all Ole Miss Baseball games, home and away, on the Ole Miss Radio Network with David Kellum (PxP) and Brad Henderson (analyst) on the call.
SCOUTING REPORT
Head baseball coach Nick Mingione is in his 10th year guiding Kentucky's program. He's one of the most successful coaches in program history, twice earning National Coach of the Year honors from Perfect Game and the NCBWA, most recently in 2024. The Wildcats took a slight step back last season but still finished above .500 and reached the NCAA Clemson Regional.
Kentucky appears to be back on track in 2026, starting 18-2 through 20 games, including a three-game sweep of Alabama to open conference action last weekend. The Wildcats have a potent offense, scoring at least 10 runs in nine of their games so far this season. They excel in baserunning, ranking fourth in the country and second in the SEC with 64 stolen bases to this point of the season.
Junior outfielder Jayce Tharnish leads the team in stolen bases and hits, recording 14 and 31, respectively. However, Ethan Hindle is Kentucky's most dangerous batter with 17 extra base hits this season, including nine doubles and six homers. He's driven home a team-leading 25 runs and is slugging at .716 percent.
Kentucky could be without preseason All-American Tyler Bell, who has been dealing with shoulder soreness and has participated in only six games this season. He was in the lineup for Kentucky's last game on Sunday against Alabama.
Kentucky's weekend rotation have consisted of Jaxon Jelkin, Ben Cleaver and Nate Harris. Jelkin is undefeated for the year with four wins and 26.2 innings worked. He's struck out 31 batters. Harris has been productive as just a sophomore, giving up no home runs to the 92 batters he's faced. Cleaver has been solid, holding a 1.55 ERA, but has seen limited action in his starts. He's recording more than a strikeout per inning though, with 200 K's over 14.2 innings worked.
WORLD BASEBALL REBS
Ole Miss had two representatives in the recently completed World Baseball Classic, Dylan DeLucia and Josh Mallitz.
DeLucia pitched for Team Italy, making two appearances including a start against Great Britain. Over two outings for the Italians, DeLucia worked 7.2 innings with eight strikeouts and a 2.35 ERA. In the quarterfinals against Puerto Rico, DeLucia worked four scoreless innings and earned a hold for his efforts.
Mallitz made two appearances for Team Israel allowing just two baserunners over two innings of work.
FRESH START
Tristan Bissetta is ranked in the top five in multiple categories in the SEC in his first season in the conference. He is ranked second in home runs (11), third in hits (35), third in total bases (73), fourth in RBI (34), and fifth in batting average (.412) and slugging percentage (.859).
Bissetta has three multi-homer games already under his belt, coming against Jackson State, Baylor, and Austin Peay. He had never hit more than one home run in a game before coming to Ole Miss.
On February 18 against Jackson State, Bissetta hit two home runs in the third inning, becoming the first Rebel to accomplish the feat in almost a decade. Nick Fortes was the last Rebel to hit two home runs in the same inning, doing so in 2017 against ULM.
He has already surpassed both his home run and RBI totals from 2025.
CALIFORNIA DEALIN'
Cade Townsend currently sports a 0.92 ERA after five starts, the fifth-lowest ERA among SEC pitchers. He has allowed just two earned runs all season, the first coming in his first start against Nevada and the second coming last weekend against Texas.
The California native has struck out seven or more batters in four of his five starts and set a new career high of nine in a combined shutout against Ohio State.
Townsend was named to the College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year Watch List last week.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Judd Utermark now sits at 39 career home runs which is nine shy of the Ole Miss all-time record. He passed 2022 National Champion Kevin Graham in game two of a doubleheader against Evansville and now sits in sole possession of sixth place.
His next home run will put him in a tie for fifth but will also make him just the seventh Rebel to hit 40 home runs in their career.
Ole Miss Career Home Run List
1. Kyle Gordon 48
2. Tim Elko 46
3. Matt Smith & Matt Snyder 41
5. Brad Henderson & Jacob Gonzalez 40
6. Judd Utermark 39
7. Kevin Graham 38
8. Burney Hutchinson & Stephen Head 37
10. David Dellucci & Michael Rosamond 36
EARLY LEAD
Ole Miss is outscoring opponents 96-42 over the first four innings. They have scored 30 runs in the first inning and scored at least once in the first inning in 13 of their 22 games. The Rebels are 13-0 when scoring in the first inning.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Brett Moseley and Tate Sirmans each launched a home run for their first collegiate hit Opening Weekend against Nevada. Moseley hit a pinch-hit, two-RBI home run in the eighth inning of game one and Sirmans hit a solo shot in the fourth inning of game two. It was also Sirmans' first career start.
Moseley and Sirmans join a decent sized list of Rebels who hit a home run for their first career hit. Will Furniss and Judd Utermark each hit a pinch-hit home run for their first hits in 2023 when they were freshmen. Austin Fawley also hit a home run for his first career hit as a redshirt freshman at Kentucky in 2024.
BIG GAME HUNTER
Hunter Elliott returns to the Ole Miss rotation as the most experienced pitcher on the staff. He turned in one of the best seasons in Rebel history last year, becoming just the fifth pitcher to record a 10-win, 100-strikeout season finishing with a 10-3 record and 102 punchouts. He also became just the fourth pitcher in program history to record 100+ strikeouts in two different seasons. His 2.94 ERA was the lowest by a Rebel starting pitcher since his freshman season when he finished with an ERA of 2.70.
Elliott is the only returning pitcher in the country to have earned 10+ wins and struck out 100+ hitters in 2025.
BRING THE BOOM
The Ole Miss offense set a new program record for home runs in a season in 2025, crushing 124 home runs. It was just the second time in program history that an Ole Miss team has cracked the 100-home run mark.
The Rebels finished fifth nationally in total home runs, ninth nationally in home runs per game (1.94), and 13th nationally in walks drawn (345). They were one of just four programs in the country to have two 20+ home run hitters and one of six programs to finish with 100+ home runs, 100+ doubles, and 100+ hit by pitches.
There are only 16 returning players who hit 20 or more home runs in 2025 and three of them will be in Ole Miss' Opening Day lineup: Judd Utermark, Austin Fawley, and Daniel Pacella.
BASH BROS
Judd Utermark and Austin Fawley both broke the 20-home run mark in 2025, becoming the first pair of Rebel teammates in program history to each hit 20+ home runs in a single season.
Utermark finished with 22 home runs, the second-most by a Rebel in a single season, just two shy of the program record of 24 set by Tim Elko in 2022.
The 2025 Rebels finished with three hitters with 15+ home runs for the first time in program history and six hitters with 10+ home runs, also for the first time in program history.
IMPROVEMENT ON THE MOUND
In the first season under pitching coach Joel Mangrum, the Ole Miss pitching staff finished sixth nationally in total strikeouts. They struck out 669 hitters, 127 more than their total from 2024, which was the largest increase in the country.
The staff also finished 12th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 10.8 strikeouts per game.
D1BASEBALL PRESEASON PLAYER RANKINGS
Ole Miss was well represented in D1Baseball's annual Preseason Player Rankings, placing at least one player at almost every position. Hunter Elliott was the highest ranked Rebel coming in at No. 5 on the list of Starting Pitchers. Cade Townsend also made the list at No. 117.
Austin Fawley was ranked as the No. 8 Catcher, Judd Utermark was ranked as the No. 10 Third Baseman, Dom Decker was ranked the No. 26 Second Baseman, and Will Furniss was ranked the No. 30 First Baseman. Daniel Pacella came in at No. 59 on the list of Outfielders and Landon Koenig (#51) and Owen Kelly (#78) each made the list of Relief Pitchers.
PRESEASON AWARDS
Hunter Elliott has been one of the most decorated players heading into the 2026 season. He was named to the 2026 Golden Spikes Award Watch List and earned Preseason All-America honors from the NCBWA, Perfect Game, D1Baseball, The Diamond Report, and Just Baseball Media. He was also named to the Preseason All-SEC Team that is voted on by the league's head coaches.
Judd Utermark was named a Preseason All-American by the NCBWA and Will Furniss was named to the Preseason All-SEC Team at first base. Austin Fawley was one of 10 catchers in the country to make the 2026 Buster Posey Preseason Watch List.
NEW FACES IN THE DUGOUT
Ole Miss added 19 new faces to the roster for the 2026 season, 10 transfers and nine freshmen. With 21 overall letterwinners lost from the 2025 season, the newest Rebels will look to make an immediate impact on the field.
Daniel Pacella and Tristan Bissetta, both Division I transfers, will man the corner outfield positions in 2026. Pacella comes from Illinois State where he hit .310 with 48 home runs over 107 games for the Redbirds. He hit 20 home runs in 2025, the second-most in program history. Bissetta spent his first three seasons at Clemson, hitting .266 over 87 games. He hit .298 in 2024 before his 2025 season was cut short by an arm injury.
Dom Decker will be injected into the infield after having a breakout season with Murray State in 2025. He started in 60 games for the Racers, hitting .351 with an on-base percentage of .496 which was top 40 in the NCAA.
Wil Libbert opens the season as the third member of the weekend rotation after spending his two seasons at Missouri. He worked 53.2 innings over 11 starts in 2025, striking out 55 hitters and posting a record of 3-4.
STAY CONNECTED
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
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.
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