No. 17 Ole Miss Baseball Opens SEC Tournament Against Missouri

OXFORD, Miss. – No. 17 Ole Miss Baseball (36-20, 15-15 SEC) will open play at the SEC Tournament Tuesday morning against Missouri (23-30, 6-24 SEC) in Hoover, Alabama. First pitch is set for 9:30 a.m. on SEC Network.

LEADING OFF

Ole Miss comes into the tournament as the No. 9 seed after finishing 15-15 in conference play.
The Rebels finished the regular season with a RPI of 15 and the third-toughest schedule in the country.
They have 11 Quad 1 wins (ninth-most in the NCAA) and have played 28 total games against Quad 1 opponents (third-most in the NCAA).
Ole Miss and Auburn are the only two teams in the SEC to have played series against all of the top five teams in the conference standings.
Five different Rebels earned All-SEC honors for the first time since 2021.
Walker Hooks was named to the First Team as one of three relief pitchers. Will Furniss, Cade Townsend, and Judd Utermark were all three named to the Second Team at their respective positions. Hunter Elliott was named to the All-Defensive Team as the only pitcher.
Taylor Rabe has struck out 27 batters over his last two starts, 14 against Texas A&M and 13 against Alabama.
Rabe is the first Rebel since Liam Doyle in 2024 with back-to-back 10+ strikeout outings. His 27 total strikeouts are the most over two starts since Gunnar Hoglund in 2021.
Rabe leads the SEC in strikeout-to-walk ratio, striking out 10.12 batters for every walk issued. He has issued just eight walks all season.
Austin Fawley is hitting .441 (15-for-34) with six home runs, 13 RBI, and an OPS of 1.471 in the month of May.
Fawley has hit eight home runs over his last 13 games, after hitting just four over his first 36. 10 of his 12 home runs came in SEC play.
Utermark is hitting .351 (13-for-37) with three home runs, eight RBI, and 10 runs scored in the month of May.
Utermark, Fawley, and Tristan Bissetta have combined to hit 50 of Ole Miss' 92 (54%) home runs this season.
The Ole Miss pitching staff is one of seven staffs in the entire country to have over 600 strikeouts, racking up 627 punchouts this season. Their strikeouts per nine innings of 11.7 and their strikeout per walk ratio of 3.52 are both ranked third in the NCAA.

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
LHP Wil Libbert (2-2, 6.97 ERA) vs. RHP Josh McDevitt (3-5, 4.03 ERA)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday's game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

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
Missouri head coach Kerrick Jackson is in his third season guiding the Tigers program. He previously had a five-year stint as an assistant coach for the team from 2011-15. As Southern's head coach in 2019, he was named the SWAC Coach of the Year. With the Tigers, he's accumulated a 62-101 record.

The Tigers are 23-30 entering the SEC Tournament, holding the 16th seed. Freshman infielder Blaize Ward has been a bright spot for this Tiger team, holding the second-best batting average on the team at .303. He's contacted on 44 hits this season, knocking four out of the park. Jase Woita is arguably Missouri's best offensive weapon despite a sub-.300 average. He's hit 12 home runs on 54 hits this season and has scored 41 runs. Kam Durnin is Missouri's best statistical hitter, averaging .316 at the plate.

Missouri hasn't participated in a midweek game since April 21 against SIU Edwardsville. Dane Bjorn started in that game, working three scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Jackson Sobel, PJ Green and Luke Sullivan have also earned midweek starts and are potential starters for the round one matchup.

UPPER DECKER
Dom Decker has nine home runs this season, fourth-most on the team. He came to Ole Miss this season after two seasons at Murray State and one season at Wallace State Community College and had never hit a home run in his career before coming to Oxford.

POWER HOUR
The Rebels have hit 97 home runs this season, just three shy of the third 100 home run season in program history. It would also mark the first time in program history that they have had back-to-back 100-home run seasons.

Last season Ole Miss set a new single season record with 124 home runs. The only other triple digit home run season came in 2022.

HOOK 'EM
Walker Hooks finished the regular season leading the SEC in ERA (1.73), WHIP (0.80), and appearances (17) during conference play. He was also tied for the league lead in saves with seven. The big left-hander was also ranked second in fewest walks allowed (6) and tied for fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.00) in league games.

Hooks has converted six of his last seven save opportunities and has allowed just three earned runs over his last 12 appearances.

HOME RUN KING
Judd Utermark made history recently hitting the 49^th home run of his career, a new Ole Miss program record. He passed Kyle Gordon (1984-87) who held the record for 39 years.

Utermark has now hit 20 home runs this season giving him back-to-back 20 homer seasons. He is the first Rebel in program history to post multiple 20+ home run seasons.

With one more home run, Utermark will become the first Rebel in program history to hit 50 home runs in their career.

Ole Miss Career Home Run List
1. Judd Utermark                                           49
2. Kyle Gordon                                                 48
3. Tim Elko                                                      46
4. Matt Smith & Matt Snyder 41
6. Brad Henderson & Jacob Gonzalez            40

HUNTER IN MAY
Hunter Elliott has been known to turn up the heat in May over his career. Elliott completed his fifth quality start of the season last weekend against Alabama working six innings and allowing three earned run while striking out eight Tide.

Elliott has allowed more than two earned runs in a May start only three times in his career: his starts against Arkansas and Alabama and May 20 of the 2022 season against Texas A&M. Overall, he carries a record of 7-2 with an ERA of 2.98 and 79 strikeouts over three seasons in the month of May.

	W-L	ERA	IP	H	ER	BB	K	BAA
2022	2-0	3.06	17.2	12	6	9	21	.194
2025	4-1	1.47	30.2	20	5	13	37	.183
2026	1-2	6.00	15.0	15	10	6	21	.254
Career	7-3	2.98	63.1	47	21	28	79	.203

KEEP IT 300
In his second-to-last start of the regular season against Texas A&M, Hunter Elliott became just the third Rebel in program history to reach the 300-strikeout mark in their career. He joined Drew Pomeranz and Lance Lynn as the only players to cross the mark.

Elliott now needs 11 more strikeouts to pass Lynn for second in program history. He is also just four strikeouts away from becoming the first Rebel to record three 100-strikeout seasons.

Ole Miss Career Strikeout List
1. Drew Pomeranz                                          344
2. Lance Lynn                                                  332
3. Hunter Elliott                                              312
4. Jeff Calhoun                                                282
5. Mark Holliman                                            281

RETURN OF TB
After spending three seasons at Clemson, Tristan Bissetta has already set career highs in home runs, RBI, hits, doubles, walks, and total bases in one season at Ole Miss.

Bissetta has four multi-homer games under his belt, coming against Jackson State, Baylor, Austin Peay, and Kentucky. He had just one in his entire career before coming to Ole Miss.

He became the fastest Rebel to hit 13 home runs in a season, hitting his 13th home run on March 19, just 23 games into the year.

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.

SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK (x2)
Tristan Bissetta was named SEC Co-Player of the Week and Cade Townsend was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week after the two led the Rebels to wins over Southern Miss and Tennessee in week ten.

Townsend was the first Rebel to earn Pitcher of the Week honors since Gunnar Hoglund in May of 2021. Bissetta was the first to be named Player of the Week since Issac Humphrey won it in March of last year.

Bissetta hit a home run in each game the Rebels played, hitting .500 with four home runs, three doubles, 10 RBI, and seven runs scored. He slugged 1.333 with an OPS of 1.883 and launched a 424-foot grand slam on Saturday to help clinch the series.

Townsend put together his third-consecutive quality start on Saturday against Tennessee, locking down the series win for the Rebels. The sophomore took a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and would leave the game after six shutout innings. He allowed just four baserunners while striking out seven.

CALIFORNIA DEALIN'
Cade Townsend put together three-consecutive quality starts from April 4 to April 18. He was the first Rebel to accomplish that feat since both Hunter Elliott and Dylan DeLucia did it in 2022.

Elliott did it twice his freshman season, including a stretch during the postseason starting in the super regional against Southern Miss and his next two starts in the College World Series against Arkansas and Oklahoma.

DeLucia did it in April of 2022 against South Carolina, Mississippi State, and Arkansas.

HIGH QUALITY
For the first time since 2019, all three Rebel starting pitchers in a series put together quality starts in Ole Miss' sweep of LSU. All three had very similar lines, working six innings, allowing two runs, and just one walk each.

Hunter Elliott worked six innings and allowed eight hits and two earned runs on Friday night. He struck out eight batters and issued just one walk. It was his second quality start of the season.

Cade Townsend worked six innings and allowed six hits and two earned runs on Saturday. He also struck out eight batters and issued just one walk. It was his second consecutive quality start of the season.

Taylor Rabe took a no-hit bid into the seventh inning on Sunday but did not record an out in the seventh giving him six innings with two earned runs. He struck out five batters while also issuing just one walk in what was the first quality start of his career.

CAPTAIN CLUTCH
Brayden Randle has had six game-winning or game-tying hits this season that have set up Ole Miss for wins down the line. Three of them have come in conference games in the month of April.

It started on February 17 against Arkansas State with a walk-off sacrifice fly to beat the Red Wolves 7-6. His next came on February 22 against Missouri State when he hit a game-winning RBI single in the eighth inning as Ole Miss defeated the Bears 3-2. On March 4 against North Alabama, Randle broke a 4-4 tie in the sixth inning with an RBI single to set up an 8-5 win over the Lions.

Following Judd Utermark's game-tying home run on April 4 against Florida, Randle broke the 2-2 tie in the ninth inning with a sacrifice fly to give Ole Miss a lead they would not relinquish.

He had two more clutch hits in the sweep over LSU, tying the game on April 11 with a single in the fourth inning and driving in the game-winning run on April 12 with a single that completed the sweep.

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 13^th 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 12^th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings, averaging 10.8 strikeouts per game.

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Players Mentioned

Tristan Bissetta

Dom Decker

Hunter Elliott

Austin Fawley

Will Furniss

Walker Hooks

Wil Libbert

Brett Moseley

Daniel Pacella

Taylor Rabe

Brayden Randle

Tate Sirmans

Cade Townsend

Judd Utermark

The University of Mississippi Athletics