Ole Miss baseball players Hunter Elliott and Judd Utermark have been recognized by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) as 2026 Preseason All-Americans. The announcement was made Friday, with Elliott named to the First Team and Utermark to the Third Team.
This is Elliott’s third preseason All-American honor from different publications. Utermark received this recognition for the first time in his career.
During the 2025 season, Elliott served as Ole Miss’ primary Friday night starter, making 16 starts. He achieved a 10-3 record, posted an earned run average (ERA) of 2.94, and struck out 102 batters. Opponents managed a .197 batting average against him, and he picked off 13 baserunners—more than any other Rebel pitcher in the Modern Era.
Elliott became only the fifth pitcher in program history to reach at least ten wins and one hundred strikeouts in a single season. He is also just the fourth Ole Miss pitcher to record more than one season with over one hundred strikeouts. His ERA of 2.94 was the lowest for a Rebel starting pitcher since his freshman year, when he finished with an ERA of 2.70.
Utermark started in 63 games during the last season, mainly playing second base. He led Ole Miss in runs batted in (RBI), home runs, and total bases. His tally of 22 home runs was second-highest for a single season at Ole Miss, while his 69 RBI ranked fourth all-time for a single season within the program.
In postseason play, Utermark hit six home runs across five games during the Oxford Regional and finished with seven hits in twenty-four at-bats along with nine RBI and eight runs scored. He earned spots on both the Oxford Regional All-Tournament Team and SEC Championship All-Tournament Team.
Single game tickets for Ole Miss’ upcoming baseball season are now available for purchase online.
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