Ole Miss Baseball will return to Swayze Field this week for a pair of midweek games, hosting Memphis and North Alabama. The Rebels, who currently hold a 10-2 record, are scheduled to play Memphis (3-8) on Tuesday and North Alabama (7-5) on Wednesday, with both games set for 6:30 p.m. and available on SEC Network+.
Last weekend, Ole Miss participated in the BRUCE BOLT College Classic, finishing with one win over Ohio State and losses to Baylor and Coastal Carolina. The pitching staff totaled 48 strikeouts during the tournament, including 20 against Baylor in a single game. Notably, Hunter Elliott, Cade Townsend, and Taylor Rabe each set new career highs for strikeouts. Townsend and Rabe combined for a six-hit shutout against Ohio State.
Offensively, Dom Decker hit three home runs over the weekend in Houston, increasing his season total to four after not hitting any in previous seasons. Decker also drew six walks last week and has an on-base percentage of .529 across four games.
The Rebels’ pitching staff now has 145 strikeouts this season—second most in the SEC and sixth nationally—with an ERA of 2.88 (third lowest in the conference). Cade Townsend’s performance stands out; he has struck out at least eight batters in every outing so far. His 25 strikeouts rank among the top 25 nationally, while his K/9 rate is among the top ten.
Judd Utermark leads Ole Miss with 20 runs scored this season—the second highest total in the SEC—and Will Furniss has drawn 14 walks through 12 games. As a team, Ole Miss ranks third in the SEC with 78 walks.
The projected pitching matchup for Tuesday lists right-hander Owen Kelly (1-0, 0.00 ERA) starting for Ole Miss against Memphis left-hander Isaac Lucas (0-0, 16.20 ERA). Starters for Wednesday’s game have not been announced.
Broadcast coverage will feature Richard Cross and Keith Kessinger calling Tuesday’s game against Memphis; Jake Hromada and Matt McLaughlin will cover Wednesday’s matchup with North Alabama. Fans can also listen to all games via the Ole Miss Radio Network.
Memphis enters Tuesday’s contest under head coach Matt Riser with a challenging start to their season at 3-8 after being swept by Jacksonville State last weekend. Shane Coz leads Memphis offensively with a .422 batting average while Freddy Rodriguez leads the conference with eight stolen bases.
North Alabama comes into Oxford at 7-5 under fourth-year head coach Jad Prachniak but recently lost their series to Southern Indiana. Dylan Coleman and Nash Rippen are key contributors offensively for North Alabama.
Judd Utermark continues his pursuit of program history as he approaches Ole Miss’ all-time home run record; he currently sits just outside the Top Ten list with 35 career homers.
Early scoring has favored Ole Miss this year—they have outscored opponents by a margin of more than three-to-one over the first three innings of games so far this season.
Several newcomers have made immediate impacts: Tristan Bissetta is hitting .444 with five home runs as a senior transfer; Brett Moseley and Tate Sirmans each hit home runs as their first collegiate hits on Opening Weekend.
Hunter Elliott returns as one of college baseball’s most decorated pitchers following a standout campaign last year that included double-digit wins and over one hundred strikeouts—a feat matched by only four others in program history.
The Rebels’ offense set a new program record last year by hitting 124 home runs—ranking fifth nationally—and features several returning power hitters including Judd Utermark, Austin Fawley, and Daniel Pacella.
Pitching improvements under coach Joel Mangrum led to national rankings last season: sixth overall in total strikeouts (669) and twelfth in strikeouts per nine innings pitched (10.8).
Preseason accolades include Hunter Elliott named to multiple All-America teams along with Judd Utermark receiving Preseason All-American honors from NCBWA; Will Furniss was named Preseason All-SEC at first base while Austin Fawley was listed on the Buster Posey Preseason Watch List for catchers.
This year’s roster features significant turnover—19 new players joined after losing twenty-one letterwinners from last season—including transfers Daniel Pacella from Illinois State and Tristan Bissetta from Clemson who are expected to contribute immediately alongside returning talent such as Dom Decker from Murray State.
