Ole Miss opened its 2026 baseball season with a sweep over Nevada, concluding the series with a 13-2 win at Swayze Field on Sunday. The Rebels are now 3-0 to start the year.
Collin Reuter was a key contributor for Ole Miss, going three-for-four at the plate and adding three RBIs. This marked his third career game with three hits. Wil Libbert made his first start as a Rebel, pitching five innings, striking out seven batters, and allowing two earned runs. He picked up his first win for Ole Miss.
Over the weekend series, Ole Miss pitchers recorded 35 strikeouts while giving up just four earned runs. Offensively, the team hit at least one home run in each game, totaling five homers and twelve extra-base hits for the series. The Rebels also drew 22 walks from Nevada’s pitchers, with 13 of those coming in Sunday’s finale.
The scoring started early for Ole Miss when Judd Utermark doubled to drive in Dom Decker. Will Furniss followed with a single that brought home two more runs. Daniel Pacella then hit a two-run home run—the longest of the weekend at 447 feet—helping put Ole Miss ahead by five after one inning.
Nevada answered with a home run in the second inning but could not close the gap as Libbert worked through trouble and maintained control on the mound. Over subsequent innings, Ole Miss extended its lead as Nevada struggled with control issues, leading to several runs scored on walks.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, Utermark doubled again to send Tristan Bissetta home for his second run of the day. Austin Fawley added an RBI double before Reuter singled to bring in two more runs. Hayden Federico walked for the third time in the game before Nevada escaped further damage.
Relievers Patrick Collopy and Landon Waters closed out the game for Ole Miss. Collopy struck out two batters in his appearance while Waters prevented any additional scoring from Nevada despite giving up a double.
Ole Miss will return to Swayze Field on Tuesday, February 17th to play Arkansas State at 4 p.m., with streaming available on SECN+.
Fans can join Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola via the Ole Miss Sports mobile app to earn points redeemable for prizes by attending events. Updates about Ole Miss baseball are available through their social media channels on X (@OleMissBSB), Facebook (Facebook.com/OleMissBaseball), Instagram (Instagram.com/officialolemissbsb), TikTok (@olemissbsb), and head coach Mike Bianco’s account on X (@CoachMikeBianco).
