The University of Mississippi Athletics
Tuesday, February 24
Oxford, Miss.
4 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Southeast Missouri State
No. 25 Baseball Hosts Southeast Missouri State for Tuesday Matchup
2/23/2026 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. – Undefeated No. 25 Ole Miss Baseball (8-0) looks to add one more to the win column Tuesday as they host Southeast Missouri State (3-5) for a midweek matchup. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
LEADING OFF
RHP Terry Hayes Jr. (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Caden Kickhaefer (0-0, 9.82 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday's game will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Jake Hromada (PxP) and Matt McLaughlin (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
Andy Sawyers is in his 10th season at the helm of Southeast Missouri State's baseball program. He's reached the 250-win mark as the Redhawk's skipper and has helped SEMO win three OVC Tournament titles and a regular season title in 2021. His efforts in 2021 led to him earning OVC Coach of the Year.
The Redhawks went 30-25 overall last season with a 16-11 mark in OVC play. SEMO reached the conference tournament as the fourth seed but fell to Little Rock in the first round.
Entering 2026, SEMO was selected to finish second in the OVC by the conference' coaches. The Redhawks earned three first-place votes. The pitching duo of Jackson Kranawetter and Nathan Mertens headlines SEMO's returning class, as the pair earned All-OVC First Team nods.
Mason Pennington has been the top pitcher for the Redhawks through eight games this season, however. He's worked 9.0 innings in two starts and has picked up a win and nine strikeouts. Kranawetter has been solid as well, making only two appearances so far this season but hasn't allowed any earned runs.
At the plate, Carson Schrack is the most productive returner from last season. This season he is batting .222 in 18 at-bats. Joe Hall has started in all eight games for SEMO so far this season and leads the team with a .414 batting average. Him and Caleb Klein are both already at or above 10 hits for the season so far.
SEMO is 3-5 entering Tuesday's contest, its best win so far was an 11-3 stomping of Saint Louis last Tuesday. In that game, the Redhawks recorded 17 hits, seven of which went for extra bases.
RECORD WATCH
After hitting six home runs to open the season, Judd Utermark now sits at 35 career home runs which is 13 shy of the Ole Miss all-time record. He sits just outside of the Top 10 currently but could tie David Dellucci and Michael Rosamond in 10th with just one more home run.
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
7. Kevin Graham 38
8. Burney Hutchinson & Stephen Head 37
10. David Dellucci & Michael Rosamond 36
11. Judd Utermark 35
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.
FRESH START
Tristan Bissetta has been on fire over his first five games as a Rebel. The senior transfer is hitting .448 with three home runs, 14 RBI, and nine runs scored.
On Wednesday 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 matched his 2025 home run total and is two RBI shy of his 2025 RBI total.
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 went 5-0 last week defeating Arkansas State and Jackson State in the midweek and sweeping Missouri State over the weekend.
- Collin Reuter hit .471 (8-for-17) with a home run, four doubles, and seven RBI last week. He currently leads the team in batting average at .500 over seven games.
- Judd Utermark slugged 1.105 with five home runs, 10 RBI, and nine runs scored last week.
- Utermark hit two home runs, including a grand slam, against Jackson State on Wednesday and then hit two more on Friday against Missouri State.
- He is the first Rebel since at least 2012 to hit six home runs in their first eight games.
- Utermark leads the SEC and is tied at the top of the NCAA in home runs. He also leads the SEC in runs scored and is second in slugging percentage.
- Ole Miss has drawn 59 walks over eight games, second in the SEC and top eight in the NCAA. Will Furniss already has 11 walks, second-most in the SEC.
- Coming into the week, the Rebel pitching staff owns the third-lowest ERA in the SEC at 2.51. They also have the fourth-highest total strikeouts as a staff at 93.
- JP Robertson made his Rebel debut last week, pitching against both Arkansas State and Missouri State. He struck out eight over 4.1 innings and earned the win in Sunday's finale against the Bears.
- Tristan Bissetta became the first Rebel since Nick Fortes in 2017 to hit two home runs in the same inning, hitting two bombs in a nine run third against Jackson State.
- The Rebel offense has hit at least one home run in their first five games for the first time since 2022. They have 10 home runs in five games.
- Cannon Goldin, Kelven Perera, and Luke Romine all collected their first career hits on Wednesday against Jackson State. Goldin went 2-for-2 as a pinch hitter as the Rebels batted around in the sixth inning.
RHP Terry Hayes Jr. (0-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. RHP Caden Kickhaefer (0-0, 9.82 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday's game will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Jake Hromada (PxP) and Matt McLaughlin (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
Andy Sawyers is in his 10th season at the helm of Southeast Missouri State's baseball program. He's reached the 250-win mark as the Redhawk's skipper and has helped SEMO win three OVC Tournament titles and a regular season title in 2021. His efforts in 2021 led to him earning OVC Coach of the Year.
The Redhawks went 30-25 overall last season with a 16-11 mark in OVC play. SEMO reached the conference tournament as the fourth seed but fell to Little Rock in the first round.
Entering 2026, SEMO was selected to finish second in the OVC by the conference' coaches. The Redhawks earned three first-place votes. The pitching duo of Jackson Kranawetter and Nathan Mertens headlines SEMO's returning class, as the pair earned All-OVC First Team nods.
Mason Pennington has been the top pitcher for the Redhawks through eight games this season, however. He's worked 9.0 innings in two starts and has picked up a win and nine strikeouts. Kranawetter has been solid as well, making only two appearances so far this season but hasn't allowed any earned runs.
At the plate, Carson Schrack is the most productive returner from last season. This season he is batting .222 in 18 at-bats. Joe Hall has started in all eight games for SEMO so far this season and leads the team with a .414 batting average. Him and Caleb Klein are both already at or above 10 hits for the season so far.
SEMO is 3-5 entering Tuesday's contest, its best win so far was an 11-3 stomping of Saint Louis last Tuesday. In that game, the Redhawks recorded 17 hits, seven of which went for extra bases.
RECORD WATCH
After hitting six home runs to open the season, Judd Utermark now sits at 35 career home runs which is 13 shy of the Ole Miss all-time record. He sits just outside of the Top 10 currently but could tie David Dellucci and Michael Rosamond in 10th with just one more home run.
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
7. Kevin Graham 38
8. Burney Hutchinson & Stephen Head 37
10. David Dellucci & Michael Rosamond 36
11. Judd Utermark 35
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.
FRESH START
Tristan Bissetta has been on fire over his first five games as a Rebel. The senior transfer is hitting .448 with three home runs, 14 RBI, and nine runs scored.
On Wednesday 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 matched his 2025 home run total and is two RBI shy of his 2025 RBI total.
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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