The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, March 13
Austin, Texas
6:30 PM
Ole Miss
at
Texas
Baseball Opens SEC Play Against No. 2 Texas In Austin
3/12/2026 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. – For the first time since 1912, Ole Miss Baseball (15-3) travels to Austin, Texas this weekend to open SEC play against No. 2 Texas (16-0). First pitch on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. while Saturday is set for 2:30 p.m. and Sunday is set for 1 p.m.
LEADING OFF
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1: LHP Hunter Elliott (2-0, 3.66 ERA) vs. RHP Ruger Riojas (4-0, 1.23 ERA)
Game 2: RHP Cade Townsend (2-0, 0.48 ERA) vs. LHP Luke Harrison (1-0, 3.06 ERA)
Game 3: LHP Wil Libbert (2-1, 4.58 ERA) vs. LHP Dylan Volantis (2-0, 1.54 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Wiley Ballard (PxP) and Ty Harrington (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
Second-year head coach Jim Schlossnagle guided Texas into its first two seasons in the SEC, accumulating 60 wins in just under 75 games with the Longhorns. Sixteen of those wins have come this season as Schlossnagle and the Longhorns are undefeated and ranked as high as No. 2 in the country entering this weekend.
En route to their 16 wins in 2026, the Longhorns have won six by run rules with a pair of shutouts. Texas dropped No. 9 Coastal Carolina, Baylor and Ohio State to claim the BRUCE BOLT College Classic, a tournament Ole Miss also participated in. Texas and UTSA were the lone two programs in the six-team group to win all three of its games, but the Longhorns posted a classic-best plus-17 run differential to earn the crown.
Texas has one of the most potent offenses in the country. The Longhorns have scored 162 runs in 16 games, for an average of 10.1 per game. Seven of Texas' primary starters average a .300 hitting percentage or better, with Aiden Robbins leading the charge at .406. He leads the team with 26 hits, 11 of which have been for extra bases. Texas also has blasted 30 home runs this season, which Robbins also leads with six.
Texas' projected starters for the weekend are Ruger Riojas, Luke Harrison and Dylan Volantis. Riojas, Texas' Friday starter, paces the team with four wins on a 1.23 ERA. He's the best strikeout pitcher in the conference, already with 42 K's in four appearances and 22.0 innings pitched, a total that ranks second in the nation. Harrison and Volantis have three combined wins and almost 50 strikeouts between the two. Harrison has given up the most runs of the three with eight, but the entire staff ranks at the top of the conference in ERA with a team 2.42 mark. Behind the pitchers is stellar defense, as Texas holds the fourth-best fielding percentage in the nation at .989.
CALIFORNIA DEALIN'
Townsend currently sports a 0.48 ERA after four starts, the second-lowest ERA among all qualified SEC pitchers. He has allowed just one earned run all season, coming on a sacrifice fly in his first start against Nevada. Since that second inning on February 14 against the Wolfpack, Townsend has thrown 17-straight scoreless innings.
The California native has struck out seven or more batters in each of his four starts and set a new career high of nine in a combined shutout against Ohio State. He has the fourth-highest K/9 (15.43) and the eighth-lowest WHIP (0.75) in the SEC heading into this weekend.
Townsend was named to the College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year Watch List on Wednesday.
OUT FOR A WALK
Dom Decker currently leads the SEC in walks and walks per game. His 23 walks are the third-most nationally and his walk rate of 1.28 per game is the ninth best in the NCAA.
Decker has drawn 11 walks over his last six games and is currently on a 18-game on base streak, reaching base at least once in every game so far.
Ole Miss as a team is fourth in the SEC and 13th in the NCAA in walks, having drawn 112 walks over 18 games.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
After hitting two more home runs last weekend against Evansville, Judd Utermark now sits at 39 career home runs which is nine shy of the Ole Miss all-time record. He passed 2022 National Champion Kevin Graham in game two of last Friday's doubleheader and now sits in sole possession of sixth place.
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
6. Judd Utermark 39
7. Kevin Graham 38
8. Burney Hutchinson & Stephen Head 37
10. David Dellucci & Michael Rosamond 36
EARLY LEAD
Ole Miss is outscoring opponents 82-24 over the first four innings. They have scored 28 runs in the first inning and scored at least once in the first inning in 12 of their 18 games. The Rebels are 12-0 when scoring in the first inning.
FRESH START
Tristan Bissetta is ranked in the Top 18 in multiple categories in the SEC in his first season in the conference. He is ranked fifth in hits, sixth in total bases, seventh in home runs, eighth in RBI, eighth in home runs per game, 12th in hits per game, 12th in RBI per game, 12th in slugging percentage, and 18th in batting average.
Bissetta has two multi-homer games already under his belt, one against Jackson State and one against Baylor. He had never hit more than one home run in a game before coming to Ole Miss.
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.
He has already surpassed both his home run and RBI totals from 2025.
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 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 dropped a close contest against No. 7 Southern Miss on Tuesday, getting walked off with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning in Hattiesburg.
- Ole Miss is one of two teams (NC State) in all of Division I to be Top 10 in both team ERA (2.68) and home runs hit (36).
- The Rebels are also Top 10 in double plays turned (11), on base percentage (.426), runs scored (147), slugging percentage (.537), stolen bases (20), strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.76), strikeouts per nine innings (12.7), WHIP (1.13), and walks per nine innings (3.37).
- Cade Townsend owns a 0.48 ERA with 32 strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.75 after four starts. He is currently riding a 17-inning scoreless streak.
- Judd Utermark hit .412 with four home runs and 10 RBI last week. He now has 10 home runs on the season and is one of 11 players in Division I with double digit home runs.
- Utermark is ranked second in the SEC in home runs, third in home runs per game, third in runs scored, and fifth in total bases.
- Dom Decker drew 11 walks over five games last week bringing his season total to 23.
- Decker now leads the SEC in walks and walks per game and has reached base in all 18 games this season.
- Ole Miss as a team has drawn 112 walks over 18 games, fourth in the SEC and 13th in the NCAA.
- Ole Miss pitchers are now up to 218 total strikeouts on the season, second-most in the SEC and fourth-highest in the NCAA.
- The Rebel pitching staff is also ranked second in the SEC in K/9 (12.7), third in ERA (2.68), sixth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.76), and seventh in WHIP (1.13).
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
Game 1: LHP Hunter Elliott (2-0, 3.66 ERA) vs. RHP Ruger Riojas (4-0, 1.23 ERA)
Game 2: RHP Cade Townsend (2-0, 0.48 ERA) vs. LHP Luke Harrison (1-0, 3.06 ERA)
Game 3: LHP Wil Libbert (2-1, 4.58 ERA) vs. LHP Dylan Volantis (2-0, 1.54 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Wiley Ballard (PxP) and Ty Harrington (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
Second-year head coach Jim Schlossnagle guided Texas into its first two seasons in the SEC, accumulating 60 wins in just under 75 games with the Longhorns. Sixteen of those wins have come this season as Schlossnagle and the Longhorns are undefeated and ranked as high as No. 2 in the country entering this weekend.
En route to their 16 wins in 2026, the Longhorns have won six by run rules with a pair of shutouts. Texas dropped No. 9 Coastal Carolina, Baylor and Ohio State to claim the BRUCE BOLT College Classic, a tournament Ole Miss also participated in. Texas and UTSA were the lone two programs in the six-team group to win all three of its games, but the Longhorns posted a classic-best plus-17 run differential to earn the crown.
Texas has one of the most potent offenses in the country. The Longhorns have scored 162 runs in 16 games, for an average of 10.1 per game. Seven of Texas' primary starters average a .300 hitting percentage or better, with Aiden Robbins leading the charge at .406. He leads the team with 26 hits, 11 of which have been for extra bases. Texas also has blasted 30 home runs this season, which Robbins also leads with six.
Texas' projected starters for the weekend are Ruger Riojas, Luke Harrison and Dylan Volantis. Riojas, Texas' Friday starter, paces the team with four wins on a 1.23 ERA. He's the best strikeout pitcher in the conference, already with 42 K's in four appearances and 22.0 innings pitched, a total that ranks second in the nation. Harrison and Volantis have three combined wins and almost 50 strikeouts between the two. Harrison has given up the most runs of the three with eight, but the entire staff ranks at the top of the conference in ERA with a team 2.42 mark. Behind the pitchers is stellar defense, as Texas holds the fourth-best fielding percentage in the nation at .989.
CALIFORNIA DEALIN'
Townsend currently sports a 0.48 ERA after four starts, the second-lowest ERA among all qualified SEC pitchers. He has allowed just one earned run all season, coming on a sacrifice fly in his first start against Nevada. Since that second inning on February 14 against the Wolfpack, Townsend has thrown 17-straight scoreless innings.
The California native has struck out seven or more batters in each of his four starts and set a new career high of nine in a combined shutout against Ohio State. He has the fourth-highest K/9 (15.43) and the eighth-lowest WHIP (0.75) in the SEC heading into this weekend.
Townsend was named to the College Baseball Foundation's National Pitcher of the Year Watch List on Wednesday.
OUT FOR A WALK
Dom Decker currently leads the SEC in walks and walks per game. His 23 walks are the third-most nationally and his walk rate of 1.28 per game is the ninth best in the NCAA.
Decker has drawn 11 walks over his last six games and is currently on a 18-game on base streak, reaching base at least once in every game so far.
Ole Miss as a team is fourth in the SEC and 13th in the NCAA in walks, having drawn 112 walks over 18 games.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
After hitting two more home runs last weekend against Evansville, Judd Utermark now sits at 39 career home runs which is nine shy of the Ole Miss all-time record. He passed 2022 National Champion Kevin Graham in game two of last Friday's doubleheader and now sits in sole possession of sixth place.
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
6. Judd Utermark 39
7. Kevin Graham 38
8. Burney Hutchinson & Stephen Head 37
10. David Dellucci & Michael Rosamond 36
EARLY LEAD
Ole Miss is outscoring opponents 82-24 over the first four innings. They have scored 28 runs in the first inning and scored at least once in the first inning in 12 of their 18 games. The Rebels are 12-0 when scoring in the first inning.
FRESH START
Tristan Bissetta is ranked in the Top 18 in multiple categories in the SEC in his first season in the conference. He is ranked fifth in hits, sixth in total bases, seventh in home runs, eighth in RBI, eighth in home runs per game, 12th in hits per game, 12th in RBI per game, 12th in slugging percentage, and 18th in batting average.
Bissetta has two multi-homer games already under his belt, one against Jackson State and one against Baylor. He had never hit more than one home run in a game before coming to Ole Miss.
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.
He has already surpassed both his home run and RBI totals from 2025.
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 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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/ BaseballHIGHLIGHTS: Baseball at Southern Miss (3/10/2026)
Wednesday, March 11
PRESSER | Mike Bianco - Evansville Postgame (3/8/26)
Sunday, March 08
PRESSER | Walker Hooks - Evansville Postgame (3/8/26)
Sunday, March 08
PRESSER | Topher Jones - Evansville Postgame (3/8/26)
Sunday, March 08