.png&width=48&height=48&type=webp)
The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
Austin Peay
Baseball Hosts Austin Peay for Midweek Action at Swayze Field
3/16/2026 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss Baseball (16-5, 1-2 SEC) will host Austin Peay (11-9, 2-1 ASUN) Tuesday at Swayze Field. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. after being moved up to avoid winter weather Tuesday night.
LEADING OFF
· Ole Miss went 1-3 last week on the road, losing to No. 7 Southern Miss and taking just one of three against No. 2 Texas.
· Their one win came in dramatic fashion as Tristan Bissetta hit a two-out grand slam in the ninth inning to give the Rebels a lead.
· They would end up winning 9-8 in 11 innings for their third-consecutive conference opening win.
· Bissetta hit .412 (7-for-17) with two home runs, six RBI, and two doubles last week. He has four home runs and 11 RBI over his last nine games.
· His season batting average of .407 is the seventh best in the SEC and he is also ranked seventh in slugging percentage (.802) and RBI per game (1.43)
· Judd Utermark is hitting .424 (14-for-33) with four home runs, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored, seven walks, and three doubles over his last nine games.
· Utermark is third in the SEC in runs scored (30), fourth in runs per game (1.43), fifth in home runs (10), and sixth in slugging percentage (.805).
· Utermark is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak and Bissetta is riding an eight-game hitting streak.
· The Ole Miss pitching staff is ranked fourth in the SEC and seventh in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings at 12.1.
· The offense is ranked third in the SEC in home runs and fifth in home runs per game.
· Ole Miss will host No. 15 Kentucky this weekend for their first home SEC series. The series starts on Thursday March 19.
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
RHP Owen Kelly (1-0, 4.26 ERA) vs. LHP Chance Cox (0-1, 11.40 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday's game will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Jake Hromada (PxP) and Keith Kessinger (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
Roland Fanning is the 12th head baseball coach in Austin Peay history and is in his fourth season leading the Governors. He's the reigning two-time ASUN Conference Coach of the Year, after guiding Austin Peay to back-to-back 35-win seasons, which included 45 wins last year. He's accumulated a 117-76 overall record entering Tuesday's game.
Despite the success of the past two seasons, the Governors begin week six of the 2026 baseball season at 11-9. Austin Peay began the season with a four-game series against UNLV, splitting it 2-2. It then won a series with Eastern Michigan with a pair of wins but lost the next series against Cincinnati with a loss to Mississippi State in between. Most recently, Austin Peay is coming off its conference-opening series against Bellarmine. The Governors won two games and scored at least eight runs in all three games.
Outfielders Zion Taylor and Paris Pridgen have had almost identical batting averages at .385 and .382, respectively, but each offer something unique to Austin Peay's offense. Taylor has excelled at getting multi-base hits, collecting 11 including three home runs. Pridgen is one of the most effective baserunners in the country having already secured 16 stolen bases, which is tops for the ASUN and 10th in the country. Andres Matias and Ty Wisdom are also hitting above .300 for the year. Matias leads the team with 24 RBI, and they both have four homers.
Austin Peay's midweek starters this season have been Chance Cox primarily, and Elijah Underhill on one occasion. Cox is 0-1 in his four starts this season. He's collected 15 innings of work entering Tuesday's game, where he's recorded 11 strikeouts. The other potential starter, Underhill, has a 5.11 ERA in 12.1 innings pitched. He's recorded 12 strikeouts and earned the win in Austin Peay's 15-6 blowout of Ohio.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
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 a doubleheader against Evansville 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
WELCOME TO THE SHOWBrett 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.
