The University of Mississippi Athletics
Tuesday, March 3
Oxford, Miss.
6:30 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Memphis
Baseball Hosts Memphis and North Alabama for Double Midweek Action
3/2/2026 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss Baseball (10-2) returns home this week to host Memphis (3-8) and North Alabama (7-5) for double midweek action at Swayze Field. First pitch for both games is at 6:30 p.m. on SEC Network+.
LEADING OFF
vs. Memphis: RHP Owen Kelly (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Isaac Lucas (0-0, 16.20 ERA)
vs. North Alabama: TBA vs. TBA
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Both games will be streamed live on SEC Network+. Richard Cross (PxP) and Keith Kessinger (analyst) will be on the call for Tuesday's game against Memphis. Jake Hromada (PxP) and Matt McLaughlin (analyst) will be on the call for Wednesday's game against North Alabama.
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: MEMPHIS
Head coach Matt Riser is in his second season with Memphis' baseball program. He previously served as the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana. In his brief tenure, Memphis has experienced two losing seasons with 10th and ninth place finishes in the AAC.
The Tigers are 3-8 to begin the 2026 campaign. Memphis got swept by Jacksonville State over the weekend, and it allowed at least seven runs in all three games while scoring no more than four.
Shane Coz has been an offensive bright spot for the Tigers as he's hit .422 at the plate with a home run and 11 RBI. He leads the team with 19 hits which ranks second in the AAC. Freddy Rodriguez is second on the team in hits with 13. Rodriguez is a speedster when he reaches the plate, already sitting at eight steals through 11 games. He paces the conference in that stat. Webb Watson and Michael Gupton are Memphis' power hitters, knocking three homers each so far this season.
Seth Impson and Charlie Smith have been Memphis' midweek starters so far this season. Both pitchers have over a 9.00 ERA and 10 combined strikeouts. Impson earned the win in Memphis' 24-5 dismantling over Little Rock, working two innings and allowing three runs. As a staff, Memphis pitchers have given up 20 homers in just 11 games.
SCOUTING REPORT: NORTH ALABAMA
Jad Prachniak is in his fourth season as North Alabama's baseball head coach. The Lions have not had a winning season under Prachniak thus far but finished with a positive win/loss ratio in conference play in 2025 which resulted in a third overall finish at the ASUN Tournament.
North Alabama is 7-5 at the start of 2026, which includes a sweep of Saint Louis in the second series of the season. However, the momentum for North Alabama is stunted after losing the overall series to Southern Indiana, which included a 20-1 loss at home.
Dylan Coleman and Nash Rippen are the Lions top hitters to begin 2026. They have totaled nine of the team's 17 home runs and 23 of the teams 69 RBI. Coleman is a multi-base machine, having three doubles and a pair of triples to go alongside his team-leading five home runs. The duo are each averaging at least .330 at the plate with OPS marks above the 1.100 mark.
Jake Boynar and Nico Varlotta have been North Alabama's midweek starters so far this season, with Boynar earning two of those starts. They've recorded only six combined strikeouts in 4.0 combined innings pitched. Varlotta took the loss in the 15-3 loss to UAB. Despite the minimal amount of innings pitched, the duo still has recorded 13 combined walks.
HOME RUN RACE
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
EARLY LEAD
Ole Miss is outscoring opponents 53-16 over the first three innings so far in 2026. They have scored 24 runs in the first inning and scored at least once in the first inning of their first nine games.
ROTO-REUTER
Collin Reuter is hitting .472 (17-for-36) with seven doubles and 12 RBI over his first 11 games of 2026. His seven doubles are top 10 in the NCAA and third most in the SEC.
Reuter is averaging 0.64 doubles per game and has the fifth-highest batting average and the eighth highest on base percentage in the SEC.
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 12 games as a Rebel. The senior transfer is hitting .444 with five home runs, 19 RBI, and 13 runs scored.
He has two multi-homer games already under his belt, one against Jackson State and one against Baylor.
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.
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 1-2 at the BRUCE BOLT College Classic last weekend, losing to both Baylor and Coastal Carolina, but picking up a win over Ohio State.
- The pitching staff racked up 48 strikeouts over the weekend, punching out 20 of those in 10 innings against Baylor on Friday.
- Hunter Elliott, Cade Townsend, and Taylor Rabe all set new career highs for strikeouts in a game with their outings.
- Townsend and Rabe combined for a six-hit shutout of Ohio State on Saturday, striking out 16 of the 34 batters they faced.
- Dom Decker hit three home runs over the weekend in Houston, bringing his season total to four. He had not hit a home run in his career prior to this season.
- Decker drew six walks and had an on base percentage of .529 over four games last week.
- Ole Miss pitchers are now up to 145 total strikeouts on the season, the second most in the SEC and the sixth-highest total in the NCAA.
- The Rebel pitching staff owns the third-lowest ERA in the SEC at 2.88 and the third-highest K/9 at 12.7.
- Cade Townsend has struck out eight or more batters in each of his outings so far. His 25 punchouts are top-25 in the NCAA and his K/9 of 16.46 is top-10 in the NCAA.
- Judd Utermark has scored 20 times so far this season, the second-highest total in the SEC and the third highest in the NCAA.
- Will Furniss has drawn 14 walks through 12 games and is averaging 1.17 walks per game. Both Furniss and Decker are averaging at least one walk per game.
- Ole Miss has drawn 78 walks over 12 games, third in the SEC and 14th in the NCAA. Will Furniss already has 12 walks, second-most in the SEC.
- The Rebels will host Evansville this weekend for their final non-conference series of the season.
vs. Memphis: RHP Owen Kelly (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Isaac Lucas (0-0, 16.20 ERA)
vs. North Alabama: TBA vs. TBA
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Both games will be streamed live on SEC Network+. Richard Cross (PxP) and Keith Kessinger (analyst) will be on the call for Tuesday's game against Memphis. Jake Hromada (PxP) and Matt McLaughlin (analyst) will be on the call for Wednesday's game against North Alabama.
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: MEMPHIS
Head coach Matt Riser is in his second season with Memphis' baseball program. He previously served as the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana. In his brief tenure, Memphis has experienced two losing seasons with 10th and ninth place finishes in the AAC.
The Tigers are 3-8 to begin the 2026 campaign. Memphis got swept by Jacksonville State over the weekend, and it allowed at least seven runs in all three games while scoring no more than four.
Shane Coz has been an offensive bright spot for the Tigers as he's hit .422 at the plate with a home run and 11 RBI. He leads the team with 19 hits which ranks second in the AAC. Freddy Rodriguez is second on the team in hits with 13. Rodriguez is a speedster when he reaches the plate, already sitting at eight steals through 11 games. He paces the conference in that stat. Webb Watson and Michael Gupton are Memphis' power hitters, knocking three homers each so far this season.
Seth Impson and Charlie Smith have been Memphis' midweek starters so far this season. Both pitchers have over a 9.00 ERA and 10 combined strikeouts. Impson earned the win in Memphis' 24-5 dismantling over Little Rock, working two innings and allowing three runs. As a staff, Memphis pitchers have given up 20 homers in just 11 games.
SCOUTING REPORT: NORTH ALABAMA
Jad Prachniak is in his fourth season as North Alabama's baseball head coach. The Lions have not had a winning season under Prachniak thus far but finished with a positive win/loss ratio in conference play in 2025 which resulted in a third overall finish at the ASUN Tournament.
North Alabama is 7-5 at the start of 2026, which includes a sweep of Saint Louis in the second series of the season. However, the momentum for North Alabama is stunted after losing the overall series to Southern Indiana, which included a 20-1 loss at home.
Dylan Coleman and Nash Rippen are the Lions top hitters to begin 2026. They have totaled nine of the team's 17 home runs and 23 of the teams 69 RBI. Coleman is a multi-base machine, having three doubles and a pair of triples to go alongside his team-leading five home runs. The duo are each averaging at least .330 at the plate with OPS marks above the 1.100 mark.
Jake Boynar and Nico Varlotta have been North Alabama's midweek starters so far this season, with Boynar earning two of those starts. They've recorded only six combined strikeouts in 4.0 combined innings pitched. Varlotta took the loss in the 15-3 loss to UAB. Despite the minimal amount of innings pitched, the duo still has recorded 13 combined walks.
HOME RUN RACE
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
EARLY LEAD
Ole Miss is outscoring opponents 53-16 over the first three innings so far in 2026. They have scored 24 runs in the first inning and scored at least once in the first inning of their first nine games.
ROTO-REUTER
Collin Reuter is hitting .472 (17-for-36) with seven doubles and 12 RBI over his first 11 games of 2026. His seven doubles are top 10 in the NCAA and third most in the SEC.
Reuter is averaging 0.64 doubles per game and has the fifth-highest batting average and the eighth highest on base percentage in the SEC.
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 12 games as a Rebel. The senior transfer is hitting .444 with five home runs, 19 RBI, and 13 runs scored.
He has two multi-homer games already under his belt, one against Jackson State and one against Baylor.
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.
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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