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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Tuesday, April 7
Oxford, Miss.
6:30 PM
Ole Miss
vs
Alcorn State
No. 25 Baseball Hosts Alcorn State at Swayze Field
4/6/2026 | Baseball
OXFORD, Miss. – No. 25 Ole Miss Baseball (22-11, 5-7 SEC) host Alcorn State (7-25, 1-11 SWAC) Tuesday night at Swayze Field. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
LEADING OFF
LHP Grayson Gibson (1-1, 3.86 ERA) vs. RHP Yoni Castro (0-3, 13.50 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday's game will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Will Kollmeyer (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
Head baseball coach Carlton Hardy is in his second season at the helm of Alcorn State's program. He's accumulated a 13-68 record with the Braces and enter Tuesday's game with a 7-25 overall record, which includes one conference win.
Jaylyn Bennett is Alcorn State's best batter, hitting .365 at the plate. He leads the team in doubles with six and also has a triple and home run. Keaten Hawk and Gavin Caston are the only other Braves to record a home run this season, both with two. Alcorn State is sneaky good at baserunning, recording 66 stolen bags this season. Kanious Davis leads that category with 16 this season, while Hawk and Rayfield Adams III each have at least 10.
Davis works both ways and has twice been Alcorn State's starter on the mound in midweek games this season. He holds a 9.64 ERA and a 3-1 record. He's struck out 20 batters in 14.0 innings pitched. Myles Dews is another potential starter, earning a pair of Tuesday starts. He has a 10.35 ERA with a 2-0 record. Caden Wade, Devin Kriley and Nicholas Johnson are other potential pitchers to see some game action.
CHANGE OF SCENERY
Tristan Bissetta was named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List last week. He comes into the week ranked third in the SEC in home runs (14), fifth in total bases (86), sixth in RBI (38), seventh in slugging percentage (.705), and seventh in RBI per game (1.15).
The senior transfer leads the team in most offensive categories including batting average, slugging percentage, hits, RBI, home runs, and total bases. He has already set career highs in home runs, RBI, and total bases.
Bissetta has four multi-homer games already under his belt, coming against Jackson State, Baylor, Austin Peay, and Kentucky. He had just one in his entire career before coming to Ole Miss.
He became the fastest Rebel to hit 13 home runs in a season, hitting his 13th home run on March 19, just 23 games into the year.
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.
WORLD BASEBALL REBS
Ole Miss had two representatives in the recently completed World Baseball Classic, Dylan DeLucia and Josh Mallitz.
DeLucia pitched for Team Italy, making two appearances including a start against Great Britain. Over two outings for the Italians, DeLucia worked 7.2 innings with eight strikeouts and a 2.35 ERA. In the quarterfinals against Puerto Rico, DeLucia worked four scoreless innings and earned a hold for his efforts.
Mallitz made two appearances for Team Israel allowing just two baserunners over two innings of work.
MOVING ON UP
With nine strikeouts on Friday against Florida, Hunter Elliott moved further up the list and is fifth all-time in career strikeouts. He most recently passed former Rebels Doug Nikhazy and Scott Bittle
Elliott should be able to move into third place over his next couple of starts but would have to have a career year to catch MLB veterans Lance Lynn and Drew Pomeranz.
Ole Miss Career Strikeout List
1. Drew Pomeranz 344
2. Lance Lynn 332
3. Jeff Calhoun 282
4. Mark Holliman 281
5. Hunter Elliott 276
6. Doug Nikhazy 259
7. Scott Bittle 257
8. Brett Bukvich 245
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
After homering on Saturday against Florida, Judd Utermark now sits at 42 career home runs which is six shy of the Ole Miss all-time record. He most recently passed Matt Smith and Matt Snyder to move into sole possession of third place.
Utermark is just the seventh Rebel to hit 40 home runs in their career.
Ole Miss Career Home Run List
1. Kyle Gordon 48
2. Tim Elko 46
3. Judd Utermark 42
4. Matt Smith & Matt Snyder 41
5. Brad Henderson & Jacob Gonzalez 40
6. Kevin Graham 38
7. Burney Hutchinson & Stephen Head 37
8. David Dellucci & Michael Rosamond 36
EARLY LEAD
Ole Miss is outscoring opponents 107-60 over the first four innings. The Rebels are 15-1 when scoring in the first inning and 11-3 when they are the team that scores first.
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.
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 took two of three from No. 21 Florida in Gainesville last weekend, winning games one and three.
- It was their first road series win over a ranked opponent since May of 2022 when they swept LSU in Baton Rouge.
- Judd Utermark played the hero in the finale, hitting a two-RBI, game-tying home run in the ninth inning.
- It was his 42nd career home run taking over sole possession of third place in the Ole Miss record books. He trails only Tim Elko (46) and Kyle Gordon (48).
- Utermark is on a 21-game on base streak dating back to March 3 against Memphis.
- Utermark and Tristan Bissetta have combined to hit 27 of Ole Miss' 52 (52%) home runs this season.
- Cade Townsend put together his first-career quality start on Saturday in game three against Florida, allowing just one run over six innings of work.
- Townsend has not issued a walk in back-to-back starts and has now struck out at least six batters in all but one of his starts.
- Hayden Federico hit .545 (6-for-11) over four games last week with a double and two RBI.
- Walker Hooks made two appearances in the series against Florida, earning a save in game one and the win in game three. He allowed just two hits over 4.1 innings.
- Dom Decker is tied at the top of the SEC in walks with 34 on the season. He is averaging 1.03 walks per game, third-best in the conference.
- Hunter Elliott is ranked sixth in the SEC in strikeouts with 60 punchouts on the season. His K/9 sits at 13.39 which is the fifth best rate in the SEC.
- The Ole Miss pitching staff has struck out 373 batters, second-most in the SEC and fifth in the NCAA. Their ERA of 3.75 is the sixth-lowest in the conference.
LHP Grayson Gibson (1-1, 3.86 ERA) vs. RHP Yoni Castro (0-3, 13.50 ERA)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday's game will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Will Kollmeyer (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
Head baseball coach Carlton Hardy is in his second season at the helm of Alcorn State's program. He's accumulated a 13-68 record with the Braces and enter Tuesday's game with a 7-25 overall record, which includes one conference win.
Jaylyn Bennett is Alcorn State's best batter, hitting .365 at the plate. He leads the team in doubles with six and also has a triple and home run. Keaten Hawk and Gavin Caston are the only other Braves to record a home run this season, both with two. Alcorn State is sneaky good at baserunning, recording 66 stolen bags this season. Kanious Davis leads that category with 16 this season, while Hawk and Rayfield Adams III each have at least 10.
Davis works both ways and has twice been Alcorn State's starter on the mound in midweek games this season. He holds a 9.64 ERA and a 3-1 record. He's struck out 20 batters in 14.0 innings pitched. Myles Dews is another potential starter, earning a pair of Tuesday starts. He has a 10.35 ERA with a 2-0 record. Caden Wade, Devin Kriley and Nicholas Johnson are other potential pitchers to see some game action.
CHANGE OF SCENERY
Tristan Bissetta was named to the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List last week. He comes into the week ranked third in the SEC in home runs (14), fifth in total bases (86), sixth in RBI (38), seventh in slugging percentage (.705), and seventh in RBI per game (1.15).
The senior transfer leads the team in most offensive categories including batting average, slugging percentage, hits, RBI, home runs, and total bases. He has already set career highs in home runs, RBI, and total bases.
Bissetta has four multi-homer games already under his belt, coming against Jackson State, Baylor, Austin Peay, and Kentucky. He had just one in his entire career before coming to Ole Miss.
He became the fastest Rebel to hit 13 home runs in a season, hitting his 13th home run on March 19, just 23 games into the year.
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.
WORLD BASEBALL REBS
Ole Miss had two representatives in the recently completed World Baseball Classic, Dylan DeLucia and Josh Mallitz.
DeLucia pitched for Team Italy, making two appearances including a start against Great Britain. Over two outings for the Italians, DeLucia worked 7.2 innings with eight strikeouts and a 2.35 ERA. In the quarterfinals against Puerto Rico, DeLucia worked four scoreless innings and earned a hold for his efforts.
Mallitz made two appearances for Team Israel allowing just two baserunners over two innings of work.
MOVING ON UP
With nine strikeouts on Friday against Florida, Hunter Elliott moved further up the list and is fifth all-time in career strikeouts. He most recently passed former Rebels Doug Nikhazy and Scott Bittle
Elliott should be able to move into third place over his next couple of starts but would have to have a career year to catch MLB veterans Lance Lynn and Drew Pomeranz.
Ole Miss Career Strikeout List
1. Drew Pomeranz 344
2. Lance Lynn 332
3. Jeff Calhoun 282
4. Mark Holliman 281
5. Hunter Elliott 276
6. Doug Nikhazy 259
7. Scott Bittle 257
8. Brett Bukvich 245
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
After homering on Saturday against Florida, Judd Utermark now sits at 42 career home runs which is six shy of the Ole Miss all-time record. He most recently passed Matt Smith and Matt Snyder to move into sole possession of third place.
Utermark is just the seventh Rebel to hit 40 home runs in their career.
Ole Miss Career Home Run List
1. Kyle Gordon 48
2. Tim Elko 46
3. Judd Utermark 42
4. Matt Smith & Matt Snyder 41
5. Brad Henderson & Jacob Gonzalez 40
6. Kevin Graham 38
7. Burney Hutchinson & Stephen Head 37
8. David Dellucci & Michael Rosamond 36
EARLY LEAD
Ole Miss is outscoring opponents 107-60 over the first four innings. The Rebels are 15-1 when scoring in the first inning and 11-3 when they are the team that scores first.
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.
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.
Players Mentioned
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