The University of Mississippi Athletics
Friday, June 12
Omaha, Neb.
6 PM
Ole Miss
41-22
2
vs
6
North Carolina
51-12-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ole Miss | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 0 |
| North Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | X | 6 | 5 | 0 |
Baseball Opens College World Series with 6-2 Loss to North Carolina
6/12/2026 | Baseball
OMAHA, Neb. – Six late-inning runs proved too much to overcome for Ole Miss baseball as the Rebels fell 6-2 to fifth-seeded North Carolina on Friday in its opening game at the 2026 College World Series.
The Rebels (41-22) outhit the Tar Heels (51-12-1) eight to five, but six walks from Rebel pitchers and two North Carolina home runs proved too much to overcome. Dom Decker and Owen Paino both finished with two hits to lead Ole Miss.
Taylor Rabe earned the start for the Rebels, going 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on two hits, while striking out seven. With his seven strikeouts on the evening, Rabe takes his total to 105 on the season, joining teammate Hunter Elliott (102 Ks) as the first pair of Ole Miss teammates to have 100+ strikeouts in a season since Dylan DeLucia and Elliott in 2022.
After two outs on two pitches for Rabe in the second, North Carolina worked a walk, followed by a single to right field. With runners on the corners, Rabe struck out UNC's Colin Hynek to end the threat and keep the game scoreless through two innings.
The Rebels got the scoring started in the top of the third after Decker doubled home Brayden Randle, who led off the inning with a double of his own.
The Tar Heels once again threatened in the fourth after two walks put runners on first and second. Rabe escaped the jam getting a soft ground back to the mound to keep the Rebels up 1-0.
North Carolina would eventually tie the game on a solo home run from Owen Hull in the bottom of the sixth.
Ole Miss answered right back in the top half of the seventh inning, when Decker tallied his second double of the game, chasing Tar Heel starter Jason DeCaro with two outs in the frame. Facing a 3-0 count from star UNC reliever Caden Glauber, Judd Utermark singled home Decker to give the Rebels a 2-1 lead.
The game continued to see-saw back and forth in the bottom half of the seventh as the Tar Heels utilized two leadoff walks and a sacrifice fly to tie the game at two apiece. A UNC single with two outs would give North Carolina a 3-2 lead. The Tar Heels would add on some insurance runs with a three-run homer in the eighth.
The Rebels will now face Troy in an elimination game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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.
The Rebels (41-22) outhit the Tar Heels (51-12-1) eight to five, but six walks from Rebel pitchers and two North Carolina home runs proved too much to overcome. Dom Decker and Owen Paino both finished with two hits to lead Ole Miss.
Taylor Rabe earned the start for the Rebels, going 5.2 innings, allowing just one run on two hits, while striking out seven. With his seven strikeouts on the evening, Rabe takes his total to 105 on the season, joining teammate Hunter Elliott (102 Ks) as the first pair of Ole Miss teammates to have 100+ strikeouts in a season since Dylan DeLucia and Elliott in 2022.
After two outs on two pitches for Rabe in the second, North Carolina worked a walk, followed by a single to right field. With runners on the corners, Rabe struck out UNC's Colin Hynek to end the threat and keep the game scoreless through two innings.
The Rebels got the scoring started in the top of the third after Decker doubled home Brayden Randle, who led off the inning with a double of his own.
The Tar Heels once again threatened in the fourth after two walks put runners on first and second. Rabe escaped the jam getting a soft ground back to the mound to keep the Rebels up 1-0.
North Carolina would eventually tie the game on a solo home run from Owen Hull in the bottom of the sixth.
Ole Miss answered right back in the top half of the seventh inning, when Decker tallied his second double of the game, chasing Tar Heel starter Jason DeCaro with two outs in the frame. Facing a 3-0 count from star UNC reliever Caden Glauber, Judd Utermark singled home Decker to give the Rebels a 2-1 lead.
The game continued to see-saw back and forth in the bottom half of the seventh as the Tar Heels utilized two leadoff walks and a sacrifice fly to tie the game at two apiece. A UNC single with two outs would give North Carolina a 3-2 lead. The Tar Heels would add on some insurance runs with a three-run homer in the eighth.
The Rebels will now face Troy in an elimination game on Sunday at 1 p.m.
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.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Glauber, C. (11-0)
L: Calhoun, Hudson (5-4)
Batting:
2B: Decker, Dom 2 ; Randle, Brayden 1
RBI: Decker, Dom 1 ; Utermark, Judd 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Decker, Dom 1 ; Randle, Brayden 1
Batting:
2B: Howe, T. 1
HR: Hull, O. 1 ; Hynek, C. 1
RBI: Schaffner, J 1 ; Gallaher, G. 1 ; Hull, O. 1 ; Hynek, C. 3
SH: French, C. 1
SF: Schaffner, J 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hull, O. 1 ; Nicholson, C 1 ; Howe, T. 2 ; Hynek, C. 2
HBP: Nicholson, C 1
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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