OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss baseball opened its 2026 season Friday afternoon at Swayze Field with a 4 p.m. CT matchup against the Nevada Wolf Pack, marking the start of head coach Mike Bianco’s 26th season leading the Rebels.
The Rebels, coming off a 43-21 season that ended in a home regional upset by Murray State, are looking to return to the postseason. Ole Miss was ranked No. 10 in the preseason SEC coaches poll and No. 12 in USA TODAY Sports’ preseason SEC power rankings.
Left-handed pitcher Hunter Elliott took the mound for Ole Miss to start the game, having been named to the 2026 Golden Spikes Award Watch List and earning Preseason All-America honors from multiple outlets including the NCBWA and Perfect Game. He is the most experienced pitcher on the staff, having recorded a 10-3 record with 102 strikeouts in 2025, becoming just the fifth pitcher in Ole Miss history to reach both 10 wins and 100 strikeouts in a single season.
Nevada countered with right-handed pitcher Dominic Desch. The Wolf Pack, under first-year head coach Jordan Getzelman, are coming off a 34-23 season in 2025, their most wins since 2016, and were selected as the Mountain West Conference favorite to win the league title this year.
The Ole Miss lineup featured Dom Decker at second base, Judd Utermark at third, Will Furniss at first, Tristan Bissetta as designated hitter, Hayden Federico in center field, Daniel Pacella in left, Austin Fawley catching, Cannon Goldin in right field, and Brayden Randle at shortstop.
An ice storm earlier in the preseason disrupted preparations for the Rebels, causing power outages in Oxford and damaging backstop netting at Swayze Field, as well as flooding in a room at the stadium. However, the team bonded during the disruption, with players like Cade Townsend and Hayden Federico opening their apartment to teammates. “We bummed a couch or whatever,” pitcher Hunter Elliott said February 10. “A couple of them slept on air mattresses. We cooked whatever food we had. We had some crazy meals. Buttered pasta with some Tyson chicken nuggets one night.”
Ole Miss added transfer Dom Decker, who hit .351 in 2025 with no home runs, to bolster the lineup. He is expected to be a prototypical leadoff hitter. The Rebels also boast a deep pitching staff, with Bianco praising the depth as the best he’s seen in quite some time. “This represents as much depth as we’ve had in the pitching staff in quite some time,” Bianco said. “When I say that, not just numbers, but talented guys that we have to figure out some roles.”
Nevada returns all five of its all-conference selections from last season, including Freshman All-American and Mountain West Freshman of the Year Sean Yamaguchi, who hit .324 with 13 home runs in 2025. Alessandro Castro, a redshirt junior pitcher who earned All-Mountain West First Team honors last season, also returns for the Wolf Pack.
Saturday’s game is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. CT, with right-handed pitcher Cade Townsend starting for Ole Miss against Nevada’s left-handed pitcher Alessandro Castro. Sunday’s series finale, also at 1:30 p.m. CT, will feature Ole Miss left-handed pitcher Wil Libbert against Nevada’s right-handed pitcher Jordan Giacomini.
All three games are being streamed live on SEC Network+ with Jake Hromada and Keith Kessinger on the call. Fans can also listen on the Ole Miss Radio Network with David Kellum and Brad Henderson providing commentary.
