OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss baseball opens its 2026 season Friday, hosting the Nevada Wolf Pack at Swayze Field in a three-game series. The Rebels, coming off a 43-21 season and a regional appearance, initiate a campaign with high expectations and a roster bolstered by both returning talent and key transfers.
Ole Miss experienced a resurgence in 2025, achieving over 40 wins for the first time since their championship season in 2022. They secured a winning record in Southeastern Conference play (16-14), a feat not accomplished since 2021 and won five SEC series, surpassing their combined total from the previous two seasons. The team’s offensive prowess was on full display, ranking fifth nationally with 124 home runs, and their pitching staff finished sixth in total strikeouts with 669.
Leading the charge for the Rebels is junior pitcher Hunter Elliott, a Preseason All-American and a member of the 2026 Golden Spikes Award Watch List. Elliott enjoyed a standout 2025 season, becoming just the fifth pitcher in Ole Miss history to record both 10 wins and 100 strikeouts in a single season, finishing with a 10-3 record and 102 punchouts. He is the only returning pitcher in the country to achieve this milestone.
Offensively, Ole Miss returns power hitters Judd Utermark and Austin Fawley, who both surpassed the 20-home run mark in 2025, marking the first time in program history two teammates accomplished the feat in the same season. Utermark finished with 22 home runs, second-most in a single season in Ole Miss history. Will Furniss, a Preseason All-SEC selection, adds further strength to the lineup.
Head coach Mike Bianco, entering his 26th year at the helm, has revamped the roster with 19 newcomers, including 10 transfers. Among the key additions are outfielder Daniel Pacella (Illinois State) and infielder Dom Decker (Murray State), both expected to make immediate contributions. Pacella brings a potent bat, having hit 48 home runs in 107 games for the Redbirds, while Decker’s .351 batting average and .496 on-base percentage with Murray State caught Bianco’s attention.
The pitching staff also welcomes Wil Libbert, a transfer from Missouri, who will slot into the weekend rotation. Libbert struck out 55 batters in 53.2 innings pitched for the Tigers in 2025.
Nevada, the reigning Mountain West Conference champion, enters the series under first-year head coach Jordan Getzelman. The Wolf Pack finished 34-23 in 2025, their most wins since 2016, and were selected as the conference favorite to win the Mountain West title in 2026. They return all five of their all-conference selections from last season, including Freshman All-American Sean Yamaguchi, who hit .324 with 13 home runs in 2025.
The pitching matchups for the series are set: Hunter Elliott will start Friday against Nevada’s Dominic Desch, Cade Townsend will take the mound Saturday against Alessandro Castro, and Wil Libbert will close out the series Sunday against Jordan Giacomini.
All three games will be streamed live on SEC Network+, with David Kellum and Brad Henderson providing radio coverage on the Ole Miss Radio Network.
