Ole Miss Baseball season starts on Friday, Feb. 13. Head coach Mike Bianco and his squad are ready to return to the postseason with a veteran squad.
In 2025, Ole Miss Baseball had its most successful season, by record, since 2021. After going 43-21 (16-14 SEC), the Rebels hosted a regional for the first time in four years, but underdog Murray State caught fire and knocked the Rebels out of the postseason. In the offseason, nine players transferred in and nine players joined from high school.
The Rebels are unranked in the preseason rankings but will have plenty of chances to climb into the Top 25 and make a run in 2026.
Returnees
This year’s returning players are highlighted by 2026 Perfect Game Preseason All-American pitcher Hunter Elliott. The lefty posted a 2.94 ERA in 85.2 innings pitched with 102 strikeouts, coming off elbow surgery in 2024. Elliott could have gone to the MLB draft but elected to return to Oxford.
Returner Austin Fawley is no different. The backstop slugged .648 last season and hit 21 home runs, the most by any catcher in the Bianco era. Indeed, Bianco — a former catcher — and the other Ole Miss coaches are known for developing high-end catchers.
Fawley’s walk-to-strikeout ratio of 33-to-77 is mildly concerning, but this measure should not matter as long as Fawley continues to hit the ball over the wall like last year. He also had no errors in the field in 2025.
Power hitter Judd Utermark returns for his senior season. The 6-foot-5-inch utility infielder played in every game last year and mostly bounced between second and third, but he will start at the hot corner this year. He hit .294 and slugged .599 with 22 home runs, the second most in a single season in program history.
Complementing the two power-hitting righties is lefty Will Furniss. The first baseman was second on the team in on-base percentage (.424) and walks (43). His .305 batting average was third for the Rebels.
Hayden Federico burst onto the scene last year primarily as designated hitter. This year he will start in center field. His walk-to-strikeout ratio was 34-to-34, a telltale sign of a solid top two hitter in the order. However, his .243 batting average was below par.
The speedster stole 12 bases last season, third on the team. It will be key this year for Federico to get on base so he can flash his speed.
Federico spent all summer in the Cape Cod league in the outfield and robbed his first home run not too long ago.
Middle infielder Brayden Randle appeared in 33 games last year after a finger injury kept him off the field for a few weeks. He batted .286 in his shortened season and has earned the starting shortstop job.
While Randle will start at short, Owen Paino returns for his sophomore season after an underwhelming freshman year. Bianco stated that Paino will get playing time around the infield and maybe even the outfield.
First baseman Collin Reuter will provide right handed pop 2026. The senior excelled in his role last year; he slugged .575 and batted .300 in 26 games played. This year, he will play DH, catcher or firstbase. Bianco will have to get Reuter in the lineup for his offensive prowess. His catching ability could get Fawley off the field and into a DH role at times.
Brett Moseley is a redshirt freshman outfielder who will get playing time this season. He played in the Valley League over the summer and hit very well with an .897 OPS in 26 games.
Pitchers Cooper Johnson, Owen Hancock, Walker Hooks, Landon Waters, Taylor Rabe, Hudson Calhoun and Cade Townsend all return to Oxford.
Townsend will get the Saturday start this year after a solid offseason and adding two pitches to his repertoire.
“He’s a guy that could be an ace, and a guy that can beat arguably anybody on the field,” Bianco said at media day on Tuesday. “I think we always thought that in Cade. It’s just being more consistent, and he certainly showed that this fall.”
Bianco specifically mentioned how Calhoun and Rabe will be top arms out of the bullpen this season.
“(We) will lean on those guys a lot, guys that certainly could have been one of the three starters that I’ve mentioned,” Bianco said. “We needed some of that experience and that talent coming out of the bullpen.”
Bianco also specifically mentioned Hooks, Waters and Hancock as arms fans could see out of the pen this weekend.
Top newcomers
This year’s haul of new players will look to improve the team’s ERA, which was 4.65 (No. 10 in the SEC) last season. Additionally, the new arrivals will look to maintain, if not improve upon, the Rebels’ stellar offense that ranked No. 5 in runs in the SEC.
Former Murray State second baseman Dom Decker helped the Racers knock Ole Miss out of the playoffs last season, but he joins the Rebels as the starting second baseman on the road to Omaha this year.
The junior slashed .351/.496/.464 in 2025 and will serve as a constant on-base threat for opposing teams. Decker is a run producer; he drove in 48 runs while also scoring 48 last season. His teammates raved about his talent at media day on Tuesday.
Missouri transfer Wil Libbert will get the ball on Sundays. The southpaw posted a 6.04 ERA in 53.2 innings last season
Corner outfielder Daniel Pacella will add pop to the lineup. The Illinois State transfer slugged .714 with 20 homers a season ago. He should be a good replacement for capable hitter Mitchell Sanford.
Clemson transfer Tristan Bissetta is looking to bounce back in Oxford after a rough season with the Tigers a year ago, when he batted just .227. In 2024, he hit .298 with an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of .912. He dominated in the Cape Cod League with over a one-dot OPS, so the talent is there for the utility outfielder.
San Diego State transfer pitcher Marko Sipila is a much needed addition to the rotation after the Rebels lost Riley Maddox to the MLB draft. Sipila started 12 games last season to the tune of a 3.91 ERA.
Also joining Ole Miss is 2025 Northwest Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year Terry Hayes. The right-handed pitcher from Bellevue college posted a 0.82 ERA in 66 innings last year.
North Dakota State transfer Landon Koenig had a 5.40 ERA last season in 46.2 innings, which could be better, but his 6-foot-6-inch frame gave Rebel pitching coach Joel Mangrum plenty to work with.
Bianco pointed to Koenig, Waters, Calhoun and Rabe as players who could be the closer, but, for now, that job is open.
Owen Kelly (RHP, TR), Patrick Collopy (LHP, junior college), Grayson Gibson (LHP, HS), Noah Allen (RHP, HS) and Cannon Goldin (OF, HS) also joined the Rebels and could see action this weekend.
