The Ole Miss Baseball team opened the 2026 season in style with a sweep over the Nevada Wolf Pack in Oxford, Miss., on Feb. 13-15. Ole Miss fans have a lot to take away from the Rebels’ opening series.
Pitching was immaculate
Hunter Elliot, Cade Townsend and Wil Libbert were the three starters in this series.
Elliot threw five innings and struck out seven of the 19 hitters he faced. Townsend, in 4.2 innings, posted a new career high of eight strikeouts. Libbert threw five innings and matched his career high strikeouts with seven.
The bullpen, too, got in on the fun. Hudson Calhoun pitched in relief for game one.
Calhoun came in for the final three and two-thirds innings on Friday and gave up no runs with five strikeouts.
Taylor Rabe and Landon Koenig came out of the bullpen in game two. Rabe threw 3.1 innings and gave up no runs with three strikeouts. Koenig came in for the last inning and struck out two batters. He also did not allow any runs.
In game three, the bullpen consisted of Patrick Collopy and Landon Waters. They combined for two innings pitched and three strikeouts.
So far, this strong showing represents a significant contrast from last season, when the Rebels posted a combined 4.65 ERA for No. 10 in the SEC.
Transfers made an immediate impact
Some of the biggest standouts from this series were new faces. Tristan Bissetta, a former Clemson outfielder, hit 5-of-10 across the series. This included a double, a home run and seven RBIs.
Dom Decker, the second baseman from Murray State, also represented the additions well. He went 3-of-12 in the series, including a double.
Daniel Pacella batted .333 with two runs scored, four RBI and one moonshot homer — a solid first weekend with Ole Miss.
Judd Utermark picked up where he left off
The infielder went 4-of-9 on the weekend with three RBIs, one home run and two doubles. Utermark finished last season with a .294 batting average along with twenty-two home runs. If he can build off this first performance this season, the Rebel offense — with the added firepower of Bissetta and Pacella — will be a force to be reckoned with.
The challenge for the third baseman will be cutting down on strikeouts. In 2025, he struck out 92 times. Through three games, he is already up to four.
What’s next?
The Rebels will return to action in Oxford on Feb. 17 against Arkansas State at 4 p.m. ESPN+ will broadcast the game.
