AUBURN, Ala. – No. 18 Ole Miss baseball took the game one advantage in the 2026 Auburn Super Regional with a 6-4 victory over the Tigers on Friday evening at Samford Stadium-Hitchcock Field at Plainsman Park.
With the win, the Rebels (40-21) have reached the 40-win plateau in back-to-back seasons and are one win away from traveling to Omaha, Nebraska, to compete in the College World Series. Under head coach Mike Bianco, Ole Miss has reached 40 wins for the 12th time.
Judd Utermark hit his 22nd home run of the season en route to Ole Miss’ game one victory. In doing so, he tied his single-season career best, which also serves as a tie for the second most homers in one season by any Rebel in program history. Collin Reuter also provided power for the Rebels with a homer in the sixth inning, giving Ole Miss an insurmountable lead
Four Rebels had at least two hits against the Tigers, which includes Utermark. Brayden Randle drove the first two of Ole Miss’ runs home, his fourth multi-RBI game this season. Austin Fawley and Dom Decker also added a run each in addition to the pair of runs they contributed.
Ole Miss sent a trio of pitchers to the mound to take game one of its super regional, starting with Hunter Elliott. Elliott worked 4.1 innings and limited damage with two strikeouts and two earned runs. Hudson Calhoun and Walker Hooks played in relief to cap the remainder of the game. As a unit, the trio struck out seven batters to five walks.