Ole Miss takes Game One of Super Regional, 6-4
· Yahoo Sports
The 2026 Ole Miss baseball postseason formula is a concoction of elite pitching and below-average hitting that scratches out just enough runs among a quarter of a million strikeouts. That delicious-to-agonizing blend was once again on point Friday night, as the Rebels took a 1-0 series lead against Auburn.
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Hunter Elliott, Hudson Calhoun, and Walker Hooks combined to hold Auburn to 4 runs, mostly thanks to their ability to strand 10 Tiger baserunners. Elliott was not sharp after the first inning, as he walked 4, but he chewed up a few innings and never let Auburn to break through with the ol’ crooked numbers on the scoreboard.
A SAVVY VETERAN PERFORMANCE, BOB.
Calhoun and Hooks did their jobs, giving up only 3 hits and 2 runs in 4 and 2/3 innings while striking out 5. In the bottom of the 9th, Hooks allowed things to get a little more spicy than anyone would’ve liked, but he never panicked and got the outs he needed.
As for the offense, the strikeouts were of course bountiful (14), but they generated production without the help of Auburn pitchers, who only gave up one (1) walk as we discussed they might. Ole Miss’ 10 hits were more than they had last weekend against Nebraska (9) and Arizona State (7*) in the regional-winning game.
*They had 14 in the 14-inning game against the Sun Devils to open the regional.
Obviously, the Judd Utermark and Collin Reuter home runs were MILDLY important (accounted for 4 of the 6 runs), but a tip of the top hat to Mike Bianco for rolling the dice and starting Brayden Randle in the outfield. That move ensured Ole Miss’ best 9 hitters were in the lineup and temporarily stopped the automatic out at the bottom of the order.
Randle, who has had a rough year, went 2 for 3 and drove in Ole Miss’ first two runs with a pair of singles. He also drew a walk, which gave him a cool on-base percentage of .750 in the 8th spot in the batting order. That is a massive YES PLS.
We shall see whether Ole Miss can keep this postseason formula cookin’ tomorrow, but for now, it’s put them in position to [redacted because we are not allowed to mention the exact high percentage of teams that win the first game in a Super Regional and go to Omaha].
Speaking of tomorrow, your viewing and relevant information is as follows:
- Game time: 4 PM CDT
- TV: ESPN
- Ole Miss starting pitcher: Taylor Rabe
- Auburn starting pitcher: Alex Petrovic
If Ole Miss wi- [redacted], and if Auburn wins, the teams will meet for a final time on Sunday in the TBD time slot. Whatever happens over the next two days (maybe one!), Bianco and the fellas getting themselves into this position is a credit to how tough they are when a lot of things (often self-inflicted) didn’t go their way.