- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,149,763
- Reaction score
- 59
OXFORD — Ole Miss baseball's quest to bring the postseason back to Swayze Field will begin Feb. 13.
The Rebels open the 2026 season by hosting Nevada for a three-game series. The season opener is Feb. 13 (4 p.m., SEC Network+)
Ole Miss was 43-21 last season but was upset by Murray State in a home regional. Coach Mike Bianco returns for his 26th season.
The Rebels were No. 10 in the preseason SEC coaches poll and No. 12 in USA TODAY Sports' preseason SEC power rankings.
Here are our predictions for the 2026 season.
Ole Miss opens the season with nine home, non-conference games. It's a friendly schedule for a team that had its preseason disrupted by an ice storm that caused power outages across Oxford.
Pitcher Cade Townsend and outfielder Hayden Federico opened their two-bedroom apartment to affected teammates for five or six days.
"We bummed a couch or whatever," pitcher Hunter Elliott said Feb. 10. "A couple of them slept on air mattresses. We cooked whatever food we had. We had some crazy meals. Buttered pasta with some Tyson chicken nuggets one night."
Federico said the most they had was nine people staying over, and that it was great for team bonding.
Bianco said backstop netting at Swayze Field was damaged and there was flooding in a room at the stadium from a broken pipe.
"I said it a little tongue-in-cheek but it's probably true," Bianco said. "When you watch your team go through this, it's the greatest team-building exercise that you'd never want to go through."
Murray State transfer Dom Decker is a prototypical leadoff hitter. He hit .351 in 2025 with no home runs. He had three hits and three runs against the Rebels in the final game of the 2025 Oxford regional.
Bianco said Decker will be a good table-setter at the top of the lineup in front of power hitters like Judd Utermark, Austin Fawley and Will Furniss. Expect him to score a bunch of runs.
"He can do it all," Bianco said. "He can steal bases. He can defend. He can hit. He's going to take pitches. He's going to find a way to get on."
Elliott is the Rebels' star player and a fan favorite carrying over from his freshman season on the 2022 national championship team.
Despite being a 23-year-old Friday starter, Elliott said he doesn't feel like he has a wealth of experience. Because of injury, he's only pitched two full seasons.
Elliott had a 2.94 ERA in 85⅔ innings in 2025. Although he was tied for third in the SEC with 10 wins last season, Elliott said he's got plenty of room for improvement.
"(I've been) working on making the changeup better," Elliott said. "Constantly working on the breaking balls. And then you are always chasing stuff with the fastball. Whether it be velocity or command."
Ole Miss has a solid chance of earning another host bid in the NCAA tournament, but that's a statement that applies to a large chunk of the SEC.
The road to being a top 16 seed in the NCAA tournament will be brutal. Nine of the 10 opponents Ole Miss will face in conference play are ranked.
Look for the Rebels to be a tested, veteran No. 2 seed that a regional host does not want to draw in the postseason.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss baseball predictions for Hunter Elliott, 2026 season
Continue reading...
The Rebels open the 2026 season by hosting Nevada for a three-game series. The season opener is Feb. 13 (4 p.m., SEC Network+)
Ole Miss was 43-21 last season but was upset by Murray State in a home regional. Coach Mike Bianco returns for his 26th season.
The Rebels were No. 10 in the preseason SEC coaches poll and No. 12 in USA TODAY Sports' preseason SEC power rankings.
Here are our predictions for the 2026 season.
Ole Miss starts strong after ice storm bonded team
Ole Miss opens the season with nine home, non-conference games. It's a friendly schedule for a team that had its preseason disrupted by an ice storm that caused power outages across Oxford.
Pitcher Cade Townsend and outfielder Hayden Federico opened their two-bedroom apartment to affected teammates for five or six days.
"We bummed a couch or whatever," pitcher Hunter Elliott said Feb. 10. "A couple of them slept on air mattresses. We cooked whatever food we had. We had some crazy meals. Buttered pasta with some Tyson chicken nuggets one night."
Federico said the most they had was nine people staying over, and that it was great for team bonding.
Bianco said backstop netting at Swayze Field was damaged and there was flooding in a room at the stadium from a broken pipe.
"I said it a little tongue-in-cheek but it's probably true," Bianco said. "When you watch your team go through this, it's the greatest team-building exercise that you'd never want to go through."
Transfer Dom Decker will be one of SEC's leaders in runs
Murray State transfer Dom Decker is a prototypical leadoff hitter. He hit .351 in 2025 with no home runs. He had three hits and three runs against the Rebels in the final game of the 2025 Oxford regional.
Bianco said Decker will be a good table-setter at the top of the lineup in front of power hitters like Judd Utermark, Austin Fawley and Will Furniss. Expect him to score a bunch of runs.
"He can do it all," Bianco said. "He can steal bases. He can defend. He can hit. He's going to take pitches. He's going to find a way to get on."
Ole Miss ace Hunter Elliott has best season yet
Elliott is the Rebels' star player and a fan favorite carrying over from his freshman season on the 2022 national championship team.
Despite being a 23-year-old Friday starter, Elliott said he doesn't feel like he has a wealth of experience. Because of injury, he's only pitched two full seasons.
Elliott had a 2.94 ERA in 85⅔ innings in 2025. Although he was tied for third in the SEC with 10 wins last season, Elliott said he's got plenty of room for improvement.
"(I've been) working on making the changeup better," Elliott said. "Constantly working on the breaking balls. And then you are always chasing stuff with the fastball. Whether it be velocity or command."
Ole Miss will win a road NCAA tournament regional
Ole Miss has a solid chance of earning another host bid in the NCAA tournament, but that's a statement that applies to a large chunk of the SEC.
The road to being a top 16 seed in the NCAA tournament will be brutal. Nine of the 10 opponents Ole Miss will face in conference play are ranked.
Look for the Rebels to be a tested, veteran No. 2 seed that a regional host does not want to draw in the postseason.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss baseball predictions for Hunter Elliott, 2026 season
Continue reading...
