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OMAHA, NE — Ole Miss baseball is facing elimination for the first time in 2026.
A loss in their College World Series opener was the Rebels' first in six NCAA Tournament games. No. 5 North Carolina beat the Rebels 6-2 on June 12 at Charles Schwab Field.
Ole Miss will face Troy in an elimination game on June 14 (1 p.m., ESPN).
Taylor Rabe, who allowed one run in 5⅔ innings vs North Carolina, said Ole Miss' schedule has prepared the Rebels to play under that kind of pressure.
"I think we've played in a bunch of series this year, where we had the Sunday game as a rubber match," Rabe said. "So it's a similar feel to that. And you don't really need to do anything differently, I think. You just play your game and make pitches and things like that."
The Rebels played SEC series rubber matches against Texas, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Alabama. Ole Miss was 3-4 in those games.
Third baseman Judd Utermark said the key is to not do anything differently because departing from an established routine can bring on stress.
The Rebels are known for celebrating home runs with a Star Wars stormtrooper helmet and enjoying bus rides more than plane rides because it creates more opportunity for team bonding. Staying loose can help relive pressure.
"I think the human nature may be to tighten up or to stress during situations like that," Utermark said. "I think that our team is in a good position because we're a kind of a light-going group of guys. So I think it plays to our advantage, put a little fire under our butt. And getting ready to go ultimately to the final."
Coach Mike Bianco has instilled the mantra "handle hard well" to his players this season. He has applied it to many things, from an ice storm that interrupted the team's offseason to a 14-inning marathon win against Arizona State in the first game of regionals.
"We really lean into that phrase," Bianco said. "We handle hard. And so now we just put ourselves in a difficult, hard situation."
The Rebels will practice on their off day June 13. Ole Miss has not announced a starting pitcher for the game.
"When you lose and you lose in the College World Series, obviously it's emotional, it's disappointing," Bianco said. "But as I think Judd said or Taylor said or mentioned, you're still in it. You've got 24 hours to kind of reset, get a good practice tomorrow, and another 24 hours to come out and play better baseball."
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 isn't worried about stress of CWS elimination game
Continue reading...
A loss in their College World Series opener was the Rebels' first in six NCAA Tournament games. No. 5 North Carolina beat the Rebels 6-2 on June 12 at Charles Schwab Field.
Ole Miss will face Troy in an elimination game on June 14 (1 p.m., ESPN).
Taylor Rabe, who allowed one run in 5⅔ innings vs North Carolina, said Ole Miss' schedule has prepared the Rebels to play under that kind of pressure.
"I think we've played in a bunch of series this year, where we had the Sunday game as a rubber match," Rabe said. "So it's a similar feel to that. And you don't really need to do anything differently, I think. You just play your game and make pitches and things like that."
The Rebels played SEC series rubber matches against Texas, Kentucky, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Alabama. Ole Miss was 3-4 in those games.
Third baseman Judd Utermark said the key is to not do anything differently because departing from an established routine can bring on stress.
The Rebels are known for celebrating home runs with a Star Wars stormtrooper helmet and enjoying bus rides more than plane rides because it creates more opportunity for team bonding. Staying loose can help relive pressure.
"I think the human nature may be to tighten up or to stress during situations like that," Utermark said. "I think that our team is in a good position because we're a kind of a light-going group of guys. So I think it plays to our advantage, put a little fire under our butt. And getting ready to go ultimately to the final."
Coach Mike Bianco has instilled the mantra "handle hard well" to his players this season. He has applied it to many things, from an ice storm that interrupted the team's offseason to a 14-inning marathon win against Arizona State in the first game of regionals.
"We really lean into that phrase," Bianco said. "We handle hard. And so now we just put ourselves in a difficult, hard situation."
The Rebels will practice on their off day June 13. Ole Miss has not announced a starting pitcher for the game.
"When you lose and you lose in the College World Series, obviously it's emotional, it's disappointing," Bianco said. "But as I think Judd said or Taylor said or mentioned, you're still in it. You've got 24 hours to kind of reset, get a good practice tomorrow, and another 24 hours to come out and play better baseball."
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 isn't worried about stress of CWS elimination game
Continue reading...
