Five Ole Miss Baseball Players Earn All-SEC Honors in 2026

The Southeastern Conference announced its 2026 All-SEC Baseball Team Monday, honoring five Ole Miss players across three teams, the university said. Walker Hooks was named to the First Team as a relief pitcher, while Will Furniss, Cade Townsend, and Judd Utermark earned Second Team honors. Hunter Elliott was selected for the All-Defensive Team as the league’s top pitcher.

Hooks is the first Ole Miss relief pitcher to earn First Team All-SEC honors since Parker Caracci in 2018 and the first relief pitcher in program history to do so since the league began distinguishing between starters and relievers in 2004, according to the university. The left-hander posted a 3-1 record with a 2.12 ERA, seven saves, 53 strikeouts, and a .181 opponents’ batting average over 22 appearances this season.

During conference play, Hooks led the SEC in ERA (1.73), WHIP (0.80), and appearances (17), tying for the league lead in saves with seven. He also ranked second in fewest walks allowed (6) and fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (6.00). Hooks has converted six of his last seven save opportunities and allowed only three earned runs over his last 12 appearances.

Furniss, leading Ole Miss with a .322 batting average and .439 on-base percentage, hit .315 in SEC games with 26 RBIs and six home runs. Utermark leads the Rebels with a .649 slugging percentage, 66 runs scored, 67 hits, and 20 home runs. He recently became the Ole Miss career leader in home runs with 49 and is the first Rebel to have multiple seasons with 20 or more homers.

Cade Townsend, the Rebels’ top pitcher in ERA (3.81) and opposing batting average (.218), also leads in fewest home runs allowed (9). Elliott, with 96 strikeouts and 71 innings pitched this season, has also successfully picked off four baserunners. He is close to reaching 100 strikeouts for the third time in his career and has surpassed 300 career strikeouts, a rare milestone for Ole Miss pitchers.

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