Ole Miss Baseball Hosts No. 15 Kentucky for First SEC Home Series
Oxford, Miss. – Ole Miss Baseball (17-5, 1-2 SEC) hosts No. 15 Kentucky (18-2, 3-0 SEC) this weekend for their first home Southeastern Conference series of the season. The series begins Thursday at 7 p.m., with the game broadcast on SEC Network. The second game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, and the series concludes Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
The Rebels are coming off a 9-5 midweek victory against Austin Peay. Tristan Bissetta led the offense with two home runs, extending his hitting streak to nine games. During that stretch, he has hit .417 with six home runs and 15 RBIs.
Bissetta’s standout moment this season was a 464-foot grand slam against Texas last Friday, which helped the Rebels win in 11 innings. He ranks second in the SEC with 11 home runs and is among the league leaders in hits, RBIs, and slugging percentage.
Judd Utermark also boasts a hot streak, hitting .417 over 10 games with four home runs and 13 RBIs. The senior ranks among the top hitters in the SEC and is closing in on the Ole Miss career home run record, now with 39, just nine shy of the school record.
Ole Miss’s pitching staff has been effective, striking out 256 batters this season, second in the SEC. The weekend starters are Hunter Elliott, Jaxon Jelkin, and Nate Harris, with details on their projected matchups provided by the team. Friday’s and Saturday’s games will be streamed on SEC Network+ and available via the Ole Miss Radio Network.
On the Kentucky side, head coach Nick Mingione is in his 10th season, guiding a team that started 18-2 and swept Alabama recently. Kentucky’s offense is potent, with nine games scoring at least 10 runs and ranking high nationally in stolen bases. Key players include Ethan Hindle, with nine home runs and 25 RBIs, and outfielder Jayce Tharnish, leading in stolen bases and hits. Kentucky’s rotation features Jaxon Jelkin, undefeated with four wins, and Nate Harris, who has not given up a home run to date.
Ole Miss’s recent international players include Dylan DeLucia and Josh Mallitz, who competed in the World Baseball Classic for Italy and Israel, respectively. DeLucia pitched 7.2 innings with a 2.35 ERA for Italy, earning a hold in the quarterfinals. Mallitz allowed just two baserunners over two innings for Israel.
Ole Miss’s standout freshman Tristan Bissetta leads the SEC in several categories and has already surpassed his home run and RBI totals from last season. Cade Townsend, a California native, has a 0.92 ERA over five starts and is on the College Baseball Foundation’s Watch List for National Pitcher of the Year.
The Rebels also lead early scoring, outscoring opponents 96-42 in the first four innings and remaining undefeated (13-0) when scoring in the first inning.
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