Ole Miss Baseball Opens 2026 Season Against Nevada at Swayze Field

The University of Mississippi baseball team begins its 2026 season Friday with a three-game series against reigning Mountain West champion Nevada at Swayze Field in Oxford, Mississippi. All three games will be streamed on SEC Network+.

Ole Miss is coming off a strong 2025 campaign, during which the Rebels hosted a regional for the first time since 2021 and won more than 40 games for the first time since 2022. Under head coach Mike Bianco, the team finished with a 16-14 record in Southeastern Conference play and secured five SEC series wins, surpassing their total from the previous two seasons. The Rebels ranked fifth nationally in home runs and sixth in total strikeouts last season.

Junior pitcher Hunter Elliott, who posted a 10-3 record and 102 strikeouts in 2025, returns as the staff’s most experienced arm. Ole Miss’s offense set a program record with 124 home runs in 2025, led by teammates Judd Utermark and Austin Fawley, who each hit more than 20 homers. Utermark finished with 22 home runs, just two shy of the program record.

Nevada enters the series with high expectations after finishing 34-23 last season and earning a conference-favorite prediction from Mountain West coaches. The Wolfpack features All-Conference selections Sean Yamaguchi, who hit .324 with 13 home runs, and pitcher Alessandro Castro, a key returnee from last year’s squad.

This series marks the first-ever matchup between Ole Miss and Nevada on the baseball diamond. The Rebels will send Hunter Elliott to start Game 1 against Nevada’s Dominic Desch. All games will be available via live stream, and fans can listen to the broadcasts on the Ole Miss Radio Network.

Source: Original Article