Ole Miss has made a compelling argument to host postseason baseball for the first time since 2021. The latest boost to the Rebels’ résumé came on Wednesday in a late-night SEC Tournament win over Florida.
A pitcher’s duel between Rebel ace Hunter Elliott and Florida hurler Liam Peterson highlighted the game’s first three innings, with neither offense able to reach home plate. Mike Bianco’s club broke the offensive seal in the bottom of the fourth. A two-out Isaac Humphrey double scored Judd Utermark to give Ole Miss the first lead of the night.
Later in the frame, Campbell Smithwick knocked a ball into right field, scoring Humphrey and Ryan Moerman, largely due to a throwing error by Gator outfielder Ashton Wilson. The Rebels carried a 3-0 advantage into the fifth inning.
Soup extends the lead to three!@campbellrsoup x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/4u8f9aqNyY
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 22, 2025
Florida countered in the top of the fifth. A leadoff double turned into an unearned run tacked onto Elliott’s stat sheet. After the second batter in the order knocked a ball to Brayden Randle, the Ole Miss shortstop attempted to make the play to third base, but his throw was errant, allowing the baserunner to reach home plate with no outs. Elliott, coming off of an elite outing against Auburn just under one week ago, was able to work out of the frame without any further damage.
Fire us up @elliotthunter10! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3Edp3ucL4n
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 22, 2025
From there, neither offense was able to put runs on the board. At the tail end of the sixth inning, Bianco turned to Mason Morris to pick up where Elliott had left off. Morris took Ole Miss through 2.2 unblemished innings, and closer Connor Spencer worked the side in the top of the ninth to secure a victory for the red and blue.
Smithwick and Utermark led the Rebels offensively with two runs apiece in the matchup. Elliott was the shining star on the mound. The Tupelo southpaw logged eight strikeouts while surrendering just two hits and an unearned run through 5.1 innings.
“I think the plan was to continue being myself. These last couple of weeks, I feel like I’ve really rounded into form and gotten back to myself,” Elliott told the SEC Network of his big night. “That was the plan, and I think I did a good job executing it. I think I threw balls to really good parts of the zone all night, and when I needed to make the big pitch, I did.”
Ole Miss, the No. 7 seed, will return to the diamond on Friday against No. 2 seed Arkansas. The game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. CT on the SEC Network and participating SuperTalk Mississippi stations.
Looking past Friday’s matchup against the Razorbacks, Ole Miss is in a strong position to host an NCAA Tournament regional. The Rebels have won 18 games against conference foes this season and have compiled an RPI of 17. Since 2007, 98% of SEC clubs that achieved similar feats have hosted in the postseason.
