Baseball season is now over for Ole Miss following a one-run loss to Murray State in the Oxford regional finale. A late-game rally by the Rebels’ offense was not enough to dig the team out of a deep hole dug by the pitching staff and a lackluster defensive effort in a 12-11 shortfall.
Murray State had an eye-popping 19 hits and gashed the top-seeded Rebels to near-death all evening. Trailing 12-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the 2025 season was all but over for Mike Bianco’s club. However, a timely offensive surge paired with strong showings on the mound by Mason Nichols and Hunter Elliott gave Ole Miss a chance to backdoor its way into hosting its first super regional since 2009.
But the rally fizzled in the bottom of the ninth inning with three Rebel batters being retired in order, allowing No. 4 seed Murray State’s players to dogpile on Swayze Field and advance to face Duke this weekend.
Murray State struck first blood in the top of the second inning on an RBI groundout that followed a fielding blunder by Rebel first baseman Will Furniss. A single down the first baseline scored another Racer run to give the visitors an early 2-0 lead. The bats remained hot for Murray State, as the Racers tacked on three more unanswered runs in the top of the third, prompting Bianco to pull starting pitcher Walker Hooks and look to trusted reliever Mason Morris to clean up the mess.
Meanwhile, the Ole Miss offense that was red-hot in two Sunday games was held at bay by Murray State hurler Isaac Silva in its first two frames. A solo home run by Austin Fawley in the bottom of the third broke the Rebels’ scoring drought. After Morris worked a scoreless top of the fourth, Ole Miss clawed back into the contest courtesy of a two-run jack by Judd Utermark.
Judd’s SIXTH home run of the Regional 👀
📺 SEC Network@JuddUtermark x @NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/PrTs5bRsFn
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) June 2, 2025
Not intimidated by the moment and the ruckus Ole Miss-heavy crowd, Murray State led a strong counter. A pair of singles and a fielding error scored one Racer run in the frame. A two-out single scored two more runs, and a triple put a fourth run on the board, giving Murray State a 9-3 advantage going into the bottom of the fifth.
Murray State skipper Dan Skirka turned to right-hander Nic Schutte, who had no trouble with the Ole Miss offense on Friday, to keep the host club from coming back. Schutte proceeded to work a clean one, two, three bottom of the fifth. The Racers then proceeded to add an insurance run in the top of the sixth, hold the Rebels scoreless in the bottom of the inning, and score an additional two runs in the top of the top of the seventh.
Facing a nine-run deficit, the Rebels went to work offensively and began chipping away at the mountainous scoreboard disadvantage. The rally began with Murray State pitchers loading the bases with just one out. Two bases-loaded walks scored Isaac Humphrey and Hayden Federico.
A Luke Hill single later in the bottom of the seventh sent two runners to home plate. A subsequent single by Furniss put Ole Miss within four runs of neutralizing the game. Right-handed pitcher Jacob Hustedde, who struggled to locate the strike zone, got a breath of fresh air during a delay to review a hit-by-pitch call.
The call was overturned, sending Rebel slugger Judd Utermark back to the batter’s box. By that time, Hustedde had settled. The Racer hurler forced Utermark and Humphrey to whiff in order, preventing one swing of the bat from knotting things up.
Mason Nichols, who spent most of this season as the Sunday starter for Ole Miss, worked a clean top of the eighth to keep his team within striking distance. And strike, the team did. An unexpected three-run long ball by shortstop Brayden Randle, his first of the year, had Ole Miss trailing by a single run with one out.
BRAYDEN RANDLE‼️
📺 SEC Network@BraydenRandle x @NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/PXSc0Pscca
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) June 3, 2025
Back-to-back strikeouts ended the frame, setting up a dramatic conclusion. Looking to seal any chance of Murray State adding insurance to its narrow advantage, Bianco threw the final ace he had in his arsenal. Redshirt junior southpaw Hunter Elliott, in typical fashion, worked a scoreless frame.
With the game on the line, a dramatic bottom of the ninth in front of a packed house at Swayze Field ended about as anticlimactically as a game could finish. The first two Rebels struck out looking, and the third flew out on his first pitch to end the season. Dan Skirka’s Racers, on the other hand, will look to make their first trip to Omaha.
“We never give up. From the beginning, we were doubted. There were no expectations from the outside with respect to this team. This team, at the end of the day, put its head down and went to work,” an emotional Luke Hill said of how he wants Rebel fans to look back at this 2025 club.
“I’ve never been around a group of guys who were so committed to their craft and so committed to their time and being here, performing for a great community. I just want us to be remembered as people who don’t give up. I want us to be a true definition of rebels.”
NCAA Tournament Accolades
Though Ole Miss was the runner-up in its postseason tournament in front of a home crowd, the Rebels had a regional-high seven players honored for their efforts.
Austin Fawley earned All-Tournament catcher honors. Will Furniss was tabbed the regional’s top first baseman. Judd Utermark was recognized as the top second baseman of the regional. Luke Hill earned All-Tournament third baseman recognition. Mitchell Sanford was the regional’s top left fielder. Campbell Smithwick earned the top designated hitter spot. And last, but certainly not least, Hunter Elliott was voted the regional’s most prolific pitcher.
For Murray State, Jonathan Hogart (center field), Dustin Mercer (right field), and Graham Kelham (pitcher) were recognized for their production. Mercer was voted the regional’s most outstanding player.
Coach’s Comments
In the era of the transfer portal, where players look to find greener pastures elsewhere, Mike Bianco touted his nucleus of returners — like Luke Hill, Judd Utermark, and Will Furniss — for staying put in Oxford when a few of their former teammates had bailed. He also credited the veterans for electing to spend one more collegiate season instead of tossing their hat into the ring at a shot in the pros.
“The truth is, there are some older guys who didn’t have to come back. It would have been easy to sign [with a professional club]. It would have been easy to move on, but they chose to stay, and that’s special,” Bianco said.
“We had some underclassmen who could have gone in the portal, but they chose to stay. They stayed because they wanted something like they had just experienced. They signed to come here and play in Swayze Field and play in front of 12,000 people.”
Looking back at this team’s accomplishment of hosting a regional, Bianco especially highlighted members of the 2022 national championship roster — Hunter Elliott, Mason Nichols, and Riley Maddox — for helping lead the Rebels back to the NCAA Tournament after an uncharacteristic two-year drought.
“Three of those guys were there in that dogpile a few years ago. They never really said it to me, but you could sense that they didn’t want the last couple of years to be what they were remembered for,” Bianco said.
“They came here to win a championship, and once you win one, you want to win another. Obviously, things haven’t gone as planned the last couple of years.”
Next Up
For now, the lights have been turned off at Swayze, though Bianco will look to return next season with a revamped roster packed with high school talent, transfers, and a litany of young pitchers. Ole Miss will return to the diamond in February 2026.
