After watching Murray State win the Oxford Regional a year ago, Ole Miss punched their ticket to the 2026 Men’s College World Series with an upset win over Auburn in the Auburn Super Regional.
Ole Miss swept the No. 4 overall seed Auburn at Plainsman Park. They won Game 1 of the Super Regional 6-4 and followed it up with a 5-3 win to secure their spot in Omaha.
Ole Miss will be making its seventh trip to Omaha in program history. The last time they reached the College World Series was in 2022, when they were crowned National Champions. This year, Ole Miss became a dark horse to reach Omaha after showing some inconsistency throughout the season.
After they went 15-15 in SEC play and lost to Missouri in the first round of the SEC Tournament, Mike Bianco’s squad was the No. 2 seed in the Lincoln Regional. They swept the Regional, winning three games by a total margin of five runs. Ole Miss won a 14-inning thriller over Arizona State thanks to a walk-off single from Brayden Randle. They then went on to beat Nebraska 6-3 and face Arizona State once again. They beat Arizona State in extra innings once again to advance.
Now, they will open their quest for another National Championship against the University of North Carolina at Charles Schwab Field. Ole Miss will be in the bracket opposite the other SEC teams. As far as what fans should expect from Ole Miss: Anything.
Their 107 long balls are tied for the 14th most across Division I, and their 688 strikeouts from the mound are the second most. However, they also have their flaws. They rank second in strikeouts at the plate as well. Ultimately, they strike out a lot, but know how to win close games, and should not be counted out.
Hunter Elliot, who helped Ole Miss win the College World Series in 2022, has a 5.15 ERA, but experience on this stage is valuable. As valuable as experience is, quality pitching does matter, and the Rebels have that too, in Taylor Rabe. The 6-foot-6 sophomore has a 3.71 ERA and has struck out 17 in his last 13 innings of work. He will take the mound on Friday, hoping to set the tone for Ole Miss.
Offensively, Judd Utermark leads the way. He leads the team in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, and total bases. He has hit 22 home runs this year and will try to add a few more to his legacy at Ole Miss.
Should Ole Miss advance, they are sure to face another SEC team. Ole Miss dropped two out of three to Georgia, Alabama and Texas in the regular season, but this is not the regular season. Anything can happen on this stage, and Ole Miss has the makings of a team that can win a National Championship.
Photo: Ole Miss’s Judd Utermark (27) throws the ball during an NCAA super regional baseball game against Auburn on Saturday, June 6, 2026 in Auburn, Ala. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)
