HOOVER, Ala. – On a cloudy 76-degree afternoon at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, No. 3 seed LSU Tigers was held scoreless for the first time all season, falling 2-0 to No. 7 seed Ole Miss Rebels in the semifinals of the 2025 SEC Tournament.
The Rebels, now headed to the title game against Vanderbilt, got a solo home run from Will Furniss and leaned on lockdown pitching from Cade Townsend and a trio of relievers to blank the nation’s top-ranked team.
A crowd of 14,775 witnessed the two-hour, 43-minute contest, as the Rebels advanced to Sunday’s championship game against No. 4 seed Vanderbilt. That matchup is set for 1 p.m. EDT on SEC Network. Vanderbilt, ranked No. 9 by D1Baseball.com, will aim for its fifth SEC title and first since 2023. Ole Miss, ranked No. 17, will seek its fourth SEC Tournament championship.
Mississippi’s pitching staff, guided by head coach Mike Bianco, delivered a dominant performance. Starter Cade Townsend went 4.2 innings, allowing two hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Relievers Gunnar Dennis, Will McCausland, and Connor Spencer handled the final 4.1 innings, combining for five strikeouts and no hits allowed.
LSU’s staff was nearly as sharp. Starter Jaden Noot threw four innings and struck out seven, giving up three hits and one earned run. Chase Shores and Jacob Mayers held Ole Miss scoreless the rest of the way, striking out a combined seven.
Ole Miss scored both of its runs early. Will Furniss connected for a two-out solo home run to left in the top of the first, his 10th of the season. In the fourth, Campbell Smithwick’s RBI single to right brought home Isaac Humphrey to make it 2-0.
OPPO TACO 🌮@WillFurniss x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/x0xI383IHf
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 24, 2025
Another RBI for Smithwick puts us up two!@campbellrsoup x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/yvnW3Lzxco
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 24, 2025
LSU, ranked No. 1 in the country by D1Baseball.com, left six runners on base and failed to generate a run for the first time this season. The Tigers will await their NCAA Tournament assignment on Selection Monday, May 26, at 12 p.m. EDT on ESPN2.
Postgame Reactions
Following the game, LSU head coach Jay Johnson credited the opposing team’s approach and reiterated confidence in his own players.
“We certainly didn’t want this result, but I feel good about the three guys that threw today,” Johnson said. “If we score four or five runs, we win. That was the expectation. Credit Ole Miss—three hits, two runs, that’s a winning formula.”
LSU first baseman Jared Jones said the Tigers need to be more resilient in the box. “It’s baseball. There are going to be ups and downs. We’ve got to be tougher mentally. That’s the only way to get better going forward. And I’ve got to do better at the top of the lineup.”
Johnson also praised Ole Miss’s tournament performance. “They gave up one on Wednesday, two yesterday, and none today. They clearly have something working. Their arms and their adjustments impressed me, and you’ve got to tip your cap.”
2025 SEC Baseball Tournament Schedule
All Game Start Times Are Eastern Daylight Time
*Second Game Of Each Session Will Begin Approximately 30 Minutes After The Conclusion Of First Game
Tuesday-Sunday, May 20-25
Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Hoover, Ala.
Tuesday, May 20 – First Round
Game 1: No. 9 Alabama 4, No. 16 Missouri 1 – Final
*Game 2: No. 12 Oklahoma 5, No. 13 Kentucky 1 – Final
Game 3: No. 10 Florida 11, No. 15 South Carolina 3 – Final
Wednesday, May 21 – Second Round
Game 4: No. 14 Texas A&M 9, No. 11 Mississippi State 0 – Final – First Round
Game 5: No. 8 Tennessee 15, No. 9 Alabama 10 – Final
*Game 6: No. 12 Oklahoma 3, No. 5 Georgia 2 – Final
Game 7: No. 10 Florida 1, No. 7 Ole Miss 3 – Final
Thursday, May 22 – Quarterfinals
Game 8: No. 14 Texas A&M 3, No. 6 Auburn 2 – Final – Second Round
*Game 9: No. 8 Tennessee 7, No. 1 Texas 5 – F/12
*Game 10: No. 12 Oklahoma 1, No. 4 Vanderbilt 6 – Final
Friday, May 23 – Quarterfinals
Game 11: No. 7 Ole Miss 5, No. 2 Arkansas 2 – 4 p.m. – SECN
*Game 12: No. 14 Texas A&M 3 vs. No. 3 LSU 4 – 7 p.m. – SECN
Saturday, May 24 – Semifinals
Game 13: No. 8 Tennessee 0, No. 4 Vanderbilt 10 – F/7
*Game 14: No. 7 Ole Miss vs. No. 3 LSU – 30 minutes after Game 13 concludes – SECN
Sunday, May 25 – Championship Game
Game 15: No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. No. 7 Ole Miss – 1 p.m. – ESPN2
SEC MLBPipeline.com Top 150 Draft Prospects
No. 7 – OF – Jace LaViolette – Texas A&M
No. 8 – RHP – Kyson Witherspoon – Oklahoma
No. 9 – LHP – Kade Anderson – Louisiana State
No. 10 – LHP – Liam Doyle – Tennessee
No. 16 – 2B – Gavin Kilen – Tennessee
No. 20 – OF/C – Ike Irish – Auburn
No. 24 – SS – Wehiwa Aloy – Arkansas
No. 28 – OF – Max Belyeu – Texas
No. 33 – RHP – Riley Quick – Alabama
No. 35 – 1B/3B – Andrew Fischer – Tennessee
No. 36 – OF/3B – Ethan Petry – South Carolina
No. 44 – LHP – Zach Root – Arkansas
No. 54 – SS/3B – Dean Curley – Tennessee
No. 55 – RHP – A.J. Russell – Tennessee
No. 60 – OF – Charles Davalan – Arkansas
No. 66 – 2B – Daniel Dickinson – Louisiana State
No. 69 – RHP – Marcus Phillips – Tennessee
No. 72 – LHP – J.D. Thompson – Vanderbilt
No. 78 – RHP – Chase Shores – Louisiana State
No. 79 – LHP- Jared Spencer – Texas
No. 90 – 1B – Jared Jones – Louisiana State
No. 99 – LHP – Justin Lamkin – Texas A&M
No. 100 – OF – RJ Austin – Vanderbilt
No. 101 – C – Easton Carmichael – Oklahoma
No. 102 – LHP – Pico Kohn – Mississippi State
No. 113 – RHP – Nate Snead – Tennessee
No. 116 – RHP – Mason Morris – Mississippi
No. 117 – SS – Jalin Morris – Texas
No. 123 – OF/1B – Tre Phelps – Georgia
No. 131 – SS – Colby Shelton – Florida
No. 133 – RHP – Malachi Witherspoon – Oklahoma
No. 141 – 3B – Brent Iredale – Arkansas
