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SEC Tournament Game 1 Recap: No. 16 Missouri Stuns No. 9 Ole Miss 10-8, Snaps Eight-Year Tournament Drought as ABS Era Begins

Matt TallariniMay 20, 202613 MIN READ
SEC Tournament Game 1 Recap: No. 16 Missouri Stuns No. 9 Ole Miss 10-8, Snaps Eight-Year Tournament Drought as ABS Era Begins

HOOVER, Ala. — The No. 16 seed Missouri Tigers won the first game of the 2026 Southeastern Conference Tournament 10-8 over the No. 9 seed Mississippi Rebels on a 76-degree partly cloudy Tuesday morning at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium — the program’s first SEC Tournament win since 2017, and the first college baseball game in history to use the SEC’s new Automated Ball-Strike challenge system.

Missouri improved to 24-30 overall and 7-24 in conference play. Ole Miss dropped to 36-21 (15-16 SEC). For the Tigers under third-year head coach Kerrick Jackson, the win extends a tournament that for them functions as a postseason in miniature — Missouri will need to win this event to make the 2026 NCAA Tournament field of 64 for the first time since 2012. For Ole Miss, currently ranked No. 17 in D1Baseball’s Top 25, the loss starts a 10-day wait for Selection Monday on May 25.

https://x.com/MizzouBaseball/status/2056746430082195855

https://x.com/OleMissBSB/status/2056746922631713026

History at home plate

The first ball-strike challenge in NCAA college baseball history came in the top of the first inning. With Missouri shortstop Kam Durnin at the plate, Ole Miss catcher Daniel Pacella tapped his helmet to challenge a missed-strike call on the outer half from home-plate umpire Jason Bradley. Bradley’s call was upheld upon review. Ole Miss lost the challenge.

It was the first of many on the day. Missouri catcher Mateo Serna finished 7-for-8 on his own ABS challenges — a remarkable read of the zone in the first competitive game of his life under the system.

“He has a great understanding of the strike zone,” Jackson said after the game. “He had an oblique strain this spring, so he wasn’t able to start the beginning of the season. So we had him umpire our scrimmages when we were inside, and just giving him a different perspective on what umpires are looking at, giving him the perspective on what, from a batter’s perspective — hey, when you’re in there now you get to see behind where those pitchers are starting because you don’t have to worry about making a decision on swinging or not.”

Jackson said his hitters did not have the same green light Serna did. He’d posted a placard in the dugout listing the situations Missouri would challenge from the batter’s box, with the coach signaling each hitter before the at-bat. The Tigers had run a trial at Texas the previous weekend — hitters tapping their thigh on pitches they would have challenged. Jackson said the team charted as 0-for-5.

“That just made my case for me,” Jackson said. “Nah, we’re not going to give you free rein just to go out and make challenges.”

Home runs and a five-run fifth

Ole Miss did not wait long to draw first blood. In the bottom of the first, second baseman Dom Decker pulled an opposite-field solo shot down the left-field line that just snuck over the wall — his 10th of the year — for a 1-0 Rebel lead.

https://x.com/OleMissBSB/status/2056748823066620384

Catcher Austin Fawley followed with a solo blast over the right-field wall in the bottom of the second — his 13th — to push it to 2-0.

https://x.com/OleMissBSB/status/2056755543734210985

Missouri answered in the top of the third when Durnin cracked a two-run home run to left-center, 405 feet, scoring Pierre Seals to tie the game 2-2. It was Durnin’s eighth of the season.

https://x.com/MizzouBaseball/status/2056758320971883004

The Tigers broke the game open in the top of the fifth. Serna started it with an RBI single down the right-field line, scoring Durnin to make it 3-2. Center fielder Kaden Peer followed with an opposite-field grand slam over the left-center wall — his fifth home run of the year — to extend the lead to 7-2.

https://x.com/MizzouBaseball/status/2056769792208506996

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Ole Miss did not go quietly. In the bottom of the fifth, the Rebels scored four runs of their own. Right fielder Tristan Bissetta doubled to left-center, scoring Brayden Randle to cut the deficit to 7-3. Center fielder Hayden Federico followed with a two-run single to right-center, scoring Bissetta and Judd Utermark to make it 7-5. Shortstop Owen Paino capped the inning with a ground-rule double to right-center, scoring Will Furniss to bring it to 7-6.

https://x.com/OleMissBSB/status/2056775670512902579

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Missouri added an insurance run in the top of the sixth on a Jase Woita solo home run over the left-field wall — his 13th of the year — to make it 8-6.

https://x.com/MizzouBaseball/status/2056778195123212475

Federico tied the game 8-8 in the bottom of the seventh with a two-run home run to left field, his fourth of the year, scoring Utermark.

https://x.com/OleMissBSB/status/2056789455747346703

But Missouri broke the tie one more time in the top of the eighth. Blaize Ward singled through the right side, with Bissetta bobbling the ball in right and Durnin scoring on the fielding error to make it 9-8. Serna then drove an RBI single to right field, scoring Isaiah Frost — pinch running for Ward — to push the lead to 10-8.

https://x.com/MizzouBaseball/status/2056795443590242351

Freshman right-hander Eli Skidmore (W, 3-0) closed it out, recording the last five outs of the game and getting Fawley to ground out to third baseman Chris Patterson for the final out. Skidmore went 2.2 innings, allowing no runs and no hits, with one walk and five strikeouts.

“He had a very turning point moment for him at Kentucky where we win that series, he’s on the mound, he’s struggling a little bit,” Jackson said of Skidmore. “I went out to him and I said, man, this is why you decided to come here. As a St. Louis kid, who’s always loved Missouri, bleeds black and gold, this is your moment and this is why you’re here.”

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Building, not yet built

Jackson is in his third season at Missouri, and Tuesday’s win was the program’s first SEC Tournament game victory since 2017, when the No. 10-seeded Tigers beat the No. 7-seeded Texas A&M Aggies 10-7 in the first round. The Tigers also finished 6-24 in SEC play this season — last in the conference, lowest seed in Hoover — but Jackson framed Tuesday’s win in the context of where he has tried to take a program that lost a steady stream of conference series for two years.

“I’ve said from day one, we have to build it. And the build is never pretty,” Jackson said. “Nobody likes the build but the builder. But when it’s finished, everybody likes the finished product. And we’re still in that space of building. Obviously, like I said, we’ve had some good weekends this year and we’ve had some bad weekends this year. And unfortunately how people look at it from the result-driven goals, of what the record is, the record doesn’t reflect it, but baseball people and people that have watched us for the last three years, just like you said, they know we’re better, they know we’re moving in the right direction.”

Jackson called out three players he’s built around: Serna (third year in the program), starter Josh McDevitt (also third year), and freshman utility hitter Blaize Ward — whom Jackson described as “one of the best freshman hitters in our conference” despite Ward being left off the conference’s Freshman All-SEC team that was announced Monday.

Asked about Serna specifically and the catcher’s read of the new ABS strike zone, Jackson explained the philosophy.

“For him to understand what the zone was, that’s what allowed him to be 7-for-8 on his challenges today because he knew what the zone was,” Jackson said. “He didn’t have to say, hey, the guy’s calling the ball a little bit out today or he’s calling it a little bit down. No, the zone is the zone, and so he was able to challenge in that zone and have success with that.”

Serna, asked what it was like watching his dugout react to each replay coming back: “It was fun, because when it came out in the media that we were going to have ABS we were making jokes about it until now. So it was pretty fun. Everyone was kind of waiting for the first challenge. It was pretty cool, to be honest.”

Bianco: “We just weren’t good enough on the mound today”

For Mike Bianco, in his 26th season at Ole Miss and four years removed from the program’s 2022 College World Series championship, Tuesday afternoon’s loss was a familiar postseason frustration: the bullpen unable to hold a back-and-forth game.

“Obviously, disappointing. It’s never fun to lose, and certainly not fun to lose the first one,” Bianco said. “But congratulations to Missouri. I thought they played great. I thought McDevitt pitched terrific on short rest. And we just didn’t pitch good enough to win.”

Starter Wil Libbert went 4.0 innings on 68 pitches, allowing two earned runs on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts — Bianco called his outing “good.” It was the relievers who unraveled. JP Robertson allowed four runs in 0.1 IP. Landon Waters allowed two more. Landon Koenig (L, 3-1) took the loss across 2.0 innings of two-run ball.

“When you’re in tournament play, you need to be better on the mound,” Bianco said. “And we walked seven. Not normal for us. After Libbert, I don’t know if a reliever got through his outing without giving up a run, besides Kelly at the very end. It’s just not good enough.”

The Rebels left eight men on base.

On the new ABS system, Bianco was diplomatic. “I’m sure there’s a lot of angst from the Southeastern Conference. I applaud them for trying to always be on the cutting edge of baseball,” he said. “To get it done and to get it running and to operate like it did in game one, I thought, was outstanding.”

Senior center fielder Hayden Federico, who went 2-for-5 with a homer, two RBI, and the seventh-inning blast that briefly tied the game at 8-8, was more direct on what the loss means going forward.

“It’s a blessing that we get to keep playing, and we put ourselves in a good position, whether that’s hosting or as a 2 seed somewhere,” Federico said. “At the end of the day, this isn’t the end of the world. It’s not the end of the season. Now we just have a longer time for guys to heal up, pitchers to get their arms back right. And we’ll be ready to go wherever we have to go.”

The reaction

The win drew immediate national attention across college baseball Reddit, where fans converged on the historic ABS angle and the Bianco-era pattern of programs notching breakthrough wins over Ole Miss in postseason play.

“Don’t think we win that game without all of the successful ABS challenges,” one Arkansas-Mizzou fan posted on r/collegebaseball. “Serna was huge.”

An Ole Miss fan framed Bianco’s tournament history with characteristic dryness: “Never underestimate Bianco’s gift of giving opponents improbable, ‘program first’ type wins, and random role players career-best games. The man is nothing if not consistent.”

For Ole Miss, the conversation already pivoted to regional placement. Mississippi State and Georgia fans speculated openly about a Hattiesburg landing spot for Ole Miss as a 2-seed under Southern Miss — a scenario several called the most likely outcome given the Rebels’ Tuesday morning exit. As one Georgia fan put it: “Ole Miss, you might be Hattiesburg bound.”

A Mizzou fan summed up Tuesday’s broader implications: “First conference tournament win in almost a decade is pretty insane.”

By night’s end, the unofficial nickname had stuck on the platform: Mister ABS Serna.

What’s next

Missouri advances to face the No. 8 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs on Wednesday, May 20 at 10:30 a.m. ET on SEC Network — first pitch of Day 2 at the Hoover Met. Mississippi State, in Brian O’Connor’s first season after he won the 2015 national championship at Virginia, finished 39-16 overall and 16-14 in conference play. The Bulldogs placed six players on the 2026 All-SEC selections.

“Quality program, just like everybody else in our league,” Jackson said. “They started off hot. I mean, at the beginning of the year, they were rolling. And once they got into conference play and started to face some competition, there was some back and forth with them, and they can swing the bat. They’re going to pitch it well. They’re going to play good defense. Obviously, with us having Drew Dickinson on our staff, who was with that staff before, he’s going to have a lot of insight, they will have insight on him. It’s going to be an interesting chess match.”

For Ole Miss, the next game is Selection Monday.

By the Numbers

Score: Missouri 10, Ole Miss 8 (FINAL)
Box score: Missouri 14 H, 0 E · Ole Miss 9 H, 1 E
Left on base: Missouri 10, Ole Miss 8
Time: 76°F, partly cloudy
Attendance: Hoover Metropolitan Stadium

Pitching:

  • Missouri: Josh McDevitt 5.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 8 K (98 pitches, 67 strikes). Juan Villarreal 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K. Eli Skidmore (W, 3-0) 2.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K.
  • Ole Miss: Wil Libbert 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (68 pitches, 41 strikes). JP Robertson 0.1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K. Landon Waters 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. Landon Koenig (L, 3-1) 2.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K. Walker Hooks 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K. Owen Kelly 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K.

Hitting leaders:

  • Missouri: Kam Durnin 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 3 R, 1 SB. Mateo Serna 3-5, 2 RBI. Kaden Peer 1-4, HR (grand slam), 4 RBI. Jase Woita 2-6, HR, 1 RBI. Donovan Jordan 2-4, 1 BB, 1 R.
  • Ole Miss: Hayden Federico 2-5, HR, 4 RBI. Dom Decker 2-5, HR, 1 RBI. Owen Paino 1-3, 2B, 1 RBI, 2 HBP. Tristan Bissetta 1-4, 2B, 1 RBI, 1 HBP. Austin Fawley 1-5, HR, 1 RBI.

ABS Challenge System (Day 1 of first-ever use in college baseball):

  • First-ever challenge in NCAA history: Ole Miss C Daniel Pacella, top of the 1st, vs. Missouri SS Kam Durnin. Called strike upheld. Ole Miss lost the challenge.
  • Missouri C Mateo Serna: 7-for-8 on challenges initiated

For More on the 2026 SEC Tournament

2026 SEC Baseball Tournament Schedule

All times Eastern. Second game of each session begins approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.

Tuesday, May 19 — First Round (SEC Network)
Game 1: No. 9 Ole Miss vs. No. 16 Missouri — 10:30 a.m. (Missouri 10, Ole Miss 8 — FINAL)
Game 2: No. 12 Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 Kentucky — 2 p.m.
Game 3: No. 10 Tennessee vs. No. 15 South Carolina — 5:30 p.m.
Game 4: No. 11 Oklahoma vs. No. 14 LSU — 9 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20 — Second Round (SEC Network)
Game 5: Missouri vs. No. 8 Mississippi State — 10:30 a.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 2 vs. No. 5 Florida — 2 p.m.
Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. No. 7 Arkansas — 5:30 p.m.
Game 8: Winner Game 4 vs. No. 6 Auburn — 9 p.m.

Thursday, May 21 — Quarterfinals (SEC Network)
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. No. 1 Georgia — 4 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 6 vs. No. 4 Alabama — 8 p.m.

Friday, May 22 — Quarterfinals (SEC Network)
Game 11: Winner Game 7 vs. No. 2 Texas — 4 p.m.
Game 12: Winner Game 8 vs. No. 3 Texas A&M — 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 23 — Semifinals (SEC Network)
Game 13: Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 — 1 p.m.
Game 14: Winner Game 11 vs. Winner Game 12 — 5 p.m.

Sunday, May 24 — Championship (ABC)
Game 15: Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 14 — 2 p.m.

Official Sources

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