Pitching Uncertainty Surrounds Ole Miss Ahead of Mississippi State Showdown

Mississippi State has its rotation in place, but Ole Miss faces major uncertainty on the mound entering the rivalry series.

Mississippi State Pitcher Tomas Valincius (#4) during the game between the Lipscomb Bisons and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Dudy Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium in Starkville, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

Whenever Ole Miss and Mississippi State meet, the matchup tends to take on a life of its own. Records don’t matter much, and neither does whatever happened the week before.

The rivalry has a way of creating its own rhythm, and this weekend’s series feels no different. Both teams enter with questions on the mound, but the uncertainty sits heavier on the Ole Miss side.

The Rebels announced only one starter for the weekend, and that’s Hunter Elliott on Friday. Saturday and Sunday are both listed as TBA, which is unusual this deep into the season.

Cade Townsend has been the regular Saturday starter, but he was listed as questionable on the initial Student-Athlete Availability Report. Even so, it would be surprising if he isn’t available. He missed last weekend’s Kentucky series, and if that absence was precautionary, he should be back in the mix.

Sunday is where things get murky.

Missouri transfer Wil Libbert has handled every series finale this year, but he wasn’t listed as the Sunday starter and wasn’t on the availability report either. That suggests Ole Miss may be preparing to go in a different direction.

Who that might be is unclear. Mike Bianco may not know for sure until he sees how the bullpen is used Friday and Saturday.

Owen Kelly has the most starts outside the usual trio, but he pitched Tuesday against Memphis. Hudson Calhoun has one start, and Terry Hayes Jr. has two, though Hayes is an unlikely option against a Mississippi State lineup that leads the SEC in batting average. Calhoun could get the nod. So could Taylor Rabe, who threw 2.2 hitless innings in his lone start against then-No. 7 Southern Miss.

Mississippi State, on the other hand, has at least settled on its rotation.

The Bulldogs know who they’re sending out, even if the performances haven’t always been smooth. The biggest question is how Charlie Foster will handle the Friday role.

Foster has three starts this season, and none have been long outings.

Against Hofstra on opening weekend, he allowed three runs on three hits with a walk and five strikeouts in three innings. His next start against Delaware lasted two innings after he gave up two unearned runs on four hits and two walks, again with five strikeouts.

His most recent start came against Tulane, where he worked 2.1 innings and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out three.

Those aren’t typical Friday night numbers, but Mississippi State at least has a plan and a rotation that’s set. The Bulldogs know who they’re handing the ball to each day, and that stability matters in a rivalry series where momentum can swing quickly.

Ole Miss is still sorting out its options. Mississippi State is rolling with what it has.

And as usual, once the first pitch is thrown, none of the uncertainty will matter much. This series tends to write its own script, and both teams will have to adjust on the fly.

Ole Miss Starting Pitchers

Mississippi Rebels relief pitcher Hunter Elliott (26) pitches during the ninth inning against the Murray State Racers. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Friday: Hunter Elliott, LHP

Season Stats: 3-0, 3.48 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 31 IP, 21 H, 13 R, 12 ER, 20 BB, 44 SO, 4 2B, 6 HR, .194 Opp. BA, 1 WP, 7 HBP

Saturday: Cade Townsend, RHP (*PROJECTED STARTER*)

Season Stats: 2-0, 0.92 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 19.2 IP, 12 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 32 SO, 3 2B, 1 HR, .169 Opp. BA, 1 HBP

Sunday: TBA

Season Stats: TBA

Notable Relief Pitchers

• Will Libbert: 2-2, 6.41 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 26.2 IP, 29 H, 20 R, 19 ER, 12 BB, 32 SO, 4 2B, 4 HR, .287 Opp. BA, 3 HBP, 1 BK
• Landon Waters: 0-1, 0.00 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 9 app., 1 SV, 9.1 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 5 BB, 15 SO, 1 2B, .188 Opp. BA, 2 WP
• JP Robertson: 2-1, 2.93 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 9 app. 15.1 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 22 SO, 3 2B, .232 Opp.BA, 1 HBP
• Landon Koenig: 1-0, 4.35 ERA, 1.74 WHIP, 8 app., 2 SV, 10.1 IP, 16 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 17 SO, 3 2B, 1 HR, .348 Opp. BA
• Taylor Rabe: 3-0, 2.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 6 app., 2 SV, 18 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 24 SO, 1 2B, 1 HR, .188 Opp. BA, 2 WP, 2 HBP
• Grayson Gibson: 1-1, 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 6 app. 12 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 11 SO, 2 2B, .132 Opp. BA, 4 HBP

Mississippi State Starting Pitchers

Friday: Charlie Foster, LHP

Season Stats: 0-0, 5.11 ERA, 2.03 WHIP, 8 app, 3 GS, 12.1 IP, 13 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 12 BB, 16 SO, 2 2B, 1 HR, .265 Opp. BA, 1 HBP

Saturday: Tomas Valincius, LHP

Season Stats: 5-0, 1.04 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 34.2 IP, 21 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 9 BB, 47 SO, 1 3B, 1 HR, .174 Opp. BA, 1 WP, 3 HBP

Sunday: Duke Stone, RHP

Season Stats: 4-0, 4.10 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 26.1 IP, 21 H, 15 R, 12 ER, 5 BB, 37 SO, 3 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, .216 Opp. BA, 1 WP, 6 HBP

This weekend on the bump pic.twitter.com/76sHVCWZbZ

— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) March 26, 2026

Notable Relief Pitchers

• Dane Burns: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, .71 WHIP, 10 app., 5.2 IP, 4 BB, 7 SO, .000 Opp. BA, 1 WP, 1 HBP
• Maddox Webb: 0-0, 1.93 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 10 app., 1 SV, 9.1 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 13 SO, .250 Opp. BA, 1 HBP
• Jack Gleason: 2-0, 1.93 ERA, .93 WHIP, 11 app. 14 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 25 SO, 2 2B, 2 HR, .180 Opp. BA, 4 HBP, 1 BK
• Ben Davis: 0-1, 4.91 ERA, .82 WHIP, 7 app., 3 SV, 14.2 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 18 SO, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, .189 Opp. BA, 5 HBP
• Brendan Sweeney: 0-0, 4.85 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 8 app., 1 SV, 13 IP, 11 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 4 BB, 15 SO, 4 2B, 2 HR, .229 Opp. BA