3 up, 3 down: Ole Miss Baseball Keys to Advancing From Super Regional

The Rebels look to stay hot after three come-from-behind wins in the Lincoln Regional

Ole Miss catcher Collin Reuter (20) runs for second base during a college baseball game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. Mississippi State defeated Ole Miss in the Governor’s Cup 7-3. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels took care of business in three games at the Lincoln Regional this past weekend. The Rebels played three games and won all three in stressful fashion, as they didn't score the first run in any game.

The pitching was just enough to get the boys over the hump as they look to continue winning at the Auburn Super Regional.

Mike Bianco has yet to announce a starter for the June fifth matchup versus Auburn, but it will most likely flip back around to Hunter Elliott, who kicked things off for Ole Miss last Friday when the Rebels took Arizona State to 14 innings.

Elliott went five innings, striking out seven on 89 pitches and allowing just three runs.

Key factors for Rebels success offensively

Ole Miss' Hayden Federico (9) bats against Mississippi State in Oxford, Miss. on Saturday, March 28, 2026. | Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ole Miss as a team hit .250 as a team, collecting 30 hits over 120 at-bats. This isn't very good, especially since the Rebels barely walk.

Ole Miss had just 26 walks compared to 46 strikeouts and left 34 runners on base across those three regional games. Austin Fawley, who had just 24 walks all season, had really productive at-bats for Ole Miss this past weekend, walking five times, a step in the right direction.

The man shown above, Hayden Federico, was the spark plug for the Rebel offense, as he just couldn't get out. Federico batted .500 with three extra-base hits and added three walks himself, crossing the plate three times too.

Brayden Randle also batted .500, just four fewer at-bats. Walks and plate discipline will be the bread and butter for Ole Miss, as if they can get men on, guys like Tristan Bissetta and Judd Utermark can launch extra-base hits to score big runs for the Rebels.

Shutting down Auburn starters early

Auburn Tigers' Jackson Sanders (36) celebrates victory as Auburn Tigers take on Milwaukee Panthers during the NCAA Regional Baseball tournament at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala. on Monday, June 1, 2026. Auburn Tigers defeated Milwaukee Panthers 8-3. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Auburn had a rough start to their home regional last weekend. They ended up losing their first game to Milwaukee 13-8, then played an elimination game against NC State, and handled business 17-13. The Tigers then faced UCF, winning 9-3, before having to face Milwaukee again. They defeated Milwaukee twice to keep their season alive and advance in regional play.

Ethin Bingham led the Tigers in batting average, hitting .450, going 9-for-20. On the pitching side of things, the Tigers' starters were pretty good over the course of the regional. In three games, each starter went 7 innings while Ryan Hetzler and Jackson Sanders each added 11 strikeouts to their respective starts.

Getting ahead early on the Tigers pitching staff will be the key, as if they can terrorize the starters, the Tigers bullpen was a little rough in the first half of regional play, giving up 11 earned runs over 11.1 innings pitched. A good thing this Auburn bullpen does is strike hitters out. Over the next 13 innings, the Tigers struck out 21 batters and only gave up a run. They had a 12.6 K/9 in this regional.

Closing Games

Ole Miss outfielder Tristan Bissetta (32) and Ole Miss infielder Brayden Randle (1) celebrate after Bissetta hits a grand slam in the ninth inning during a NCAA baseball game between Tennessee and Ole Miss at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on April 18, 2026. | Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

When you hear the term closing the game out what do you usually think of: the closing pitcher?

In the Rebels' case, the problem wasn't closing the game out from the pitching staff but rather from the offense. Ole Miss had to come from behind in each regional game, but they obviously held a lead in these games, too.

When the Rebels held a lead in these games, they left 34 runners on base. Ole Miss cannot afford this again, especially against a great Auburn team.

Getting guys on, getting them over, and getting them in should be the Rebels' plan this weekend. For a team that loves the home run ball, it only showed up two times, and Tristan Bissetta hit both of them.

Guys like Utermark, Furniss, and Reuter need to step up and get some more extra base hits for the Rebels.

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