Multiple First Round Major League Baseball Picks for the Rebels

Once the 23rd pick was called, Ole Miss had a player ready to head to the big leagues, and shortly after, another came.

Ole Miss Rebels' Cade Townsend pitches as Ole Miss Rebels take on LSU Tigers during the SEC baseball tournament at Hoover Met | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As the Ole Miss Rebels finished their season in the College World Series, we heard about players returning, but as the draft approached, a couple of players were eligible. For the first time in Ole Miss history, two Rebels were selected in the first round of the same Major League Baseball Draft.

Cade Townsend was selected in the first round by the Chicago Cubs as the 23rd overall pick. Taylor Rabe came in as the 30th overall pick by the Kansas City Royals. Townsend is the ninth first-round pick in program history, and Rabe followed suit as the 10th pick seven picks later.

Cade Townsend 

Ole Miss pitcher Cade Townsend celebrates a strikeout during a NCAA baseball game between Tennessee and Ole Miss | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The true sophomore came out of his shell in the 2026 season, becoming one of the SEC’s top pitchers. He concluded the regular season with an ERA of 3.81, an opposing batting average of .218, the fewest home runs allowed at 9, and batters struck out looking at 26. He finished with 12.38 strikeouts per nine innings, ranking sixth in the SEC. He obtained a WHIP of 1.20, placing him at 15th and 16th in strikeout-to-walk ratio of 4.00. 

Townsend was the Cubs’ first pick, also becoming one of the first college pitchers to be claimed. Scouts were in awe of his fastball, which reaches the high 90s, and his ability to miss bats despite some shoulder issues during the season. 

At the beginning of the season, his shoulder discomfort pulled him away from his dominant start. Instead of a significant fall, he returned, finished the year strong, and showed why he was a player teams would want. 

Taylor Rabe 

Ole Miss pitcher Taylor Rabe makes a pitch against Alabama in the final week of the regular season at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Rabe was another standout and led all Rebel pitchers in ERA at 3.55, an opposing batting average at .221, fewest runs allowed with 30, and fewest walks allowed, 15, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio 7 and 12.43 strikeouts per nine innings. In 2026, he completed the season with 105 strikeouts, reaching the 100-strikeout mark for the first time. 

He finished as the SEC leader in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 7.00; he became the fourth-best ratio in all of Division I and second-best amongst players in the Power Four conferences. He issued 15 walks all season, making 105 kills.

With back-to-back 10-plus strikeout outings after his 14 against Texas A&M and 13 against Alabama, for the first time since 2024 when Liam Doyle did it. For the first time since Gunnar Hoglund in 2021, Rabe’s 27 total strikeouts with those two outings. In his final five starts, he claimed 51 strikeouts. 

These two pitchers took the Rebels far, and now it is their turn to grow in their own careers. The recruiting and transfer portal outlook will only improve with two first-round picks.

The Royals and Cubs have received two phenomenal players, with a lifetime of talent and success lying ahead.  And the sun is still shining following Hunter Elliott’s announcement this morning about his return in the Rebel uniform next season.

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