Ole Miss Baseball Lands Talented Pitcher From Transfer Portal

The Ole Miss Rebels are adding a lot of talent through the transfer portal already.

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Mike Bianco looks to the outfield before a game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Charles Schwab Field. | Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images

The Ole Miss Rebels have been active in the transfer portal just days after their season came to a close at the 2026 College World Series.

On Thursday, Ole Miss received a commitment from former Jacksonville State starting pitcher Eli Pillsbury, who announced the decision on social media.

Pillsbury becomes the fourth pitcher added through the transfer portal. He joins Brent Stukes (South Carolina Upstate), Mavrick Rizy (LSU), and Charlie Wilcox (Georgia Tech).

Evaluating Ole Miss's Newest Transfer

Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco walks from the pitching mound as his team plays Southern Miss in Game 1 of a NCAA Super Regional game at Pete Taylor Park. Ole Miss won, 10-0. | Chuck Cook-Imagn Images

Pillsbury is a redshirt junior, stands at 6'2", 200 pounds, and throws from the left side. In high school, he was the second-ranked left-handed pitcher coming out of Indiana. He spent the first two years at John A. Logan College in Illinois before transferring to NC State. Pillsbury didn't play with the Wolfpack, so he transferred to Jacksonville State last year.

He made 16 starts and posted a 6-3 record with a 4.07 ERA. He pitched just over 77 innings and only allowed six home runs. Pillsbury had multiple impressive starts. Most notably, against Kennesaw State, he pitched 7 1/3 innings and allowed one hit with 12 strikeouts.

Where Pillsbury stands out is his strikeout-to-walk ratio. Last year, he posted 89 strikeouts and only walked 29 batters. That is an incredibly important trait to have that could play out well with the Rebels.

Ole Miss Has Improved the Pitching Staff

Mike Bianco and pitching coach Joel Mangrum have done an excellent job of adding pitching depth for the 2027 season. Taylor Rabe and Cade Townsend should hear their names called at next month's MLB draft, which would eliminate two consistent starting pitchers from the staff.

Rizy and Wilcox will be used out of the bullpen. That leaves Stukes and Pillsbury as potential starting pitchers each weekend. There is also a possibility that Pillsbury gets drafted, and he doesn't make it to Ole Miss. That'll be something to monitor.

If he makes it to Oxford, it's a huge benefit to add a pitcher who's handled a starter's workload before and can handle multiple innings in relief if needed. His proven track record of attacking hitters and generating swing-and-miss could bode well for the lefty.

There's no doubt that the Rebels will look a lot different next season. The draft could take a lot of talented players away, but so far, the transfer portal has helped offset those losses. The only substantial player that's entered the portal so far is infielder Brayden Randle.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.