'Energy!' Ole Miss Thrives in 'Relentless' Series Win Over Mississippi State

The Ole Miss Rebels reversed their recent fortunes this weekend with a series win over the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

OXFORD - The last few weeks had not been kind to the Ole Miss Rebels, but Saturday and Sunday helped salve those wounds, at least for the time being.

The Rebels (20-16, 5-10 SEC) claimed a walk-off win in extra innings over the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Saturday night, and they had another walk-off win on Sunday afternoon, this time to secure a run-rule decision in seven innings. This marked Ole Miss' first baseball series win over their in-state rivals since 2015, and it could not have come at a better time.

Prior to Saturday night, Ole Miss had lost eight straight games and was flirting with the basement of the Southeastern Conference standings. Now, even though there is still plenty of work to do, the energy has seemingly returned to the Rebels dugout.

Outfielder Ethan Lege was the hero at the plate for Ole Miss on Sunday, registering two hits, three RBIs, two homers and one walk in Sunday's 14-2 win.

"It's huge for our energy, especially beating State like that," Lege said postgame. "I love it. Feels great, energy's back, and on to next week."

READ MORE: Ole Miss Crushes No. 22 Mississippi State to Earn First Rivalry Series Win Since 2015

Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco was ejected from Saturday night's game for taking issue with Mississippi State catcher Johnny Long's home run celebration in extra innings, one that featured a bat flip in the direction of the Rebels dugout.

Bianco's message to his team before Sunday's game? Build off of the previous day's momentum, specifically the energy that came from Jackson Ross' walk-off single in the 12th.

"Feed off of yesterday, the walk-off," Lege said. "Use that to our advantage, get the energy back up, and we did.

"[The energy has] completely shifted. It's the opposite now. I think yesterday got it going, and now, it feels great."

Lege's performance shouldn't take away from what starter Mason Nichols was able to accomplish on the mound, however. In his second career start, the junior righty worked 6.1 innings, allowing one earned run, zero walks, and four hits while striking out four batters.

Even with his superb performance, Nichols had to battle with some shoulder soreness before and during his outing, which makes his final stat line even more impressive.

"Honestly, physically, didn't feel great," Nichols said. "Just kind of grit through it a little bit, but I felt great with the result. Took some real resolve to get to that lineup. They have a good lineup, and we earned giving it to them."

After the game, Nichols didn't seem too bothered by his shoulder, however. His focus instead rested on what his team had just accomplished: putting an end to its losing streak and taking down a rival in the process.

"That's not really the story," Nichols said of his shoulder. "The story is this team, how relentless we were. It's really impressive because this season hasn't been great so far. I'm proud of these guys, and I love every single one of them."

The Rebels will now prepare to hit the road for a midweek game against the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Tuesday night before traveling to Athens to face the Georgia Bulldogs next weekend.

First pitch in Jonesboro on Tuesday is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on ESPN+.