OXFORD, Miss. – No. 11 Ole Miss baseball will host Little Rock Tuesday morning for its annual Kids’ Day game. First pitch is set for 11 a.m. at Swayze Field.
LEADING OFF
- Ole Miss took one of three games against No. 5 Tennessee last weekend for their first series loss since the opening weekend of conference play.
- The Rebels have now matched their win total from 2024 with 27 wins on the season.
- Their three SEC series wins also matches their total from 2024 and they are one series win away from matching their combined total from the past two seasons.
- Ole Miss is ranked in all five polls this week coming in at No. 11 in the D1Baseball poll, USA Today and Baseball America polls, and No. 12 in the Perfect Game poll and NCBWA poll.
- Luke Hill is on an 14-game hitting streak, hitting .414 with 21 runs scored, 13 RBI, and 13 walks during that stretch.
- The Rebels now lead the SEC in total walks drawn as a team with 230 free passes so far this season.
- Ole Miss has hit 71 home runs this season, eighth-most in the NCAA and fourth-most in the SEC. They are eighth in the nation in home runs per game, averaging 1.97 home runs per game.
- They are top 10 in the SEC in batting average, doubles, hits, on base percentage, runs scored, slugging percentage, and stolen bases.
- Ole Miss’ pitching staff is ranked seventh in the NCAA in K/9 (11.4) and 12th in K:BB at 2.89.
PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUP
RHP Cade Townsend (1-0, 7.24 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Busick (0-0, 9.00 ERA)
TICKET INFORMATION
Single game tickets for all home games at Swayze Field can be purchased here.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Tuesday’s game will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with Jake Hromada (PxP) and Matt McLaughlin (analyst) on the call.
Fans can listen to all games, home and away, on the Ole Miss Radio Network with David Kellum (PxP) and Brad Henderson (analyst) on the call.
SCOUTING REPORT
Chris Curry is in his 11th season at the helm of the Little Rock baseball program.
The Trojans are currently 15-19 (5-6 OVC) in the 2025 season and are coming off a series sweep over Morehead State where the Trojans outscored the Eagles 27-13 throughout the weekend.
Ole Miss leads the all-time series over Little Rock, 22-5. The last meeting between the Trojans and Rebels was February 27, 2024 where Ole Miss secured the 12-6 win over Little Rock in Oxford.
SO HOT RIGHT NOW
Luke Hill is currently riding a 14-game hitting streak and a 20-game on base streak. Over his last 14 games, Hill is hitting .414 (24-for-58) with two home runs, 21 runs scored, 13 RBI, and 13 walks.
Hill hit two home runs in the series win against Kentucky including the go-ahead, game-winning shot in the top of the 12th inning of game three.
WE’LL TAKE IT
Over their last 16 games, the Rebels have worked 110 walks and been hit by pitches 21 times for 131 total free passes. They now lead the SEC in total walks with 230 and are averaging 6.39 walks per game.
Luke Hill leads the team with 31 walks while Will Furniss, Hayden Federico, and Isaac Humphrey all have 26.
Ole Miss drew 18 walks on April 1 against Jackson State, one shy of the program record set last season against High Point.
WASTE NO TIME
The Rebels are outscoring opponents 50-15 in the first inning and 82-33 over the first two innings of games this season, jumping on opponents early. They are 17-2 when scoring in the first inning and 22-1 when they score the first run of a game.
NEVER SAFE
The Rebel pitching staff has picked off 14 runners this season, their highest total since 2002. They lead the SEC in total pickoffs by a wide margin with the next highest total being eight. Hunter Elliott leads the team with seven pickoffs, the most by a Rebel pitcher in the Bianco Era.
OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
The Rebels set new program records for runs scored and RBI in a single game in their 29-1 win over Alcorn State last Wednesday. Their 29 runs scored took down a program record that had stood since 1989 when Ole Miss defeated Illinois College 28-0.
The previous single-game RBI record was 25 which had been accomplished three times and as recently as last season against High Point. The Rebels collected 27 RBI in the win over Alcorn to set a new record.
The Ole Miss offense also had 44 total bases which was just two shy of the single-game program record and 23 hits which was four short of the program record.
IN A PINCH
Will Furniss has made the most of his pinch-hitting opportunities, hitting .600 (3-for-5) in those situations.
He went 3-for-3 in pinch hit opportunities in the series against Missouri, hitting a three-RBI home run on Saturday and a double on Sunday.
REBEL NATION STAND UP
Ole Miss currently sports the third-highest attendance numbers in the NCAA, averaging 9,463 fans through the first 24 home games of the season. 227,103 total fans have already walked through the gates at Swayze Field this season.
SEC schools make up nine of the top 10 in attendance numbers with LSU, Arkansas, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss making up the top four.
NOT JUST YOUR SUNDAY STARTER
Last week, Mason Nichols was named one of this year’s 90 recipients for the Taylor Medal, the highest academic honor awarded by the University of Mississippi. He is the 28th Rebel athlete to earn the Taylor Medal since 2007.
Nichols has been a mainstay in the Rebels’ starting rotation this season, making a start in every weekend series so far. In eight starts, he has posted an ERA of 4.83 while striking out 39 batters over 31.2 innings of work. On March 2, in a start against Wright State Nichols struck out a career-high 10 hitters and is one of only two Rebel pitchers to reach double-digit strikeouts in a game this season.
Nichols will graduate with a degree in biological sciences in May. A three-year team representative on Ole Miss’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Nichols’ community involvement has included volunteering at events for individuals with special needs, church activities for the elderly and team projects to give back to low-income families.
STAY CONNECTED
Get rewarded for attending events by joining Rebel Rewards powered by Coca-Cola, the official fan loyalty program of the Ole Miss Rebels. Download the Ole Miss Sports mobile app, sign up for a Rebel Rewards account, and start earning points immediately that can be redeemed for exclusive prizes and experiences.
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Rebels by following Ole Miss baseball on X at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Facebook.com/OleMissBaseball, on Instagram at Instagram.com/officialolemissbsb and on TikTok at @olemissbsb. Also, follow head coach Mike Bianco on X at @CoachMikeBianco.
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