Rebels Unload on High Point, Defeat Panthers 25-2 to Take the Series in Rubber Game
OXFORD, Miss. – A day after beating High Point 12-2 in a run-rule victory, Ole Miss baseball decided to one-up themselves in the finale, absolutely crushing the Panthers 25-2 to take the series win. The Rebels exploded for 11 runs in the first inning, including four home runs, and never looked back, piling up 16 hits and 19 walks (a program record for walks). Pitcher Grayson Saunier was electric as well, going four complete innings, allowing just one run. The victory moves Ole Miss to 4-4 on the season as the team prepares for a long upcoming week in which they will play five games.
Starting Off With A LOUD Bang
If Ole Miss wants to make any kind of deep run in 2024, Grayson Saunier is going to be a key to that. He got off to a strong start against the Panthers, getting two flyouts and a groundout in the first on just seven pitches. That set the table for Ethan Groff to lead off for Ole Miss in the bottom half. And Groff wasted no time, destroying the second pitch he saw for a leadoff bomb.
Second pitch of the game HOME RUN for @ethangroff12 🤯 pic.twitter.com/TGdv9saWsH
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 25, 2024
And Groff was just the start. After the homer, Andrew Fischer doubled, followed by both Ethan Lege and Jackson Ross taking walks. With the bases loaded and still nobody out, Will Furniss absolutely tattooed the second pitch he saw 428 feet for the first grand slam of the season.
First inning GRAND SLAM @willfurniss 🥵 pic.twitter.com/AirtedT19N
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 25, 2024
And if you thought the Rebels were done, well, you’d be very wrong.
Luke Hill followed the grand slam with a single up the middle, which would lead to a High Point pitching change. The pitching change wouldn’t matter. After Treyson Hughes flied out to record the first out of the frame, Reagan Burford smoked a two-run shot to make it 7-0.
Burf hits our third homer of the first inning 💣💣💣
📺 SECN+ pic.twitter.com/ne6MF54bIU
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 25, 2024
Ole Miss. Rebel catcher Campbell Smithwick would then walk, and Ethan Groff, who led off the inning with a homer, would then single. Andrew Fischer would then walk to load the bases, and Ethan Lege would bring in Smithwick with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-0 Rebs.
And then Jackson Ross, who had two homers on Saturday night, would add to his incredible weekend with a 455-foot three-run bomb to make it 11-0.
JACKSON ROSS pic.twitter.com/CYlZ5tJR5T
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 25, 2024
Ross’ weekend was one for the books. He finished the three-game set with 9 at-bats, 7 hits, 8 runs, 10 RBI, 4 home runs, 4 walks, and just one strikeout.
“They call him ‘Sergeant Ross.’ I don’t know if that’s just because of the leadership, I think it has something to do with that and some that he’s one of the older guys there. But he’s one of those guys that doesn’t say a ton, but you can see his presence. He commands a lot of respect in the way he goes about his business… His work ethic and the way he approaches the game every single day, very mature; pre-med student, he’s got a ton of respect, not only on the field but off the field.“
Mike Bianco on Jackson Ross
After two pitching changes for High Point, seven hits, four homers, and 15 men coming to the plate, the first inning would mercifully end for the Panthers with a Luke Hill flyout.
Running Away With It Early
After a LONG wait in the dugout, Grayson Saunier issued a leadoff walk to start the second inning, but bounced back nicely with back-to-back strikeouts and a flyout to keep the Panthers off the board.
And then the offense went back to work. In a big way.
Treyson Hughes led off the inning with a strikeout, but Reagan Burford would follow by being hit by a pitch. Campbell Smithwick would then walk for the second time, leading to an RBI double for Ethan Groff. The double put Groff a triple away from the cycle in just the second inning.
Andrew Fischer would then announce his presence with a three-run shot to dead center, putting Ole Miss up 15-0 in an absolute bloodbath.
Fisch makes it 15 😬
💣 @sirfischer3
📺 SECN+ pic.twitter.com/2dfKi51gtf— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 25, 2024
“I got a little help from the wind, but that’s gonna happen. You’re gonna get a couple of knocks that maybe you didn’t earn there, and then there’s gonna be one you smoke right at someone and they catch it, so yeah, that’s baseball.“
Andrew Fischer on his home run
The Rebels would do no more damage in the frame, but would bat around for the second consecutive inning.
Panthers Try To Chip Away…
In the top half of the third, Saunier would get two quick outs, looking to get back to the dugout early yet again. But the Panthers were determined to try and get something going, knocking back-to-back two-out singles, putting runners on the corners with two away. A 2-2 pitch would then get away from Campbell Smithwick, allowing a run to score for High Point, making it 15-1. But Saunier refused to get rattled, bouncing back with a strikeout of Cael Chatham to end the frame and shut down the attempted rally.
…And The Rebs Pour More On
After High Point plated a run in the top half of the third, Ole Miss got right back, and then some. After Reagan Burford was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, back-to-back walks would load the bases for the fourth time for the Rebels. Andrew Fischer would then chop one to the second baseman, but a throwing error would allow a run to score and keep the bases juiced, making it 16-1. Judd Utermark followed with a two-RBI single and Ole Miss led 18-1.
Two more come in off the bat of @juddutermark pic.twitter.com/vokures4Z4
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 25, 2024
Jackson Ross would then walk to reload the bases for Will Furniss. The Panthers wanted no part of him, and he walked as well, scoring a run to make it 19-1. Luke Hill would also be issued a free pass, making it 20-1. Treyson Hughes would then hit another grounder to second, and this time the second baseman bobbled it, allowing him to get only one out at second base, making it 21-1 Rebs.
Following another pitching change for the Panthers, Campbell Smithwick would hit a SAC fly to make it 22-1. An Ethan Groff fly out would end the inning with the Rebels in complete control.
Saunier Continues To Shine, Offense Keeps Tacking On
While the offense was clearly the story, Grayson Saunier quietly just kept dealing on the mound. After a groundout to start the fourth, Saunier issued a walk and a single with one out. But, again refusing to be rattled, he responded with two consecutive strikeouts to end the frame, brining his total to five K’s on the afternoon.
And the offense wasn’t done giving him insurance. Lots of insurance.
After Seth Farni led off the inning with a strikeout, Judd Utermark would walk and Jackson Ross would single. Trenton Lyons, in his second career at-bat, would follow with an RBI double to make it 23-1 Rebels. Brayden Randle would then collect his first RBI of the season as well with a single to make it 24-1. A Treyson Hughes SAC fly would end the scoring for the inning, making it 25-1 Rebs after four complete.
The fourth would be the final inning of the afternoon for Saunier, and what an outing it was. His final stat line:
4 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 5 strikeouts, and just 2 walks on 69 pitches.
“I’ve never really had to do that before, so hats off to our offense, that was incredible and fun to watch. I was definitely getting a little tired in the fourth inning, but pretty cool.”
Grayson Saunier on the long waits while the offense kept scoring
Winding Down
Liam Doyle would come on in the fifth to take over on the bump for the Rebels, and he would pitch a scoreless fifth. The Rebels would start the home half with a walk by Eli Berch, but Connor Chisolm would ground into a double play immediately after. Seth Farni would then smoke a two-out triple into deep right center, but Judd Utermark would then fly out, marking the first inning of the game where the Rebels did not score.
Austin Simmons, also a quarterback on the Ole Miss football team, would then replace Doyle on the mound for the sixth. The Panthers would get a leadoff double, followed by a single and a fielder’s choice at second base to score a run and make it 25-2. But Simmons would then get a flyout to right and a strikeout to finish off the frame.
After the Rebs went down quietly in the home half, Connor Spencer would replace Austin Simmons on the mound and finish things off in the seventh, giving Ole Miss its second consecutive run-rule victory over the Panthers by a final of 25-2. The win moved the Rebels to 4-4 on the season and gave them back-to-back wins for the second time this season.
Looking Ahead
The Rebels will now prepare for a quick turnaround as they will play five games next week, starting with Little Rock on Tuesday.
Ole Miss will then face Missouri State on Wednesday before welcoming a very good Iowa Hawkeyes team to Swayze Field for the weekend. Both Tuesday and Wednesday’s games are scheduled for a 4:00 PM first pitch, and both will be aired on the SEC Network+. As always, stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for all of your updates.
Austin Eldridge
Austin has more than ten years in sports media, including sports talk radio, play-by-play broadcasting and journalism. He has followed Ole Miss athletics for his entire life and has covered the Rebels and the rest of the SEC while working in the Memphis media market. Outside of sports media, Austin is a musician and outdoorsman. Before a serious accident forced him to be medically discharged, he was a multi-media journalist with the Mississippi National Guard.
