No. 23 Ole Miss Baseball Powers Past No. 9 Vanderbilt for Game One Victory, 8-3

OXFORD, Miss. — The No. 23-ranked Ole Miss Rebels took game one of an important Southeastern Conference series against No. 9 Vanderbilt, using strong pitching and their powerful offensive presence to secure an 8-3 victory over the Commodores.

Series opener to the REBS!

See you tomorrow at 5 p.m. for Game 2. pic.twitter.com/be160laZ23

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 26, 2025

Following the game, head coach Mike Bianco explained the keys to the victory and how important the game one win was.

“Not taking anything away from their offense (Vandy) but they can really, really pitch. (JD) Thompson is one of those Friday aces that you knew you’d be in a battle with, and we were. You hope that maybe you run into a couple, and we did. The other thing was to bunch the innings together. They threw it better in the zone than we did, but we got three HBPs, a couple of wild pitch/passed balls, and some big hits.”

~ Bianco on the key to the game one win

Game Recap

After a couple of rough outings the past few weeks, Ole Miss southpaw Hunter Elliott was in desperate need of a stellar performance to open the series. The Rebel starter did walk a pair in the top of the first, but a pick off and a strike out helped the lefty strand a few in a scoreless opening frame.

In the bottom of the first, freshman Hayden Federico led off the inning with a first-pitch home run over the left-center field wall to give the Rebels an early 1-0. Lefty JD Thompson got the Friday night start for the Commodores, coming off of a 14 strikeout performance against the Georgia Bulldogs a week ago.

Third leadoff homer in SEC play for @haydenfederico3! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/8pGZRdaTKh

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 25, 2025

Jacob Humphrey led off the top of the second with a triple for the Vanderbilt offense. Elliott did limit the damage for Ole Miss, but a sacrifice fly into left tied the game at 1-1 through two played.

Thompson left five runners stranded for the Rebel offense from the second inning all the way into the fifth before he was replaced. His counterpart, Elliott, allowed just one more hit in his outing as he made it through the fifth before being replaced by Mason Morris at the start of the sixth. The Ole Miss starter finished with five innings of work, allowed two hits, one earned run, issued five walks, and punched out six.

After the win, Bianco talked about why he believed the Rebel starter was the key to taking the game one victory.

“Friday night is usually about aces, and he showed up big time tonight. Five walks, if you want to be super critical, but at the end of the day it’s about putting zeros up and winning the baseball game.”

~ Bianco on Elliott’s performance

Big Game Hunter™️ pic.twitter.com/ZIUs1a9Cq7

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 26, 2025

Luke Hill finally broke the scoring drought with a no-doubt home run to lead off the bottom of the fifth with Thompson still in the game. The Commodore starter stayed in the game to record the first out but a single and a walk put runners on for Will Furniss. The Ole Miss first baseman singled right back up the middle to make it a 3-1 Rebel lead and put runners on the corners.

Luke with the Nuke ☢️@Luke_Hill22 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/kijJBAvphc

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 26, 2025

Knock ’em home @WillFurniss pic.twitter.com/uItyAZhhO1

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 26, 2025

Luke Guth took over for Thompson after the RBI-single for Furniss, but the bleeding did not stop there for Vanderbilt. With runners on the corners, a wild pitch scored Ryan Moerman from third to make it 4-1. Shortly after, Isaac Humphrey singled on a dribbler to the pitcher to put runners on the corners again. The Rebels scored another run without a ball leaving the infield, this time on a passed ball as Furniss trotted home to make it a 5-1 lead after five innings.

The Commodores went through two more arms over the course of the next two innings, sending England Bryan out to post a scoreless frame in the sixth and Ryan Ginther doing the same in the seventh. On the other side, Morris sat down four-straight Vanderbilt batters before the Commodore lineup finally broke through.

A lead off walk issued in the top of the eighth by Morris eventually allowed Braden Holcomb to cut the Ole Miss lead to 5-3 with a two-run shot over the left field wall. Morris gave up a single immediately after the home run and was then replaced by Will McCausland. A punch out and runner caught stealing at second ended the threat for the Commodore offense shortly after.

Tommy O’Rourke entered the game to begin the bottom of the eighth for Vanderbilt, and Federico led off the frame with a single through the shift. A wild pitch advanced the freshman designated hitter to second, and Connor Chisolm replaced him as a pinch runner. Hill then reached on a throwing error, advancing to second on the play as Chisolm scored.

Two pitches later, Judd Utermark sent a line-shot into the left field stands for a two-run home run. The 12th long ball of the season for Utermark gave the Rebels an 8-3 heading into the ninth with McCausland still on the mound. The righty sat the Commodores down in order, picking up his second save of the 2025 season.

That’s a no-doubter 💣@JuddUtermark | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/ywm880c2JU

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 26, 2025

McCausland finished with 1.2 perfect innings of work, picking up a pair of strike outs along the way. After the win, Bianco commented on the recent outstanding performances from the former Saint Joseph’s transfer.

“He (McCausland) fills up the strike zone. The fastball has gone up a tick, the cutter has gone up a tick, I think he’s feeling good. Sometimes it’s hard to find your niche; we have tried some different things with him — he’s another guy that can come in for us, late in the game and finish. He throws a ton of strikes but he’s not just a strike thrower.”

~ Bianco on McCausland’s recent play

Mitchell Sanford led the Rebels at the plate with a 3-for-4 day while Furniss and Federico also added a pair of hits to their lines. Elliott was credited with the win, advancing to 6-2 on the year.

Up Next

The Rebels will be back at Swayze on Saturday, April 26, for game two of the series versus No. 9 Vanderbilt. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT and will be televised on the SEC Network.