Ole Miss Baseball Unranked in Preseason Top 25 Rankings
OXFORD, Miss. — As Mike Bianco heads into his 26th season as the Rebels’ skipper, Ole Miss baseball is one month away from making its 2026 debut.
The Rebels are coming off a season few expected last year as their preseason ranking saw them predicted to finish in the bottom two of the Southeastern Conference. But they overcame the critics and went on to host and play in the finals of a home regional before falling to regional champion Murray State, 12-11. Ole Miss finished the season 43-21 overall, 16-14 in league play.
This season, there is a lot of buzz around Oxford — but apparently not enough for the voters at D1Baseball, who released their preseason top 25 poll on Tuesday which does not include the Rebels.
2026 Preseason Top 25
| RANKING | TEAM | 2025 RECORD | FINAL 2025 RANKING |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UCLA | 48-18 | 5 |
| 2 | LSU | 53-15 | 1 |
| 3 | Texas | 44-14 | 17 |
| 4 | Mississippi State | 36-23 | NR |
| 5 | Georgia Tech | 41-19 | 24 |
| 6 | Coastal Carolina | 56-13 | 2 |
| 7 | Arkansas | 50-15 | 3 |
| 8 | Louisville | 42-24 | 6 |
| 9 | Auburn | 41-20 | 11 |
| 10 | TCU | 39-20 | NR |
| 11 | North Carolina | 46-15 | 9 |
| 12 | Oregon State | 48-16-1 | 4 |
| 13 | Florida | 39-22 | NR |
| 14 | Tennessee | 46-19 | 12 |
| 15 | Georgia | 43-17 | 19 |
| 16 | Florida State | 42-16 | 10 |
| 17 | NC State | 35-21 | NR |
| 18 | Kentucky | 31-26 | NR |
| 19 | Clemson | 45-18 | 23 |
| 20 | Southern Miss | 47-16 | 22 |
| 21 | Wake Forest | 39-22 | NR |
| 22 | Miami | 35-27 | 16 |
| 23 | Vanderbilt | 43-18 | 18 |
| 24 | Arizona | 44-21 | 7 |
| 25 | Texas A&M | 30-26 | NR |
No preseason projections of conference standings has been released yet, but Ole Miss has to contend with eleven preseason top 25 teams in the SEC, including instate rival Mississippi State who sits inside the top 5.
However, all that being said, this team has the potential to work its way into yet another post season appearance.
Ole Miss is returning some major offensive pieces as well as ace pitcher Hunter Elliott, recently named to the Perfect Game Preseason All American third team.
Returning (Position Players):
Will Furniss- 1B
Collin Rueter- 1B/C
Judd Utermark- UTL
Brayden Randle- MI
Owen Paino- MI
Hayden Federico- UTL
Austin Fawley- C
Key Transfers (Position Players)
Daniel Pacella- OF
Tristan Bissetta- OF
Dom Decker- IF
Ole Miss lost two of its three weekend series starters, but retaining Elliot and Cade Townsend, the latter who worked his way into being the consistent mid week starter last year, is a huge step in the right direction.
Joel Mangrum, the Rebels’ pitching coach, impressed in his first season in the role, especially with his work in the transfer portal pitcher market.
A Look Ahead
Ole Miss will begin the season on Friday, February 13 as the Rebels host the Nevada Wolf Pack in the first series of the 2026 season.
Billy Kuhl
Billy Kuhl joins The Rebel Walk as a sophomore at Ole Miss majoring in Journalism with a Sports Media concentration. He is from Jefferson Township, New Jersey and graduated from Jefferson Township High School where he played varsity baseball, and soccer, and swam competitively in his summers. You can contact him at wpkuhl88@gmail.com or DM him on X @Billykuhll or instagram @Billykuhll_
