Ole Miss Baseball Returns Experience, Power and Options Heading Into 2026

OXFORD, Miss. — With the start of the Ole Miss baseball season fast approaching, head coach Mike Bianco enters his 26th year in Oxford facing a challenge every coach hopes to have.

After a 43–21 campaign in 2025 that ended with the Rebels hosting a regional and returning to the postseason for the first time since their 2022 national championship run, Ole Miss heads into 2026 with momentum — and an abundance of options.

Simply put, the Rebels are loaded.

Ole Miss brings back seven position players who logged significant innings a season ago, giving Bianco one of the deepest and most competitive rosters he’s had during his long tenure. The difficult part won’t be finding talent — it will be deciding how to deploy it.

For a program looking to build on its return to national relevance, it’s a “problem” that speaks volumes about where Ole Miss baseball stands heading into the spring.

Key Returners:

• Will Furniss IV- 1B
• Collin Reuter – 1B/C
• Judd Utermark -UTL
• Hayden Federico – OF/2B
• Austin Fawley – C
• Brayden Randle – MIF
• Owen Paino – IF

This returning group is great, with most of them being upperclassmen — exceptions apply to Federico and Paino, who both enter their true sophomore seasons — but the overall experience has propelled much of the anticipation for the 2026 campaign.

The biggest strength of these returning pieces? Going yard. These seven Rebels, plus those who departed, combined for a program record of 124 home runs in 2025, surpassing the previous mark of 108 by the national championship team in 2022.

Although there are so many pivotal returning members, it’s also worth taking a look at the impact of Ole Miss’ loss of positional players who exceeded their eligibility or entered the draft.

Key Departures:

• Luke Hill – IF – 4th round – Only position player drafted in 2025
• Isaac Humphery – OF – Exceeded Eligibility
• Ryan Moreman – OF- Exceeded Eligibility
• Mitchell Sanford – OF- Exceeded Eligibility
• Luke Cheng – SS – Exceeded Eligibility

However, Ole Miss did not waste any opportunities on the portal, bringing in some very talented and possibly more well-rounded replacements.

Key Transfers in:

• Daniel Pacella – OF- Illinois State
• Tristan Bissetta – OF- Clemson
• Dom Decker – IF – Murray State
• Topher Jones – IF – Pearl River Community College

Each of these new additions offers a variety of skills. Listed below are some of the most notable stats for each new face.

Daniel Pacella: a true senior, notched 48 career home runs during his time at Illinois State while maintaining a .331 batting average and a 1.040 OPS.

Tristan Bissetta: a true senior, holds a career .827 OPS, while showcasing a great glove in the outfield paired with elite speed.

Dom Decker: a true junior, helped Murray State reach its first appearance in Omaha in his only year with the program, posting an elite on-base percentage and batting average, with a slash-line of .351/.496/.464 for a .961 OPS, without recording a home run and totaling 74 hits- 21 extra base hits- and a 47/40 walk/strikeout ratio with 15 hit by pitches as well.

Topher Jones: a true sophomore and former 14th overall player in Mississippi, showcased his elite offensive upside for the Strasburg Express summer ball team, appearing in 17 games and in 80plate appearances, slashing .366/.425/.577 for a 1.002 OPS, adding 4 home runs, 16 RBIs, with 26 hits over the course of 71 at-bats.

What is the biggest strength of the new guys? In my opinion it’s their ability to compliment the returning members and form a well-rounded offense.

Pacella and Jones will pair nicely with the power hitters, Utermark and Fawley, who are both coming off 20-plus home run seasons. Decker and Bissetta, alongside Federico and Randle, will look to get on base and get into scoring position, setting up players like Furniss and Reuter who excel in driving in runs with power — as well as the ability to spray the ball over the yard.

A Look Ahead – Media Day set for February 10

The new faces set to take field at Swayze, along with those returning, provide Ole Miss with the best problem they could possibly have: who will be the starters?

Ole Miss baseball media day is set for next Tuesday, February 10, and we will hear from Coach Bianco on his starting lineup then. Just know that throughout the season, new faces, such as the incoming freshmen and transfers, will continue to make their way into the lineup, and an exciting season of Rebels baseball is soon to be upon us.

Ole Miss will open their season next Friday as they host the Nevada Wolf Pack, where the first pitch is set for 4 p.m. CT.