Ole Miss Baseball Wins Game Three over Missouri State to Sweep Bears
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss baseball clinched the series sweep against Missouri State, winning 3-2 in nine innings Sunday afternoon in game three.
Final from Oxford! pic.twitter.com/94EyrRVL9m
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) February 22, 2026
Top Performer: Walker Hooks
Hooks came in and only pitched two innings, but they were impactful ones. In the sixth, he came in with the Rebels behind 2-1 and he struck out the side. In the seventh, he recorded a 1-2-3 inning. In a shorter day at the office, Hooks looked incredible.
The Recap
After a strong first inning on the mound from Wil Libbert, where he had two strikeouts, the powerful Ole Miss bats struck again. Dom Decker notched his first career home run, a shot into the Ole Miss bullpen. Missouri State struggled on the mound, walking two batters early, with the pitch count touching 30 after the first.
Missouri State hit a home run in the second to tie the game up. On a windy day at Swayze, anything hit to right field had a chance of going out. Libbert continued to add more strikeouts, with two in the second inning. The Rebel offense stalled in the second, which would end up lasting for a majority of the game.
Ole Miss continued to draw walks, but the Rebels were entirely unable to convert any of them into runs. From the second inning until they finally got another hit in the sixth, the Ole Miss offense was nonexistent. This theme carried for both offenses until Missouri State got another hit and eventually took the lead because of an aggressive fielding play from Brayden Randle. Collin Reuter continued to try to keep the Rebels alive, as he had a consistent day with two doubles and getting on base with a walk.
Libbert’s day ended in the sixth, with five innings pitched and seven total strikeouts. Hooks came in to relieve Libbert and had a stellar two innings. Through two innings, Hooks had four strikeouts, doing exactly what was needed of him, that being shutting down the Missouri State offense.
A Judd Utermark home run in the seventh tied the game at two, and the formerly lifeless Rebels were suddenly alive again. JP Robertson came in to pitch for the eighth inning, not allowing another run. With more and more Ole Miss batters starting to get their swing back, the eighth is where they would win the game.
After a double from Reuter and a walk right after, Brayden Randle came up to the plate. Randle hit a ball up the middle to drive in Cannon Goldin, who had come in to pinch run for Reuter. This sealed the game as Robertson got through the ninth without allowing a run, securing the win and sweep for the Rebels.
Who’s Next
Ole Miss hosts Southeast Missouri State on February 24 at 4 p.m. The game will be on SEC Network+
Luke Dunavant
Luke Dunavant is a junior at the University of Mississippi, majoring in Journalism, with an emphasis in Sports Media and a minor in Sports Management. He is originally from Hernando, Mississippi, and graduated high school from Magnolia Heights. His favorite sports are basketball, football, and soccer. Growing up, he played baseball, football, and soccer at different points, immersing himself in the world of sports. He tries to always bring the same passion he had playing sports into covering them.
