Ole Miss Baseball Upset in First Round of SEC Tournament by Missouri; Rebels Await NCAA Tournament Seeding

HOOVER, Ala. — The No. 9-seed Ole Miss Rebels’ fell to the No. 16-seed Missouri Tigers, 10-8, in an action-packed opening game of the SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium Thursday.

The game’s first pitch was at 9:33 a.m CT, and the contest did not conclude until 1:24 p.m CT for a duration of 3:51, where Mizzou rode a five-run fifth inning and a two-run eighth inning that were the difference in the day.

Ole Miss starting pitcher Wil Libbert faced off against his former squad for the first time, finishing his day with 4 innings pitched, 4 hits allowed, 3 walks, 2 earned runs, and 3 strikeouts.

Missouri starting pitcher Josh McDevitt turned in 5.2 innings pitched, allowing 8 hits, 2 walks, 6 earned runs, and picking up 8 strikeouts.

However, Tigers closer Eli Skidmore stole the show on the mound, throwing 2.2 innings pitched, allowing 0 hits, and just 1 base runner while picking up 5 strikeouts.

The game opened relatively uneventfully, but history was made at the top of the first when Rebels catcher Austin Fawley became the first person in college baseball to request an ABS challenge. The challenge came on a 2-2 pitch that was called a ball, and after review, the call stood, eventually ending in a walk.

Libbert worked around it, picking off the runner and facing the minimum to open his outing.

Rebels second baseman Dom Decker opened the scoring with a leadoff home run that scraped the wall and the foul pole, giving Ole Miss a 1-0 lead after one.

And we’re rollin’ ‼️ @DominicDecker12 pic.twitter.com/SmRZ4xwSPF

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 19, 2026

Ole Miss added to uts advantage in the second with Fawley making up for his lost challenge by sending a backside solo home run into the right-field bleachers, making it 2-0 Rebels early.

FAR GONE FOR FAWLEY 💣 pic.twitter.com/AlwQmObT7k

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 19, 2026

Mizzou leveled the game 2-2 at the top of the third with a long ball of their own. Shortstop Kam Durin crushed a no-doubt two-run shot over the left-center field wall into the parking lot.

To begin the fifth, Rebels skipper Mike Bianco turned to the bullpen, bringing in right-hander JP Robertson for a less than ideal outing, as he earned just one out, allowing an RBI double, and exiting with the bases loaded. Landon Waters, who entered for Robertson, then allowed a grand slam to Tigers centerfielder Kaden Peer that gave Mizzou a 7-2 lead.

That grand slam closed the book on Robertson, giving him an official line of 0.1 innings pitched, 1 hit, 4 earned runs, 3 walks.

Ole Miss retaliated in the bottom part of the frame, picking up four runs starting with an RBI double from right fielder Tristan Bissetta, followed by a bases-loaded two-out two-RBI single from center fielder Hayden Federico, and capped off by an RBI double from Owen Paino.

FED BRINGS IN ✌️ pic.twitter.com/7zZDWw7B8Q

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 19, 2026

Paino’s double bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double, but that did not allow Federico to come around and score, which kept Ole Miss down 7-6.

PAINO ADDS‼️ pic.twitter.com/AgyWEumN72

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 19, 2026

The Tigers would then stay hot at the plate as leadoff hitter and first baseman Jase Woita crushed a solo home run into left-center field to make it 8-6 Tigers. The home run also concluded the afternoon for Waters, with a final line of 1.0 innings pitched, 2, hits, and 2 earned runs, both on homers, as well as 1 walk and 2 strikeouts.

Landon Koenig entered for Ole Miss and worked through the inning unscathed. Koenig returned to the mound for the seventh and worked around runners on first and second, recording his second strikeout of the inning, to keep it 8-6 Mizzou.

The Rebels’ offense was near completing the comeback multiple times, but in the bottom of the seventh, Federico evened the game at 8 with a two-run blast off the signage in left field, sending the Rebel fans in attendance into a frenzy. Ole Miss would be unable to capitalize on two other base runners leaving the seventh tied.

KNOTTED 🪢 @haydenfederico3 pic.twitter.com/bJ8tfKkjoR

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 19, 2026

Mizzou would quickly regain the lead in the eighth when Blaze Ward sent a single into right field that was bobbled, allowing Durin to come around and score, making it 9-8 Tigers. Missouri catcher Mateo Serna quickly followed that with a bloop RBI single dumped into right field for a 10-8 Tiger lead.

Skidmore remained in the game for the ninth for the Tigers, where Ole Miss got the tying run to the plate but could not scrape across a run, giving the Tigers their first SEC Tournament win since 2017.

A Look Ahead

Ole Miss now sits and waits for the selection show on Monday at 11:00 a.m. CT to find out their NCAA Tournament fate. The Rebels will have ten days of rest with regionals not beginning until May 29.