A Catch, A Dream and a Trip to Omaha: Hayden Federico Reflects on Special Moment

OXFORD, Miss. — Hayden Federico has made plenty of memorable plays during his Ole Miss career, but few were bigger than the catch he made in the eighth inning against Auburn.

The diving grab helped preserve the Rebels’ lead in Game 2 of the Super Regional and moved Ole Miss one step closer to Omaha. Now, as the Rebels prepare for their first College World Series appearance since 2022, Federico is savoring a moment that carries special meaning both on and off the field.

Asked about the catch that helped change the course of the game, Federico said his first reaction was simply gratitude.

“I didn’t get the greatest read off the bat,” Federico said.

Hayden Federico on ‘the catch’

HAYDEN FEDERICO WITH THE ACROBATIC GRAB TO KEEP THINGS TIED 👏@haydenfederico3 x @OleMissBSB pic.twitter.com/h3YyL1yo1B

— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) June 6, 2026

Federico said the significance of the play didn’t fully hit him until he returned to the dugout.

“After I made the catch, I went back in the dugout and people were giving me hugs and saying we had one. Knowing that we had the top of the lineup due up, knowing this was over right here. Judd (Utermark) works a walk and Will Furniss was like 0-8 on the weekend at that point. I looked at Tyler Keenan sitting next to me and said Furniss is about to do something special here and two pitches later hit a home run. It was awesome, no better person for that moment than Will Furniss.”

Federico also spoke about the emergence of Taylor Rabe, who has become one of Ole Miss’ most reliable starters since joining the weekend rotation during SEC play.

“It’s really cool and it’s really cool when you have people like him that are just great people,” Federico said.

Hayden Federico on Taylor Rabe

When the Rebels take the field against North Carolina on Friday, it will mark Federico’s first trip to the College World Series. The opportunity carries added meaning because of his family’s connection to the game.

Federico grew up around college baseball as his father, Michael, served as head coach at ULM from 2018-25 after spending nine seasons as an assistant coach at Southern Miss. Michael Federico now serves as Director of Player Development at Louisiana Tech.

For years, father and son dreamed about making the trip to Omaha together.

Hayden Federico on going to Omaha with his dad

For Federico, the opportunity to finally experience Omaha comes one year after the Rebels watched their season end in heartbreaking fashion at Swayze Field. The disappointment of that loss lingered throughout the offseason and became part of the motivation that fueled this year’s run.

“It will mean everything,” Federico said. “It gives me chills just thinking about it 365 days. I was heading up to the Cape with my dad and still distraught that we lost in the way we did at home. It was tough. It’s crazy what a year can do, and a bunch of relentless guys wanna keep playing together and ready for the next journey.”

For a player who grew up dreaming about the College World Series alongside his father, the trip to Omaha represents far more than another postseason destination. It is the realization of a goal years in the making and the reward for a team that refused to let last season’s ending define its future.

Now, Federico and the Rebels will have the opportunity to take the field on college baseball’s biggest stage when they open College World Series play against North Carolina on Friday night.