Ole Miss Pitcher Hudson Calhoun on Wil Libbert, Owen Paino and Why Ole Miss is Built for this Moment
OXFORD, Miss. — The Ole Miss bullpen was pushed hard during last weekend’s NCAA Regional in Lincoln — and it answered the call.
Wil Libbert’s late-game performance in the regional-clinching win over Arizona State, was one of the bigger moments of the Rebels’ postseason run so far, and his teammates had high praise for him Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Ole Miss’ super regional matchup against Auburn, junior right-hander Hudson Calhoun praised Libbert for stepping up at a critical time.
“Yeah, it was awesome,” Calhoun said. “I was down there in the bullpen with him, seeing him warm up, and he kind of knew he was ready for that moment.”
Libbert was crucial in sending Ole Miss to the supers after the Rebels fought through one of the toughest regional brackets in the country. The Lincoln Regional was the only regional that had three nationally-ranked teams in its field.
For Calhoun, the outing carried extra meaning because of his relationship with Libbert, a transfer in this season from Missouri, off the field as well.
“He’s been one of my best friends this entire year,” Calhoun said. “I know it’s been really hard on him, especially when you know you’re really good, which he is, and we all know it too, and you just haven’t had the success.”
“But for him to go out there and do that for us, especially when arms are a little tired, it was massive for us and helped us win the regional.”
Hudson Calhoun on Wil Libbert
The regional schedule revisions caused by unpredictable weather also forced Bianco’s pitchers into some atypical routines throughout the weekend. Calhoun laughed while describing how pitching coach Joel Mangrum handled warmups during the unusual circumstances.
“We all thought he was nervous or something for the one inning (Sunday vs. Nebraska) because he was making us all warm up like it was a normal game,” Calhoun said. “He was like, ‘I just want to treat it like a normal game.’”
Calhoun said Mangrum put him “in yellow”—part of Ole Miss’ bullpen designation system—nearly two hours before first pitch.
“It ended up working out because it made the routine feel normal,” Calhoun said. “It wasn’t like throwing right before the game and then suddenly you’re in the game.”
As for Calhoun, he pitched 3.2 innings against Arizona State, earning then win en route to giving up just one hit and no runs in the opening game — the 14-inning contest where every Ole Miss pitcher who took the mound was critical.
He turned around and earned the save in the Rebels’ 6-3 win over Nebraska Sunday morning, a game that was suspended Saturday night after eight innings because of inclement weather. Calhoun pitched the ninth inning, faced three batters, and only needed 8 pitches to end the game and secure the win.
Calhoun on Paino
Calhoun also praised freshman shortstop Owen Paino, whose defensive growth has become increasingly important for Ole Miss, especially entering the super regional round.
“It’s been absolutely awesome to see him grow because shortstop is such a vital position for us,” Calhoun said.
“You always knew he had the talent. You always knew he had the confidence, the swagger — everything about him. Seeing him play like this at kind of an All-American level has been great for us.”
Hudson Calhoun on Ole Miss shortstop Owen Paino
Ole Miss enters the Auburn super regional after advancing through Lincoln as a No. 2 seed, despite an up-and-down regular season that saw the Rebels finish 36–21 overall and 15–15 in SEC play. After falling short of hosting, Ole Miss responded with some of its most poised and resilient baseball of the season during their time in Lincoln.
As Supers preparations take full effect, Calhoun said the Rebels are trying to view the pressure of this time of year as something positive rather than overwhelming.
“This is what we came here to do,” Calhoun said. “This is what we love to do — play baseball, especially in environments like Nebraska, which was awesome.”
“Every time you go out there, you have to realize this is what you worked for. This is the opportunity you’ve earned.”
Hudson Calhoun
“It’s not danger, it’s not a threat at all going into those situations,” Calhoun continued. “It’s an opportunity.”
Calhoun and the Ole Miss pitchers are ready for that opportunity, one that could send the Rebels to Omaha for the first time since winning it all in 2022.
Up Next:
Ole Miss travels to the Plains to take on Auburn for the Super Regionals on Friday, June 5 at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2, Saturday June 6 at 4:00 p.m. on ESPN, and if necessary, Sunday, June 7 for a decisive game 3 with the time and network to be determined.
Jacob Quaglino
Jacob is a New Orleans, LA native and Ole Miss alumni, Class of 2024 and staff writer with The Rebel Walk. He has been a diehard fan of all Ole Miss sports his entire life, with his earliest Ole Miss sports memory being the Rebels' iconic 2008 upset of then-No. 4 Florida. Among his other favorite Rebel sports memories are storming the field after beating LSU in 2023 and Georgia in 2024, watching the Rebels upset Alabama in back to back years in 2014-15, seeing the women's golf team win the school's first-ever NCAA-recognized national championship in 2021, and watching the Rebel baseball team win the College World Series in 2022. He remains exceedingly hopeful that the Ole Miss Athletics Department's national championship trophy collection will grow in the coming years. Outside of The Rebel Walk, Jacob also works for a local radio news station and has many interests and hobbies, including reading, writing, watching college sports, playing pickleball, and traveling.
