OXFORD, Miss. — The Ole Miss Rebels delivered a statement win Friday night at Swayze Field, outlasting the No. 6 Auburn Tigers 15-11 to clinch a pivotal top-10 SEC baseball series.
The victory improved both teams’ records to 37-17 overall and 16-13 in conference play, but it was the Rebels who emerged with momentum heading into the regular season finale.
Judd Utermark’s historic night
Junior second baseman Judd Utermark was the driving force for Ole Miss. He racked up seven RBI on two home runs and a single.
Utermark set the tone early, launching a three-run homer in the first inning after Mitchell Sanford walked and Luke Hill singled, giving the Rebels a quick 3-0 lead.
He struck again in the sixth, blasting a towering shot to left that extended the advantage to 13-4.
“Some of the guys are starting to swing a little bit better, feel a little better throughout the lineup, and that helps,” Rebels coach Mike Bianco said later. “For what it’s worth, I think we have had two really good nights offensively.”
Relentless offense and key contributions
The Rebels’ offense was relentless, scoring in six of their eight innings at the plate.
Will Furniss matched Utermark with three hits and added a two-run homer in the eighth to keep the Tigers at bay.
Campbell Smithwick chipped in with two hits and three RBI, while Hill also tallied two hits.
Auburn, meanwhile, fought back with late rallies, plating multiple runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings.
“We outhit these guys tonight,” Auburn coach Butch Thompson said, praising his team’s resilience. “We didn’t quit and we got their closer in the game.
“There were absolutely some positive things that happened with our offense late, especially the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings of the ballgame, that will hopefully benefit us tomorrow.”
Pitching holds off Auburn’s rally
Starter Riley Maddox set the tone for Ole Miss, but it was Mason Morris who earned the win after 3.1 innings of relief.
The Rebels used six pitchers in total, with closer Connor Spencer shutting down a late Auburn threat by striking out Deric Fabian to end the eighth.
Auburn’s bullpen struggled to contain the Rebels after starter Samuel Dutton exited, a key difference according to Thompson.
“I thought the moments with the relievers, the leverage situations when they were dumped into the ballgame, were the difference,” Bianco said.
Team resilience and looking ahead
After the game, Will Furniss reflected on the team’s character.
“We never give up,” he said. “I don’t think there has been many games this year where we have not been close to, if not had a chance to win in the ninth inning.
“I’ve never been a part of a team like that, it’s pretty special. All the guys are really close, and that’s what you need especially with an older team. We have a chance to do something really cool.”
Ole Miss will look to sweep the series in Saturday’s finale, riding the momentum from a signature win that showed their offensive depth and resilience against one of the SEC’s best.
The two teams wrap up the series at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+. The game can also be heard on the Rebel Radio Network.
