The last time Ole Miss started a baseball season 9-0 it ended with a dogpile in Omaha. Whether or not this year’s Rebels can duplicate that success remains to be seen.
But we’ll get a good idea of their chances this weekend at the BRUCE BOLT College Classic.
Starting Friday, No. 25 Ole Miss will face its first competition from major conferences and not a mid-major school. It’s the first real test for Ole Miss this season and will impact how this team is looked at outside of Oxford.
With their first game less than 24 hours away, the Rebels have announced their starting pitchers for the three-game weekend and it’s what almost anyone could’ve predicted.
Here’s a breakdown of who will take to the mound first in each of the Rebels’ game this weekend.
the rotation 🔁 pic.twitter.com/jDS9sEp33J
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 25, 2026
Friday vs. Baylor
LHP Hunter Elliott (1-0, 4.66 ERA) vs. LHP Stefan Stahl (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Not too much of a surprise here. Elliott is Ole Miss’ Friday starter and while some might consider holding him off until Sunday’s game against No. 16 Coastal Carolina, that would change his routine too much.
In two starts, Elliott has pitched 9.2 total innings and has allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits and eight walks while striking out 12 batters. Opponents are posting a .206 batting average. He did have a rough outing in his last appearance when he issued six walks, hit three batters with pitches and allowed five runs against Missouri State.
Stahl will get the first start of the weekend for Baylor for the second weekend in a row. He started last Friday’s game against No. 19 Oregon State. In four innings he threw 52 pitches and allowed only two hits and one walk while striking out three batters.
In his first start of the season, Stahl pitched just 2.1 innings against New Mexico State and gave up three hits and a walk.
Saturday vs. Ohio State
RHP Cade Townsend (0-0, 1.04 ERA) vs. RHP Chris Domke (1-1, 2.45 ERA)
Another pitching matchup that isn’t too surprising.
Last time we saw Townsend on the mound was four a quick four-inning appearance against Missouri State last Saturday. He was solid in his performance, holding the Bears scoreless and allowing just two hits, one walk one HBP and recorded eight strikeouts.
The Buckeyes will send Domke to the mound for his third appearance of the season. He picked up a win his season debut against Saint Louis, allowing just one hit and striking out five batters. However, he lost his last start against Louisiana Tech. In that outing, Domke pitched 4.1 innings and allowed two earned runs on six hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.
Sunday vs. No. 16 Coastal Carolina
LHP Wil Libbert (1-0, 3.60 ERA) vs. TBA
For the final pitching matchup of the weekend, we only know for sure who the Rebels will be sending to the mound.
Ole Miss will send Missouri transfer Wil Libbert to the mound for his third appearance as a Rebel. Libbert has looked great in both of his starts this season. He’s allowed only four runs on 10 hits and one walk while striking out 14 batters. Opponents have posted a .263 batting average against him.
Who Coastal Carolina will send the mound remains a mystery though. The Chanticleers are dealing significant injuries to two of its best pitchers, right-hander Cameron Flukey and left-hander Hayden Johnson. The two are expected to miss up to eight weeks, according to D1Baseball’s Kendall Rogers.
INJURY NEWS: @CoastalBaseball RHP Cameron Flukey and LHP Hayden Johnson, Coastal's top 2 starters, are expected to miss at least eight weeks due to injury. Flukey is dealing with a stress fracture in his rib, Johnson a stress reaction in his elbow. Just brutal news for Coastal.… pic.twitter.com/AZdnL4nB7w
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) February 25, 2026
That leaves last season’s national runner-up with a giant question mark in its pitching rotation.
Final Thought
Whether Ole Miss can stretch its perfect start through a step up in competition is the real question now.
By Sunday night, we’ll know a lot more about how this team stacks up against the kind of opponents it will have to beat to make another run at June.
