Ole Miss senior Tristan Bissetta waits for a pitch during a game against North Alabama in Oxford. | Dylan Cohron, HottyToddy.com
Ole Miss senior Tristan Bissetta waits for a pitch during a game against North Alabama in Oxford. | Dylan Cohron, HottyToddy.com

Ole Miss vs. Evansville: How to Watch Friday’s Doubleheader, Lineups and Pitching Matchups

BY Taylor Hodges

The start of SEC  play for Ole Miss is right around the corner and with it comes one of the hardest schedules in the nation.

That gives some importance to this weekend’s series against Evansville as it’s the last chance to fix and issues in a real-game situation.

That’ll be what to look for this weekend. Ole Miss should be able to handle the Purple Aces with relative ease. Instead, it’ll be more important to see how the Rebels play.

For example, will Hunter Elliott have another rough first inning before settling in and pitching like the ace he is? Will the Rebels’ bats go quiet? Will fielding mistakes and errors be cleaned up?

Questions like those are what weekends like this is all about. That is, of course, until Evansville threatens to upset Ole Miss. Then it becomes about winning.

Friday will see the two teams faceoff in a double-header with inclement weather in the forecast all weekend long.

Here’s what to know about Friday’s games.

The Opponent: Evansville

Evansville is only two years removed from its 2024 run, when the Purple Aces won the MVC Tournament and made their first NCAA Regional Championship appearance after taking the Greenville (N.C.) Regional. That stretch earned head coach Wes Carroll the ABCA/ATEC Midwest Regional Coach of the Year award.

Since then, things have leveled out a bit. The Aces went 17-37 last season, including a 10-17 mark in conference play, and they’ve opened this year at 3-8. They dropped their first five games before edging No. 18 Kentucky 1-0 to avoid a sweep, and they’re coming off a series win over Milwaukee. Even with the slow start, they haven’t been swept yet.

Offensively, Evansville is still trying to find its footing. No one on the roster is hitting above .300. Spike Magil leads the team at .286, though he’s only played in nine games. Utility man Wyatt Pennington has been the most reliable everyday bat at .244, and outfielder Reid Haire leads the team with two home runs.

On the mound, the Aces have settled into a weekend rotation of left‑handers Kenton Deverman on Friday and Kevin Reed on Sunday, with right‑hander Max Hansmann in between. Hansmann has been their best arm so far, posting a 2.12 ERA with a team‑high 19 strikeouts. As a group, the trio is 3-3, with Deverman struggling early at 0–2 and an 11.12 ERA. In the bullpen, Owen Byberg has been a bright spot, allowing just two earned runs in four outings with a 1.32 ERA and holding opponents to a .208 average.

Weather Forecast

Ole Miss and Evansville adjusted the weekend schedule to play a double-header Friday and for good reason. Saturday’s weather forecast is full of rain and thunderstorms. However, Friday isn’t guaranteed to be dry.

According to the National Weather Service, Friday has “a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. South wind 5 to 10 mph.” The forecast doesn’t much at night with “a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11pm, then a slight chance of showers after 4am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 63. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.”

How to Watch: Evansville at Ole Miss, Double-Header

  • Who: Evansville Purple Aces (3-8) at Ole Miss Rebels (12-2)
  • When: 3 p.m. Friday; Game 2 starts approx. 45 minutes after Game 1 ends.
  • Where: Swayze Field, Oxford, Miss.
  • TV: SECN+
  • Radio: Live Radio
  • Stats: Live Stats
  • Series History: Ole Miss leads the all-time series 5-2
  • Last Meeting: Ole Miss 4, Evansville 1 (February 18, 2007)
  • Last time out, Rebels: def. North Alabama, 8-5
  • Last time out, Purple Aces: lost to SE Missouri, 13-4

Pitching Matchups

  • Game 1: LHP Hunter Elliott (1-0, 3.68 ERA) vs. LHP Kenton Deverman (0-2, 11.12 ERA)
  • Game 2: RHP Cade Townsend (1-0, 0.66 ERA) vs. RHP Max Hansmann (1-0, 2.12 ERA)
  • Game 3: LHP Wil Libbert (1-1, 4.91 ERA) vs. LHP Kevin Reed (2-1, 5.68 ERA)

Ole Miss Batting Order

  1. 2B Dom Decker
  2. 3B Judd Utermark
  3. 1B Will Furniss
  4. DH Collin Reuter
  5. RF Tristan Bissetta
  6. LF Tate Sirmans
  7. SS Brayden Randle
  8. C Austin Fawley
  9. CF Hayden Federico

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