Ole Miss had one of the hardest weeks any college baseball team will face this season. Four road games against teams ranked inside the top seven nationally, and the Rebels came away with just one win.
Now they’ll start another week, not as daunting as the last one, and they’ll start with an Ole Miss pitcher who saw plenty of action over the past seven days.
Junior Owen Kelly has been announced as the starting pitcher for Ole Miss in its Tuesday evening game against Austin Peay. He’ll face off against Chance Cox, who’s getting the start for the Governors.
Kelly made three appearances last week but threw only 36 pitches, so arm fatigue should not be a factor Tuesday. His first outing came in the loss to then No. 7 Southern Miss, where he allowed one run on three hits and a walk while striking out one batter in 1.2 innings.
High speed look at the SK-SL from RHP Owen Kelly (@OleMissBSB)… https://t.co/WYvqCrew09 pic.twitter.com/A65pjXC0U2
— PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) March 12, 2026
In the weekend series against No. 2 Texas, Kelly appeared twice out of the bullpen. He threw four pitches and recorded an out in Friday’s win, then gave up four hits and four runs in 0.2 innings during an 8-2 loss on Sunday.
The Saint Louis transfer will get the start, but considering how much he was used last week and the next SEC series starting in two days instead of three, how long he lasts will be interesting.
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco had a plan for last week’s game against Southern Miss, setting pitch limits for each pitcher. That’s why Taylor Rabe, who was shutting down the Golden Eagles, exited while pitching well.
The Rebels did use a lot of bullpen arms in Austin, and the plan could be to use as few pitchers as possible. Or maybe Kelly goes until a certain point and Ole Miss turns to pitchers who haven’t seen much time on the mound.
Only a select few people likely know the answer and they’re not sharing it. But this type of thinking and strategic planning is part of what makes baseball fun. We’ll find out at 4 p.m. Tuesday on SECN+.
dressin’ to avoid the pinch 🍀 pic.twitter.com/1jTT4YHWDF
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 17, 2026
After hosting the Governors on Tuesday, the Rebels will remain in Oxford for their second SEC series of the season against No. 15 Kentucky. That series is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Thursday and will continue at 6:30 p.m. Friday and 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Austin Peay at Ole Miss Starting Pitchers
Ole Miss: Owen Kelly
Season: 1-0, 4.26 ERA, 7 App. (2 GS), 12.2 IP, 16 H, 11 R, 6 ER, 5 BB, 10 K, .302 Opp. BA, 2 HBP, 1.66 WHIP
Austin Peay: Chance Cox
Season: 0-1, 11.40 ERA, 4 App. (4 GS), 15 IP, 17 H, 20 R, 19 ER, 12 BB, 11 K, .288 Opp. BA, 2 WP, 3 HBP, 1.93 WHIP
