As expected, we begin Friday without knowing who the starting pitcher for Ole Miss against No. 15 Kentucky will be.
Sophomore Cade Townsend was listed as a game time decision in Thursday’s Student-Athlete Availability Report. But Thursday wasn’t his regular start day, it’s Friday. What the report says today will matter a lot more.
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco was asked about Townsend’s status after the Rebels’ 5-0 win in game one of the weekend series. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t have a definitive answer.
“He’s gotten better each day. He’s thrown, gotten on the mound a bit, and spun the ball today,” Bianco said after Thursday’s game. “Joel (Mangrum) and I haven’t talked much yet since we’re usually on opposite sides during the game, but we’ll connect here shortly and either make a decision tonight or early tomorrow morning.”
you gotta like it pic.twitter.com/Ew4GIaULZ8
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 20, 2026
No other reports have been published or announcements made about Townsend or who will start Friday’s game against the Wildcats. We likely won’t know until later in the day, considering first pitch is at 6 p.m.
If Townsend can’t go, Ole Miss could go any number of different directions. Of pitchers who have started at least one game this season, Owen Kelly has three starts, Terry Hayes Jr. has two and both Marko Sipila and Taylor Rabe have one.
Rabe isn’t an option after throwing 42 pitches in 2.2 innings Thursday and both Sipila and Hayes have had rocky starts this season. That leaves Kelly as the only other pitcher (beyond Hunter Elliott and Wil Libbert) with starting experience this season.
But Kelly has been fairly busy the past week. He had three outings last week and started Tuesday’s game against Austin Peay. Kelley didn’t throw more than 30 pitches in any of those outings, though. So, he might be able to start Friday, but wouldn’t expect him to stay in the game for long.
Grayson Gibson is another name that could start in place of Townsend. He came in against Texas after Townsend left the game and has a 2.25 ERA and 11 strikeouts this season.
Whoever gets the starting nod will have a tough act to follow after Elliot’s stellar performance Thursday. Through 6.1 innings of work, Elliott didn’t allow a run and just four hits. He also issued two walks and recorded six strikeouts.
Elliott's night by the numbers📊@elliotthunter10 pic.twitter.com/N1bBNfkoVf
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) March 20, 2026
“I thought he was really good. It was mostly fastball-changeup, but there were some good cutters and even a slider,” Bianco said. “I don’t know if he’s had all four pitches working in one game this year. He’s had stretches where he’s been really good, but tonight he definitely had all four going.”
With first pitch set for 6 p.m., Ole Miss will sort out its plan soon enough. Whether Townsend is ready or someone else steps in, the Rebels will try to build on Elliott’s strong start and keep momentum going into the rest of the weekend.
