A feature of the new college sports landscape is how often players now face their former teams. It happens constantly in the pros, and it always adds a little emotion, a little edge to a game.
Will the player show his old team what it lost, or will the team show the player what he left behind? It’s an extra layer that can make a routine regular season matchup feel a little bigger.
On Thursday, both sides got their answer.
Ethan Surowiec, who spent last season at Ole Miss before transferring to Florida, went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in the fifth and finished with three RBI. That’s a line the Rebels would love to have on their side of the box score, but they’ll take the tradeoff.
Ole Miss won the series opener in Gainesville 6-4, and fittingly, the night ended with Surowiec striking out for the final out.
On the Mound
Taylor Rabe put together a strong first weekend start against Florida. The ending wasn’t ideal, but his final line holds up. In 4.2 innings, he allowed three runs on seven hits with one walk, recorded six strikeouts, and threw strikes 71 percent of the time.
He nearly worked long enough to qualify for the win. Rabe got two outs in the fifth with a single in between, then former Rebel Ethan Surowiec caught him for a two-run homer. A first-pitch single in the next at-bat ended his night one out shy of finishing the inning.
Rabe shuts it down in the 4th🔒 pic.twitter.com/pP10emTrLw
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 3, 2026
Another sign of how well he pitched came from the pace of his outing. He didn’t get his first mound visit until pitch No. 69, when he had a 1-2 count with one out in the fifth. The next pitch was his sixth strikeout.
From there, the bullpen had to carry the rest of the game, but Rabe likely did enough to earn another weekend turn. If he stacks a few more outings like this, he becomes a reliable Sunday option and gives Ole Miss a rotation that can win a series on its own.
As for the game, the Rebels’ bullpen did what it’s supposed to do. Hudson Calhoun ended the fifth without allowing a run and got through the next nine batters with just one runner allowed on base. Landon Waters got one out to close the seventh and set up Walker Hooks to start the eighth inning.
That’s when things got interesting. Hooks gave up a leadoff home run, making the score 6-4, and settled in after that. Hooks ended up earning his first save of the season, shutting down the Gators for the rest of the game.
At the Plate
The Rebels’ offense looked like it was about to follow its usual script. Two runners in scoring position left stranded in the first inning, another left at second in the next, and it felt like another night of missed chances.
Then the third inning flipped everything. Back‑to‑back leadoff walks set up a Collin Reuter double down the left field line to bring home the first run. Dom Decker drove in another on a fielder’s choice and reached on a fielding error.
With two outs, Cannon Goldin punched a ball back up the middle to give Ole Miss a 3-1 lead. Two innings later, Brayden Randle launched a two‑run homer into the wind to right field, stretching the lead to 5-1 in the fifth. Will Furniss added a sixth run to the scoreboard on a double to center field.
Ripped to right😤@BraydenRandle https://t.co/9XCkXzBO3H pic.twitter.com/YSlyaovItI
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 3, 2026
That ended up being enough for Ole Miss to get the win Thursday and wins overshadow a team’s faults, but they’re still there. The Rebels went 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position and 1-for-4 with a runner on third and two outs.
Ideally, those averages would be a higher but the Rebels just needed the win and that’s what they got.
Pitching Decisions
- WP: Hudson Calhoun (2-2), 2 IP, 1 BB, 1 K, 31 TP, 21 ST
- LP: Liam Peterson (1-2), 3.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 87 TP, 51 ST
- S: Walker Hooks (1), 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 34 TP, 20 ST
Ole Miss Batting Leaders
- Brayden Randle: 1-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR
- Cannon Goldin: 2-2, 1 RBI
- Will Furniss: 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 2 BB
Next Up
Ole Miss and Florida will continue their series Friday at 5:30 p.m. on SECN+.
The Rebels are scheduled to send Hunter Elliott (3-0, 3.72 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) to the mound to start, while Florida is expected to start Aidan King (3-2, 1.97 ERA, 1.13 WHIP).
