Can the Ole Miss bullpen carry it to Omaha and beyond?
Baseball America’s Jacob Rudner picked Ole Miss to as one his eight teams to advance to the College World Series before this past weekend’s NCAA Regionals.
“The Rebels can run wave after wave of power arms at opponents, ranking among the nation’s leaders in both strikeout rate and xFIP while still throwing enough strikes to avoid self-inflicted damage,” Rudner wrote. “When the pitching is operating at full strength, few teams can make opposing lineups look as uncomfortable.”
The Rebels’ starters have gotten a lot of the attention leading the pitching staff. For good reason. Not many of the 16 teams left alive can match Hunter Elliott, Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe.
But it was the Rebels’ bullpen that was the dominant force on the mound at the Lincoln NCAA Regional.
Only the best from the bullpen 👏 pic.twitter.com/DfPS1Ledih
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) June 2, 2026
Against Nebraska and Arizona State (twice) the Ole Miss bullpen pitched 17 total innings, gave up four earned runs on nine hits and recorded 15 strikeouts.
“It was really, really impressive,” second baseman Dom Decker said Monday.
“They were terrific, like they’ve been most of the year,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said.
Here’s how the different relievers did in each the Rebels’ three games.
Friday vs. Arizona State
- Walker Hooks: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 75 TP
- Hudson Calhoun: 3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K, 51 TP
Saturday vs. Nebraska
- JP Robertson: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 K
- Landon Waters: 0 IP, 2H, 6 TP
- Hudson Calhoun: 1 IP, 1 HBP, 8 TP
Sunday vs. Arizona State
- Wil Libbert: 3 IP, 1 BB, 2K, 34 TP
- JP Robertson: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 35 TP
“It’s fun because you never know who’s going to pitch, when they’re going to pitch or how long they’re going to go,” Hooks said at Monday’s media availability. “We did a really good job of managing who was going to throw, what innings they were going to throw and then finishing the weekend out with a good bullpen.”
But it wasn’t just the stats the Rebels’ relievers put up. What makes their performances impressive is when they came. Calhoun’s 3.2 innings Friday were all in extra innings. Calhoun’s outing against Nebraska came Sunday morning after a rain delay forced a postponement late Saturday night.
“This is what we come to do. This is what we love to do, play baseball, especially in these environments,” Calhoun said. “Every time you go out there, you have to realize that this is what you’ve worked for. This is the opportunity that you’ve gotten, and the coaches are trusting you, so it takes a lot of pressure off you.”
Then on Sunday, Wil Libbert and JP Robertson completely shutdown Arizona State’s offense, including one extra inning.
It was a weekend full of clutch moments and there was the potential for more if the Sun Devils won Sunday to force a game seven Monday.
Bianco said Monday the plan was to start Hunter Elliott on two day’s rest and then go to the bullpen. That likely would’ve included Hooks, who admitted he was sore after Friday’s season-high 75 pitches. He wasn’t sure how many innings he could pitch Monday, but that he’d have gone out there.
“I have no idea. As many as it took, I guess,” he said. “But, yeah, it was a good thing we didn’t go to Monday.”
Instead of playing Monday, Ole Miss got an extra day of rest while Auburn had to fight to keep its season alive against Milwaukee. That rest will be needed because the Rebels will need their bullpen to be clutch again.
Considering how they just pitched, it won’t be a surprise if Calhoun, Hooks, Robertson, Libbert and others come through in clutch moments. That ability is what has smarter writers than this one picking Ole Miss to go to Omaha.
Postseason baseball rewards teams that can shorten games, steal innings and slam doors. Ole Miss just proved it can do all three. If the bullpen keeps doing its part, the Rebels have the exact formula you need to make it look like 2022 again.
