Earlier this week, Judd Utermark had a playful message for his teammate, Tristan Bissetta, in their race to lead the Rebels in home runs.
“He wants to mess with the big dog, he’s going to find out,” the Ole Miss third baseman said after Wednesday’s win against Jackson State.
Bissetta probably didn’t need the reminder, but Utermark gave him one anyway this weekend. In a sweep of Missouri State, he left the yard three times, including a seventh‑inning shot Sunday that tied the game at 2-2 and flipped the momentum back toward the Rebels.
.@JuddUtermark DELIVERS‼️
B7 Ole Miss 2 | Missouri St 2 pic.twitter.com/mPoz5qjex4
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 22, 2026
“I’ve been at this field a long time, and I’ve seen the wind blow like (it did today),” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. “When he hit the first one, everyone was celebrating, and I’m thinking, ‘There’s no way that’s getting out.’ But Judd’s a little different than most guys who play here.”
At this point it’s more surprising when Utermark doesn’t send a ball out of park at least once. Eight games in, six home runs on the board, and now three in his last four outings. It’s not loud or dramatic or anything that demands a marketing campaign. It’s just become part of the routine.
The Rebels show up, Utermark hits a ball a long way, and they usually walk off with a win.
Sunday’s version came in the seventh inning, with Ole Miss trailing and the game drifting toward one of those frustrating, quiet losses.
Missouri State had done enough to hang around, Wil Libbert had been sharp again, and yet the Rebels were staring at a one‑run deficit with nine outs left to work with.
Then Utermark stepped in and did the thing he’s been doing better than anyone on the roster. One swing, tie game, momentum flipped. Nothing fancy other than a hitter who’s locked in and seeing the ball well enough that even his “normal” swings are changing games.
And once the door cracked open, Ole Miss didn’t waste the chance. Brayden Randle delivered the go‑ahead RBI in the eighth, his second game‑winner in a week, which is becoming its own little subplot.
Dom Decker deserves his own nod, too. His first collegiate home run was a 369‑footer in the first inning that kept the Rebels’ streak of scoring in the opening frame alive.
Eight games, eight times on the board early. That’s not nothing.
And Libbert quietly turned in another solid Sunday. Seven strikeouts, no hits, no walks. Two earned runs, sure, but most baseball coaches would be pleased with that type of performance. He kept Ole Miss in it long enough for the bats to catch up.
BACK-TO-BACK 7⃣ STRIKEOUTS!!@WilLibbert has tied his career high of 7 strikeouts in back to back games! pic.twitter.com/qn4dYsSd8h
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 22, 2026
But the story keeps circling back to Utermark. He’s not carrying the offense (there’s offensive production across the entire lineup), but he’s shaping games in a way that’s hard to ignore.
When Ole Miss needs a jolt, he’s usually the one providing it. When the lineup goes flat, he’s the one who resets the tone.
It’s early, and the schedule will get tougher, but eight games in, the pattern is pretty simple: if Utermark is swinging like this, Ole Miss is going to be a problem for a while.
