Ole Miss Rebels Daniel Pacella after hitting homer
Ole Miss Rebels Daniel Pacella after hitting homer. | Dylan Cohron-HottyToddy.com Images

How to Watch No. 15 Kentucky vs. Ole Miss Baseball: Time, TV, Pitching Matchup

BY Taylor Hodges

Ole Miss is getting its second SEC series of the season started early, hosting No. 15 Kentucky on Thursday night.

The Wildcats bring a 13-game win streak with them to Swayze Field and swept then-No. 21 Alabama in their SEC series last weekend.

Here’s everything to know about Thursday night’s game:

The Opponent: Kentucky

Kentucky looks like a team that has settled in early this season. The Wildcats are off to an 18-2 start and opened SEC play by sweeping Alabama last weekend. They have been tough to slow down at the plate, scoring at least 10 runs in nine different games, and they put real pressure on opponents with their baserunning. Kentucky already has 64 stolen bases, which ranks fourth nationally and second in the SEC.

Junior outfielder Jayce Tharnish sets the tone there. He leads the team in both hits and steals with 31 and 14. The most dangerous bat in the lineup, though, belongs to Ethan Hindle. He has piled up 17 extra base hits, including nine doubles and six home runs, and he leads the team with 25 RBI while slugging .716.

Kentucky may or may not have preseason All-American Tyler Bell available. He has been dealing with shoulder soreness and has played in only six games, although he did return to the lineup in the final game of the Alabama series.

On the mound, Kentucky has rolled with a weekend rotation of Jaxon Jelkin, Ben Cleaver and Nate Harris. Jelkin has been steady with four wins and 26.2 innings pitched, and he has struck out 31 hitters. Harris has been reliable as a sophomore and has yet to allow a home run to the 92 batters he has faced. Cleaver owns a 1.55 ERA and has missed plenty of bats, recording more than a strikeout per inning in his limited work.

It is a balanced group overall. Kentucky can score in bunches, run the bases aggressively and get quality innings from its starters. Through 20 games, the Wildcats have looked like a team that knows exactly how it wants to play.

Weather Forecast

It’ll be a perfect night for baseball if the weather forecasts are accurate. The National Weather Service says the skies will be “mostly clear, with a low around 52. Calm wind.”

How to Watch: No. 15 Kentucky at Ole Miss

  • Who: No. 15 Kentucky Wildcats (18-2, 3-0 SEC) at ole Miss Rebels (17-5, 1-2 SEC)
  • When: 7 p.m., Thursday
  • Where: Swayze Field, Oxford, Miss.
  • TV: SEC Network
  • Radio: Live Radio
  • Stats: Live Stats
  • Series History: Ole Miss leads the all-time series 56-40
  • Last Meeting: Ole Miss 5, Kentucky 4 (12 innings; April 5, 2025)
  • Last time out, Rebels: def. Austin Peay, 9-5
  • Last time out, Wildcats: def. No. 21 Alabama, 6-4

Ole Miss Batting Leaders

  • Tristan Bissetta: .412/.859/.462, 1.321 OPS, 23 R, 35 H, 5 2B, 11 HR, 34 RBI, 8 BB, 28 K, 2 SB
  • Judd Utermark: .350/.788/.480, 1.268 OPS, 31 R, 28 H, 5 2B, 10 HR, 26 RBI, 16 BB, 5 HBP, 26 K, 5 SB
  • Collin Reuter: .329/.534/.427, .961 OPS, 10 R, 24 H, 9 2B, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 10 BB, 4 HBP, 21 K, 2 SB
  • Will Furniss: .297/.365/.448, .813 OPS, 17 R, 22 H, 2 2B, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 18 BB, 3 HBP, 16 K
  • Dom Decker: .257/.500/.460, .960 OPS, 27 R, 18 H, 2 2B, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 24 BB, 4 HBP, 21 K, 5 SB

Kentucky Batting Leaders

  • Jayce Tharnish: .373/.554/..435, .989 OPS, 25 R, 31, 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 6 BB, 11 K, 14 SB
  • Hudson Brown: .352/.521/.478, .352 OPS, 18 R, 25 H, 6 2B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 13 BB, 5 HBP, 14 K, 2 SB
  • Luke Lawrence: .342/.474/..457, .931 OPS, 24 R, 26 H, 4 2B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 8 BB, 9 HBP, 13 K, 9 SB
  • Ethan Hindle: .297/.716/..402, 1.118 OPS, 23 R, 22 H, 9 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR, 25, 11 BB, 4 HBP, 19 K, 7 SB
  • Scott Campbell: .265/.449/.439, .888 OPS, 11 R, 13 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 7 BB, 9 HBP, 19 K, 10 SB

Starting Pitching Matchups

  • Game 1: LHP Hunter Elliott (2-0, 4.38 ERA) vs. LHP Ben Cleaver (1-0, 1.84 ERA)
  • Game 2: TBA vs. RHP Jaxon Jelkin (4-0, 3.38 ERA)
  • Game 3: LHP Wil Libbert (2-2, 5.96 ERA) vs. RHP Nate Harris (3-1, 4.03 ERA)

Ole Miss Notable Relief Pitchers

  • Landon Koenig, RHP: 1-0, 0.90 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 2 SV, 10 IP, 12 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 16 K, 3 2B, .293 Opp. BA
  • Landon Waters, XHP: 0-1, 0.00 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 1 SV, 7.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 11 K, 1 2B, .120 Opp. BA, 2 WP
  • Owen Kelly: 1-0, 3.68 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 17 H, 11 R, 6 ER, 6 BB, 12 K, 1 3B, 1 HR, .288 Opp. BA, 2 HBP
  • Taylor Rabe, RHP: 3-0, 2.35 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 1 SV, 15.1 IP, 12 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 19 K, 1 2B, 1 HR, .219 Opp. BA
  • Hudson Calhoun, RHP: 1-0, 3.86 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 13 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 26 K, 2 2B, 2 HR, .224 Opp. BA

Kentucky Notable Relief Pitchers

  • Jack Bennett: 1-0, 5 SV, 0.71 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 12 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 13 K, 2 2B, .235 Opp. BA
  • Burkley Bounds: 2-0, 1 SV, 4.05 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 13.1 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 6 BB, 20 K, 1 2B, .191 Opp. BA, 2 WP, 1 HBP
  • Jackson Soucie: 0-0, 1 SV, 2.84 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 6.1 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 2B, .250 Opp. BA, 1 WP, 1 HBP
  • Nile Adcock: 1-1, 1 SV, 3.24 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 8.1 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 13 K, 1 2B, .273 Opp. BA, 2 WP
  • Connor Mattison: 2-0, 1.29 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 14 IP, 9 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 16 K, 1 2B, 1 3B, .191 Opp. BA, 1 WP, 3 HBP

Ole Miss Batting Lineup

  1. Hayden Federico, CF
  2. Tristan Bissetta, RF
  3. Judd Utermark, 3B
  4. Collin Reuter, DH
  5. Will Furniss, 1B
  6. Tate Simrans, LF
  7. Dom Decker, 2B
  8. Austin Fawley, C
  9. Brayden Randle, SS

Kentucky Batting Lineup

  1. Jayce Tharnish, CF
  2. Luke Lawrence, SS
  3. Ethan Hindle, 2B
  4. Tyler Bell, DH
  5. Hudson Brown, 1B
  6. Tyler Cerny, 3B
  7. Ryan Schwartz, RF
  8. Will Marcy, LF
  9. Owen Jenkins, C

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