Ole Miss didn’t play a perfect game Friday night, but it played the kind that matters in May.
The Rebels beat No. 9 Texas A&M 5-3 in the series opener at Swayze Field, leaned on their ace when they needed him most, and walked off the field with a win that keeps the postseason picture moving in the right direction.
And Hunter Elliott gave them a little history to go with it.
Elliott looked like the version of himself Ole Miss fans have grown accustomed to seeing. Six innings, one earned run, 11 strikeouts, and the kind of command that makes even a top‑10 offense look uncomfortable.
One of the best to do it…ever @elliotthunter10 pic.twitter.com/DuiOcvz536
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 9, 2026
His seventh strikeout of the night pushed him to 300 for his career, making him only the third Rebel to ever reach that mark. Drew Pomeranz and Lance Lynn are the company he joined. Not bad.
He finished with 304 by the time he handed the ball off, and the Rebels needed every bit of it.
Three errors made the night messier than it had to be, but Elliott, Hudson Calhoun and Walker Hooks kept Texas A&M from turning those mistakes into something bigger.
The offense did its part early. A run in the first, another in the second, another in the fourth. Nothing flashy, just steady pressure.
Will Furniss drove in two, including a seventh‑inning double that pushed the lead back to two runs. Tristan Bissetta added an RBI single right after. Dom Decker, Austin Fawley and Judd Utermark all chipped in with two hits.
Texas A&M made it interesting in the fifth and again in the eighth, but Hooks closed the door with two innings of work and a little help from Furniss, who snagged a sharp liner at first to end it.
.@WillFurniss handles the hotshot to slam the door shut.
We'll play two tomorrow, starting at 2pm‼️ pic.twitter.com/mXZc2ypfQY
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 9, 2026
So Ole Miss takes the opener, and now Saturday turns into a double‑header. That’s not ideal, but it does give the Rebels two chances to trim their magic number.
They’re trying to play their way into hosting position, and every win from here on out matters a little more than the last.
Friday night was a good start.
Now they get two cracks at making it a great weekend.
