The stakes are simple.
If Ole Miss wins, it’s headed to the College World Series and Auburn’s season ends. If Auburn wins, we’ll see a winner-take-all Game 3 on Sunday with the winner advancing to Omaha.
With the stakes so high, expect every detail to be analyzed in search of a winning edge. That includes which outfielder for Ole Miss will be looking into the afternoon sun.
Tristan Bissetta has started every game this season for Ole Miss, mostly in right field. Friday night, he started in left field until sunset and moved back to right field. Brayden Randle started off in right field, which was his first time starting in the outfield.
“I didn’t want the first time he ran out there for the sun to be in his face,” Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said after Friday’s game. “The Monster didn’t scare me as much as the sun did. This field is situated a little different than most. Most fields, the sun field is right field. This field is like Omaha, Georgia and some other parks where the sun field is left field.”
Considering Friday’s game started three hours later in the day than Saturday’s game will, Bissetta might spend more than just an inning or two in left field.
“I think tomorrow it’ll be a bigger factor,” Bianco said. “We weren’t sure how much that would be a factor at the beginning. I really don’t think it was a factor at the beginning, but that was the plan all along.”
We’ll know soon enough if there’ll be a different plan for the second game of the Auburn Super Regional. Here’s everything else to know about the game.
Starting Pitchers
RHP Taylor Rabe vs. RHP Alex Petrovic
- Rabe: 5-3, 3.84 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 63.1 IP, 55 H, 27 R, 27 ER, 10 BB, 90 SO, .229 Opp. BA, 2 WP, 6 HBP
- Petrovic: 10-2, 3.19 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 87.1 IP, 67 H, 33 R, 31 ER, 22 BB, 87 SO, .209 Opp. BA, 2 WP, 6 HBP
Weather Forecast
A lot of attention was paid Friday to the sun’s location and what side of the outfield was looking at it. At Plainsman Park, it’s something the left fielder has to deal with if it’s not a cloudy.
Saturday isn’t expected to be a cloudy day. According to the National Weather Service forecast, Saturday should be “mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Southeast wind around 5 mph.”
Game One Recap
No. 18 Ole Miss opened the Auburn Super Regional with a 6-4 win Friday night. Judd Utermark tied his single‑season best with his 22nd home run, and Collin Reuter added a two‑run shot in the sixth to give Ole Miss the cushion it needed. Brayden Randle drove in two runs, and four Rebels finished with multiple hits as Ole Miss reached the 40‑win mark for the second straight season.
Hunter Elliott, Hudson Calhoun and Walker Hooks handled the pitching, combining for seven strikeouts while keeping Auburn from ever grabbing the lead back. Elliott worked into the fifth before Calhoun and Hooks closed it out, with Hooks striking out two in a steady eighth. Auburn trimmed the margin late with a ninth‑inning homer, but the Rebels never lost control.
How to Watch: Auburn Super Regional
- Who: Ole Miss Rebels (40-21) at Auburn Tigers (42-21)
- When: 4 p.m. Saturday
- Where: Plainsman Park, Auburn, Ala.
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: Live Radio
- Stats: Live Stats
- Series History: Ole Miss leads the all-time series 103-94
- Last Meeting: Ole Miss 6, Auburn 4 (Friday)
- Last time out, Rebels: def. Arizona State, 5-4 (10 innings)
- Last time out, Tigers: def. Milwaukee, 8-3
Odds, Spread, Totals
Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook
Spread
- Ole Miss: +1.5 (-118)
- Auburn: -1.5 (-108)
Moneyline
- Ole Miss: +136
- Auburn: -178
Total
- Over: 10.5 (+100)
- Under: 10.5 (-136)
