Ole Miss had the recipe for success this season and just needed to make sure it had all the ingredients at the right time.
The Rebels used a great pitching performance on the mound, timely power hitting and few great defensive plays to beat Auburn on Saturday. Now they’re headed to the College World Series for the first time since 2022.
Taylor Rabe gave Ole Miss what it needed on the mound. He had the longest outing of any pitcher this season, throwing 104 pitches in seven innings. Auburn scored a pair of runs on six hits against Rabe, but drew just one walk and struck out eight times. Of the 104 pitches he threw, 73 were strikes.
JP Robertson and Walker Hooks pitched the final two innings and combined to give up one run on one hit and two walks.
The Ole Miss offense didn’t produce a lot, recording just five hits but did take advantage of six free passes. It also limited the strikeouts with only eight batters making the walk from home plate back to the dugout without a trip around the bases.
Judd Utermark was the first to take advantage with a two-run double in the sixth inning to tie the game after Dom Decker was hit by a pitch to reach base.
REBS LEAD pic.twitter.com/WmOO8KMLlP
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) June 6, 2026
Two innings later, it was Will Furniss to take advantage of Utermark drawing a walk. Furniss hit his eighth home run of the season to put Ole Miss ahead 4-2. For good measure, Tristan Bissetta followed in the next at-bat with his 23rd home run of the season.
Watching Furniss watching Bissetta… https://t.co/k6FvCtSCOU pic.twitter.com/lM8MYroVkw
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) June 7, 2026
Auburn wasn’t able to take advantage of its free bases like Ole Miss was. Robertson walked back-to-back batters in the eighth inning and two outs recorded. Hayden Federico made a run-saving catch over his shoulder in center field to end the inning.
Federico’s catch was part of an excellent defensive showing by the Rebels, who didn’t commit a single error in the win. They even secured the win with a bullet of a throw by Utermark at third base first that ended the game.
SEE YOU IN OMAHA😤 pic.twitter.com/GHMKuNkqdo
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) June 7, 2026
Ole Miss hasn’t always played great and has upset many of fans with its penchant for striking out a lot. But the recipe has been there all season.
Hit home runs, strikeout opposing batters and play clean in the field.
The Rebels are doing all of that at the absolutely right time of the season and it’s punched their ticket to Omaha for the seventh time in program history.
Pitching Decisions
- WP: JP Robertson (5-1), 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 19 TP
- LP: Jackson Sanders (5-2), 2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 2 HP, 41 TP
- S: Walker Hooks (9), 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 K, 1 WP, 1 HP, 23 TP
Ole Miss Batting Leaders
- Judd Utermark: 1-2, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB
- Will Furniss: 1-4, 2 RBI, HR
- Tristan Bissetta: 1-3, 1 RBI, HR, 1 BB
Next Up
Ole Miss is headed to the CWS for the seventh time and will face the winner of the Chapel Hill Super Regional between Southern California and North Carolina. That series will be decided Sunday.
The CWS is set to begin with the first game of the tournament starting at 1 p.m. Friday.
