Ole Miss picked up a pair of postseason honors on Wednesday, and they came from two very different corners of the roster.
Perfect Game named sophomore left‑hander Walker Hooks a Second Team All‑American, rewarding a season where he’s been as steady and important as anyone on the pitching staff. A few hours later, the NCBWA announced its own All‑America teams and put senior third baseman Judd Utermark on the Third Team, giving the Rebels a rare pitching‑and‑hitting sweep on the national stage.
Hooks’ rise has been one of the quiet engines behind Ole Miss’ run to Omaha. He’s 3‑1 with nine saves, a 2.43 ERA, and 61 strikeouts in 55.2 innings, and his nine saves are the most by a Rebel since Brandon Johnson’s 12 in 2022.
In SEC play, he finished the regular season leading the league in ERA at 1.73, WHIP at 0.80, and appearances with 17. He also tied for the conference lead in saves and ranked near the top in fewest walks allowed and strikeout‑to‑walk ratio.
Over his last seven outings, he’s allowed just four earned runs and has converted eight of his last nine save chances.
It also marks back‑to‑back seasons with at least one Ole Miss pitcher earning All‑America honors, something the program hasn’t done since 2020‑21. Hooks is the first Rebel recognized by Perfect Game since Parker Caracci in 2018.
Utermark’s honor comes from a different lane entirely.
The senior has been the heartbeat of the lineup all year, leading the team in batting average, slugging, on‑base percentage, runs, hits, and total bases.
He enters the College World Series hitting .312 with 22 home runs, 53 RBI, 72 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases. His 72 runs rank fifth in the SEC, and his 1.16 runs per game sit seventh in the league.
He also rewrote the record book this spring. Utermark became the program’s all‑time home run leader with 51 career homers and is the first Rebel ever to post back‑to‑back 20‑plus home run seasons. He’s the first Ole Miss position player to earn All‑America recognition since Kemp Alderman in 2023.
Two players, two different paths, one shared headline: Ole Miss is sending both an All‑American closer and an All‑American slugger to Omaha.
