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Everything Mike Bianco Said After Ole Miss’ Run-Rule Win Over LSU

Published

5 months ago

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Mike Bianco

No. 25 Ole Miss secured a SEC series win Saturday, run-ruling No. 24 LSU 12-2 at Swayze Field. Behind another solid pitching performance from Cade Townsend and offensive explosion in the middle innings, the Rebels celebrated a big win against the defending national champions.

Afterwards, Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco talked to reporters about the game, Townsend’s performance and Owen Paino’s hot streak. Here’s everything he said.

Mike Bianco, Head Coach

On Cade Townsend’s start…

I think sometimes guys can internalize things in big moments — big game, big crowd — and you want guys who really want it. Maybe early on he wanted it a little too much and missed a few spots. But that’s a really good offense over there, so you have to give them credit.

After the second inning, though, he really settled in. Honestly, he was better in just about every measurement — velocity, location, all of it. He was going to go back out there in the seventh, but we had back-to-back long innings, and it just took too much time. It wasn’t about the lead — we would’ve left him in otherwise — it was just the length of those innings.

On in-game plan adjustment by Townsend…

Yeah, I think if you watch enough, you can see it. Cade’s a super talented guy with great stuff — and I mean an array of pitches. Probably more than anyone we’ve ever had. That’s part of why he’s so good — he doesn’t rely on just one pitch.

He’s got a fastball, curveball, slider, cutter, splitter — now even a two-seam. There’s a lot in the toolkit. But early on, you could tell they were really leaning on the cutter. It felt like every cutter he threw, they had good swings on it.

That’s a big-league pitch, but credit to them. He gave up some hits in the first couple innings, but he and Bangor — calling the pitches — made a great adjustment. They leaned more on the slider and the fastball.

Even though the splitter wasn’t great for him today, he kept throwing it. Sometimes you’ve got to show it enough to keep those left-handers honest. Overall, it was a really good in-game adjustment by both of them.

On LSU’s William Schmidt…

Sometimes you look up at the scoreboard and it feels like things are moving fast, but if you step back, he didn’t give up any hits early. What stood out to me was the pitch count in the top right corner — it kept climbing.

He was working at a higher pitch count and moving quicker than Townsend early. They were kind of going in opposite directions. He was getting into more three-ball counts, too.

Even though we didn’t have much to show for it early, I was proud of our guys. He’s terrific — going to be a big-time winner. We didn’t see him last year, but you heard how good he could be, and now you’re seeing it. He’s having an outstanding year.

I thought we did a good job running his pitch count up and eventually putting an inning together. That’s what you have to do against an ace. And today, even though it was game two, it felt like two aces out there — probably two future big leaguers.

On Owen Paino…

Yeah, he looks terrific. I said it last night — I’m just really proud of him. It hasn’t been an easy road for him, but he’s been a great teammate and he’s worked incredibly hard.

You’re proud of his success, but it’s also really cool for other people to finally see what we’ve known. We’ve always known how good of a player he is and what he can become. Now everyone else is getting to see that too.

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Hunter Elliott Joins Elite Ole Miss Company in Win Over Texas A&M

Published

4 months ago

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May 9, 2026

By

Ole Miss first baseman Will Furniss celebrates after his RBI double in the seventh inning Friday against Texas A&M. | Ole Miss Athletics

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.

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.

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.

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How to Watch Ole Miss Baseball’s Crucial SEC Opener Against Texas A&M

Published

4 months ago

on

May 8, 2026

By

Ole Miss' Collin Reuter crosses home plate in a SEC game against Kentucky. | Dylan Cohron, HottyToddy.com Images

The end of the regular season is fast approaching and the importance and intensity of each game is only going to grow larger and larger.

With that growth, pressure will grow too and that’s what makes this weekend in Oxford important.

No. 20 Ole Miss is on the bubble of hosting a NCAA Regional and needs more than one or two wins to get on the right side of that bubble. A win or two against No. 9 Texas A&M would make the final weekend of the season a lot less stressful.

The Rebels get their first chance Friday night at Swayze Field. Here’s everything to know about the series-opening game.

The Opponent: Texas A&M

Texas A&M head coach Michael Earley is only in his second season, but he’s already stacked back‑to‑back 30‑win years and has this group sitting at 36-10 heading into the weekend. The Aggies are second in the SEC at 15-8 and have taken five of their last six league series, including sweeps of LSU, Texas and Missouri.

The formula has been pretty simple. They walk a lot, they hit a lot of home runs and they score in bunches. A&M ranks 11th nationally in walks and third in homers, which adds up to 422 runs on the year, good for 9.2 per game. The pitching and defense hold up their end too. The Aggies own the seventh‑best strikeout‑to‑walk ratio in the country at 3.23 and the third‑best fielding percentage in the SEC.

Junior outfielder Caden Sorrell leads the power surge with 21 home runs, second in the league and top 10 nationally. He’s one of five Aggies hitting over .300. Gavin Grahovac tops the lineup at .362 and brings plenty of pop with 17 homers, 13 doubles and three triples. Jake Duer, Nico Partida and Bear Harrison are also above .300, with Partida and Harrison both in double‑digit homers.

On the mound, Ethan Darden and Aiden Sims are lined up for Friday and Saturday. Darden has been a bullpen mainstay with a 2.88 ERA and a 4-0 record in 25 innings, and this would be his first start as an Aggie. Sims has made 12 starts and sits at 8-1, leading the team in both strikeouts with 68 and innings pitched with 65.

Starting Pitchers

LHP Ethan Darden vs. LHP Hunter Elliott

  • Darden: 4-0, 2.88 ERA, 25 IP, 21 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 10 BB, 19 SO, .231 Opp. BA
  • Elliott: 4-2, 5.49 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 59 IP, 57 H, 37 R, 36 ER, 31 BB, 77 SO, .256 Opp. BA

Weather Forecast

The Rebels and Aggies should have favorable weather conditions Friday night at Swayze Field. The National Weather Service forecast calls for clear skies, mostly sunny with temperatures in the mid 70s. There’ll be a slight south wind moving at five miles an hour.

How to Watch: No. 9 Texas A&M at No. 20 Ole Miss

  • Who: No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies (36-10, 15-8 SEC) at No. 20 Ole Miss Rebels (32-17, 12-12 SEC)
  • When: 6:30 p.m., Friday
  • Where: Swayze Field, Oxford, Miss.
  • TV: SECN+
  • Radio: Live Radio
  • Stats: Live Stats
  • Series History: Ole Miss leads the all-time series 21-20
  • Last Meeting: Texas A&M 6, Ole Miss 0 (May 12, 2024)
  • Last time out, Rebels: lost to No. 22 Arkansas, 5-4
  • Last time out, Aggies: def. Prairie View A&M, 16-7

Student-Athlete Availability Report

Texas A&M

Out

  • IF/P #2 Nico Partida
  • P #12 Josh Stewart
  • P #28 Caden McCoy

Ole Miss

Out

  • P #17 Marko Sipila
  • P #29 Grayson Gibson
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Baseball

Texas A&M Makes Friday Night Rotation Change Ahead of Ole Miss Series

Published

4 months ago

on

May 8, 2026

By

Ole Miss Rebels pitcher Cade Townsend delivering a pitch against Nevada

No. 20 Ole Miss faces an important weekend series starting Friday night.

The Rebels’ final week of the regular season will be a lot less stressful if they can win a pair of games against No. 9 Texas A&M. At a minimum, they have to avoid a sweep.

Ole Miss needs four more SEC wins to feel confident about hosting a NCAA Regional when the NCAA Tournament starts in three weeks. But that’s a lot easier said than done and the work will begin soon enough.

How successful this home series finale for Ole Miss is will depend on the bats launching bombs and the pitching staff throwing its best stuff.

The second half of that recipe begins with the starting pitchers for the weekend. And like we predicted earlier in the week, there’s no surprise who Ole Miss is starting.

Hunter Elliott gets the ball first on Friday, followed by Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe. That’s the rotation the Rebels have used for almost a month now.

Texas A&M, though, did have a surprise in its starting rotation.

The Aggies are giving Ethan Darden his first start of the season in Friday’s series opener and everybody’s favorite pitcher, TBA, is slated for Sunday. The only part of the rotation unchanged is Aiden Sims starts Saturday’s game.

Darden, a Clemson transfer, started nine games for the Tigers last season and went 4-2 with a 6.08 ERA. Moving to the bullpen this year has suited him. He’s 4-0 with a 2.88 ERA across 25 innings and has been one of the steadier arms on the staff.

Shae Sdao had been the Friday starter all season, but the numbers haven’t backed up the role. Among SEC pitchers with at least one inning per team game, he ranks last in ERA during league play at 9.74, last in WHIP at 2.16 and last in hits allowed with 57. He’s 0-4 in SEC games, and the struggles finally forced a change.

This could be a good or bad thing for Ole Miss.

If the Rebels’ bats aren’t active, it won’t matter who’s throwing the pitches. But if they are and Darden is more like an opener, Ole Miss could force the Aggies to deplete some of their bullpen.

We’ll find out in a few hours if that’s going to happen or not.

Ole Miss Starting Pitchers

Hunter Elliott, LHP

  • Season stats: 4-2, 5.49 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 59 IP, 57 H, 37 R, 36 ER, 31 BB, 77 SO, .256 Opp. BA

Cade Townsend, RHP

  • Season stats: 5-1, 2.42 ERA, .96 WHIP, 52 IP, 37 H, 17 R, 14 ER, 13 BB, 73 SO, .193 Opp. BA

Taylor Rabe, RHP

  • Season stats: 3-3, 4.17 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 45.1 IP, 44 H, 21 R, 21 ER, 7 BB, 54 SO, .251 Opp. BA

Notable Relief Pitchers

  • Walker Hooks, LHP: 3-1, 2.45 ERA, .82 WHIP, 5 SV, 40.1 IP, 24 H, 14 R, 11 ER, 9 BB, 46 SO, .176 Opp. BA
  • Landon Waters, RHP: 0-1, 0.90 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 2 SV, 20 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 10 BB, 21 SO, .159 Opp. BA
  • Hudson Calhoun, RHP: 3-3, 4.33 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 2 SV, 35.1 IP, 29 H, 19 R, 17 ER, 20 BB, 55 SO, .221 Opp. BA
  • Landon Koenig, RHP: 3-0, 5.12 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 2 SV, 19.1 IP, 29 H, 15 R, 11 ER, 5 BB, 29 SO, .341 Opp. BA

Texas A&M Starting Pitchers

Ethan Darden, LHP

  • Season stats: 4-0, 2.88 ERA, 25 IP, 21 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 10 BB, 19 SO, .231 Opp. BA

Aiden Sims, RHP

  • Season stats: 8-1, 3.60 ERA, 65 IP, 50 H, 30 R, 26 ER, 18 BB, 68 SO, .208 Opp. BA

TBA

Notable Relief Pitchers

  • Clayton Freshcorn, RHP: 2-1, 2.34 ERA, 11 SV, 34.2 IP, 35 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 4 BB, 39 SO, .261 Opp. BA
  • Juan Vargas, RHP: 2-1, 3.91 ERA, 23 IP, 16 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 8 BB, 16 SO, .193 Opp. BA
  • Grant Cunningham, RHP: 3-1, 6.00 ERA, 1 SV, 30 IP, 42 H, 21 R, 20 ER, 9 BB, 26 SO, .333 Opp. BA
  • Shane Sdao, LHP: 3-4, 6.55 ERA, 57.2 IP, 75 H, 44 R, 42 ER, 15 BB, 67 SO, .307 Opp. BA
  • Weston Moss, RHP: 4-2, 5.12 ERA, 51 IP, 50 H, 30 R, 29 ER, 17 BB, 48 SO, .258 Opp. BA
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