Everything to Know as Ole Miss Opens SEC Play at No. 2 Texas

Ready or not, SEC baseball is here and so to is schedule for Ole Miss many have deemed one of the hardest in the nation.

Whether that ends up being true or not remains to be seen. What is clear, though, is the Rebels face a huge challenge in their first SEC series of the season against undefeated Texas.

Here’s everything to know about the weekend series.

The Opponent: Texas

Texas shows up this weekend looking every bit like a team that’s handled its business. The Longhorns are 16‑0 and have already run‑ruled six opponents, including a couple of shutouts.

They rolled through the BRUCE BOLT College Classic with wins over Coastal Carolina, Baylor and Ohio State, finishing with the best run differential in the field. Ole Miss was there too, so both sides have at least one shared measuring stick.

The strength of this Texas team starts with the lineup. The Longhorns are averaging just over ten runs per game and have already scored 162 on the year.

Seven regulars are hitting .300 or better, and Aiden Robbins has been the steady force at the top. He’s hitting .406 with 26 hits, and nearly half of those have gone for extra bases. Texas has also hit 30 home runs, with Robbins leading the way there as well.

On the mound, Texas plans to go with Ruger Riojas, Luke Harrison and Dylan Volantis. Riojas has been the Friday anchor and has the numbers to match it. He’s 4‑0 with a 1.23 ERA and leads the conference in strikeouts with 42 in just 22 innings. Harrison and Volantis have been solid behind him, combining for almost 50 strikeouts, and while Harrison has given up a few more runs, the overall staff has been one of the best in the league. Texas carries a 2.42 team ERA into the weekend, and the defense behind them has been sharp with a .989 fielding percentage

Weather Forecast

Friday’s SEC opening game in Austin shouldn’t be impacted by the weather much, if at all. According to the National Weather Service, the forecast for Friday night is “clear, with a low around 52. South wind around 5 mph.”

How to Watch: Ole Miss at No. 2 Texas

• Who: Ole Miss Rebels (15-3) at No. 2 Texas Longhorns (16-0)
• When: 6:30 p.m., Friday
• Where: UFCU Disch–Falk Field, Autin, Texas
• TV: SECN+
• Radio: Live Radio
• Stats: Live Stats
• Series History: Texas leads the all-time series 15-6
• Last Meeting: Texas 10, Ole Miss 0 (February 15, 2025)
• Last time out, Rebels: lost to No. 7 Southern Miss, 2-1
• Last time out, Longhorns: def. Texas State, 15-4

Student-Athlete Availability Report

Ole Miss

• All available.

Texas

Out

• C #14 Presley Courville
• P #34 Michael Winter

Questionable

• OF #9 Jonah Williams

Pitching Matchups

• Game 1: LHP Hunter Elliott (2-0, 3.66 ERA) vs. RHP Ruger Riojas (4-0, 1.23 ERA)
• Game 2: RHP Cade Townsend (2-0, 0.48 ERA) vs. LHP Luke Harrison (1-0, 3.06 ERA)
• Game 3: LHP Wil Libbert (2-1, 4.58 ERA) vs. LHP Dylan Volantis (2-0, 1.54 ERA)

Notable Relief Pitchers

Ole Miss

• Landon Koenig, RHP: 1-0, 1.17 ERA, 2 SV, 7.2 IP, 12 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 13 K, .353 Opp. BA, 1.70 WHIP
• Taylor Rabe, RHP: 2-0, 2.03 ERA, 1 SV, 13.1 IP, 8 h, 2 R, 1 BB, 14 K, .174 Opp.BA, 0.68 WHIP
• Hudson Calhoun, RHP: 1-0, 2.63 ERA, 13.2 IP, 11 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 22 K, .224 Opp. BA, 1.02 WHIP
• JP Robertson, RHP: 2-1, 3.24 ERA, 8.1 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 16 K, .294 Opp. BA, 1.56 WHIP

Texas

• Thomas Burns, RHP: 0-0, 1.24 ERA, 2 SV, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 11 K, .150 Opp. BA, 1.24 WHIP
• Max Grubbs, RHP: 2-0, 3.37 ERA, 10.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 5 BB, 12 K, .216 Opp. BA, 1.22 WHIP
• Brett Crossland, RHP: 1-0, 1.69 ERA, 5.1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 50 K, .056 Opp. BA, 0.38 WHIP
• Michael Winter, RHP: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 SV, 6.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K, .217 Opp. BA, 1.35 WHIP

Ole Miss Batting Lineup

1. Dom Decker, 2B
2. Judd Utermark, 3B
3. Will Furniss, 1B
4. Tristan Bissetta, RF
5. Collin Reuter, DH
6. Daniel Pacella, LF
7. Brayden Randle, SS
8. Austin Fawley, C
9. Hayden Federico, CF

Texas Batting Lineup

TBA