Coming off a devastating Game 1 loss to Milwaukee in the first game of the regional round, No. 4 Auburn baseball rattled off four straight wins to keep its season alive and advance to the Super Regional against the 2022 College World Series champion Ole Miss Rebels.
The Rebels are one of five SEC squads Auburn has yet to face in the 2026 season. Ole Miss has posed a threat to the Tigers as of late, having won both series matchups since 2024. Auburn will have the advantage of hosting the Super Regional at Plainsman Park, where the Tigers posted a 25-11 record this season.
The Rebels have had quite the impressive season of their own, currently holding a 39-21 record while going .500 in conference play. Despite the great record, Ole Miss has had its struggles away from Oxford this season.
The squad has a combined 12-14 record in neutral-site and road games, compared to Auburn’s 17-9 record in those matchups. While Auburn is the betting favorite in the series, the Rebels have performed well as underdogs against conference opponents, securing key upset victories on the road against Florida and at home against Texas A&M.
Similar to the Tigers, Ole Miss’ success this season can be greatly attributed to its impressive pitching numbers. The Rebels rank as the fifth-best pitching staff in the SEC this season, holding a 4.40 ERA.
On the other hand, the offense has been a struggle all year for the Rebels, who rank as the fourth-worst batting squad in the conference, with a .265 average this year. This could be a key advantage for an Auburn squad whose pitching staff looked uncharacteristically shaky in the regional last weekend. After leading the SEC in regular-season ERA by a wide margin with a mark of 3.62, the squad averaged nearly seven runs allowed per game in its five games played in the regional.
The Tigers’ pitchers will need to be on the lookout for the Rebels’ power duo of senior infielder Judd Utermark and senior outfielder Tristan Bissetta, who rank among the top 10 in the SEC in home runs this season with 21 and 22, respectively. On the other side, Auburn’s star sophomore catcher Chase Fralick has hit a home run in five straight games for the squad, the second time he has achieved the streak this year.
The series could see multiple pitchers’ duels take place, as all four of Auburn’s starters this year rank in the top 10 in the SEC in ERA, with marks of 3.52 or lower. Ole Miss also has extremely talented starters, with sophomore Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe both producing season ERAs under 4.00. Rabe has had success in the bullpen, as well, notching two saves this year.
Having made it back to the Super Regional for the second season in a row, Auburn will be attempting to do what the squad hasn’t done since 2022: make the trip to the College World Series. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. CDT on ESPN2.
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Jonathan is a freshman majoring in industrial and systems engineering. He started with The Plainsman in the fall of 2025.
