College Baseball Series of the Week: No. 5 Tennessee vs. No. 6 Ole Miss

It’s a Top 10 rivalry clash in Oxford as the Tennessee Volunteers travel to face the Ole Miss Rebels.

The Volunteers look to bounce back after dropping the final two games of their home series against unranked Texas A&M.

The Rebels return home following a road series win over the Kentucky Wildcats.

Will the Volunteers return to their winning ways? Or will the Rebels build on their four-game winning streak at home?

Here are some storylines from the weekend series.

Volunteers fall in 2024 CWS rematch

Tennessee took Game 1 of their home series with Texas A&M by a score of 10-0 in seven innings before dropping the final two games.

The Volunteers lost by a score of 9-3 in Game 2 before falling in the final game in eight innings by a score of 17-6 in a Saturday doubleheader.

Tennessee faced off against Texas A&M in the National Championship last season, taking the final two games of the best-of-three series to take the trophy.

The Texas A&M Aggies have since been bumped out of the Top 25 after starting the season as the No. 1 following a disappointing start to 2025.

Rebels look to continue resurgent campaign

Ole Miss has not been to the NCAA Tournament since winning it all back in 2022.

The last two seasons have seen the Rebels put up a combined record of 52-58 overall and 17-43 in SEC play.

The tables have been turned for them this year, however, as they are currently ranked No. 6 in the country.

With a 26-7 overall record and an 8-4 record in SEC play, the Rebels are one win away from last year’s win total, and they’re not done yet.

The history of Tennessee-Ole Miss

Ole Miss leads the head-to-head series with a 51-45-1 record against Tennessee since April 25, 1907.

In the most recent meeting, the Volunteers took two-of-three in a home series win over the Rebels on the weekend of March 22-24, 2024.

Ole Miss’s last series win over Tennessee was on the weekend of March 16-18, 2018, when the Rebels took two-of-three from the Volunteers at home.

Volunteers players to watch

Left fielder and designated hitter Dalton Bargo is fourth in the SEC in slugging percentage with .774.

Second baseman Gavin Kilen is currently nursing a hamstring injury that he suffered against East Tennessee State on March 18, but before that, he led the SEC in multiple categories, including batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base plus slugging percentage.

Left-handed pitcher Liam Doyle has been a shutdown rotation piece for Tennessee this season, leading the SEC in strikeouts with 81.

In the bullpen, left-handed pitcher Dylan Loy has been Mr. Reliable, boasting a 0.63 earned run average and a .065 opponent batting average in 15 appearances this season.

Rebels players to watch

Left fielder and designated hitter Judd Utermark has had the heavy bat for Ole Miss this season, leading the team and tying for sixth in the SEC in home runs with 11.

Illinois transfer outfielder Ryan Moerman has not disappointed for the Rebels, tying for third in the SEC in doubles with 12.

Left-handed pitcher Hunter Elliott has been unbeatable as a starter this season with a 5-0 record and a 3.63 earned run average.

In the bullpen, left-handed pitcher Ryne Rodriguez is third on the team in earned run average with 1.93, but he is their go-to guy as he ties the team lead in appearances with 12.

Bryan Portney is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bep5295@psu.edu.