Ole Miss Baseball vs. Murray State: Rebels Reveal Starting Pitcher for Game 1

Mike Bianco and the Ole Miss Rebels will return to Swayze Field on Friday night for an NCAA Tournament clash against the Murray State Racers.

After boosting the program's resumé in the SEC Tournament last week, the Rebels earned a coveted Top-16 seed in the tourney with Ole Miss now hosting a Regional in Oxford.

It'll be the Ole Miss Rebels, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and Murray State Racers in the Magnolia State this weekend.

Ole Miss will play in the 7 p.m. CT slot after Bianco and Co. chose to take the night game for an intriguing atmosphere at Swayze Field.

"I always felt that's a disappointing thing for your fans (for a team to play the early game)," Bianco said. "It's also really hot here like a lot of our counterparts.

"I don't want to play at 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. if I don't have to. We're used to playing on Friday night; our fans are used to being here on Friday night. That's kind of the reward."

But who will the Rebels send to the mound as the starter on Friday night against Murray State? The decision is in.

Ole Miss will start senior right-hander Riley Maddox on Friday night to open the NCAA Tournament, Bianco revealed on Thursday.

Maddox is 6-5 with a 5.26 ERA over 15 starts during the 2025 season. He's tossed 67 strikeouts and 27 walks while firing 65 innings. He's held opponents to a .252 batting average this season.

Ole Miss will hold ace Hunter Elliot for the Game 2 clash that will be versus either Georgia Tech or Western Kentucky.

"Looked at it all and thought it worked best through all three games," Mike Bianco said. "You want to take it one game at a time, but splits and things you look at are similar with all three clubs."

A look into the Oxford Regional preview, Hunter Elliott's take and the Regional hosts for this weekend to open the NCAA Tournament.

The Oxford Regional Preview:

NCAA OXFORD REGIONAL FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE
No. 2 Georgia Tech (40-17) vs. No. 3 Western Kentucky (46-12): 3 p.m. on ESPN+
No. 1 Ole Miss (40-19) vs. No. 4 Murray St. (39-13): 7 p.m. on ESPN+

Ace Pitcher Hunter Elliot's Take: Rebels Ready for the Bright Lights

“It would mean a lot. I’ve never played postseason baseball in Oxford. I’ve heard it’s truly special,” Elliott said on Sunday.

“It would be one of the best environments in college baseball next weekend. But, yeah, just me being from Mississippi I grew up going to a ton of games, going to some really cool postseason games. It would mean the world for me to play in one.”

The NCAA Tournament Schedule:

Selection Show: Monday, May 26 at 12 p.m. ET | ESPN2
Regionals: Friday - Monday, May 30 - June 2
Super Regionals: Friday - Monday, June 6-9
First day of MCWS Games: Starts Friday, June 13
MCWS Finals: Saturday - Sunday/Monday, June 21 - 22/23

The NCAA Regional Hosts:

Athens, Georgia – Georgia (42-15)
Auburn, Alabama – Auburn (38-18)
Austin, Texas – Texas (42-12)
Baton Rouge, Louisiana – LSU (43-14)
Chapel Hill, North Carolina – North Carolina (42-12)
Clemson, South Carolina – Clemson (44-16)
Conway, South Carolina – Coastal Carolina (48-11)
Corvallis, Oregon – Oregon State (41-12-1)
Eugene, Oregon – Oregon (42-14)
Fayetteville, Arkansas – Arkansas (43-13)
Hattiesburg, Mississippi – Southern Mississippi (44-14)
Knoxville, Tennessee – Tennessee (43-16)
Los Angeles, California – UCLA (42-16)
Nashville, Tennessee – Vanderbilt (42-16)
Oxford, Mississippi – Ole Miss (40-19)
Tallahassee, Florida – Florida State (38-14)