Skip to main content
Ole Miss

WATCH: Ole Miss baseball keeps hitting home runs and winning games

Ben Garrettby: Ben Garrett04/02/25SpiritBen
Gnewn1SXIAAxh1G copy 2
Ole Miss slugger Judd Utermark celebrates with teammates following his grand slam against Jackson State (Photo credit: Ole Miss Baseball/X)

No. 9 Ole Miss baseball on Tuesday walked off Jackson State in midweek action for its seventh win in its last eight games.

The Rebels were buoyed in the 18-7 win by veteran sluggers Judd Utermark and Luke Hill. 

Utermark got the Rebels going with a first-inning grand slam and finished with a career-high five RBI. cored, and 16 RBI over his last 11 games. Ole Miss came into play No. 7 nationally in home runs per game. The Rebels were tied with Florida State for eighth in total home runs.

Hill set the table with three hits in four at-bats, including two walks and four runs scored.

“I think it’s one of those ugly games on both sides,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco, in his 25th season, said afterwards. “Early on we leave a ton of runners on and you want to extend the lead. 

“We got a lot of free passes and just really didn’t get the big hit. Leaving bases loaded, (but) you 10 run-rule a team in the middle of the week. (Ole Miss starting pitcher Gunnar) Dennis looked good.”

Ole Miss hit three total home runs. 

Mitchell Sanford notched his seventh in his last 11 games. He leads the Rebels in batting average, slugging percentage, runs scored and total bases.

Illinois State transfer Luke Cheng hit his second home run of the season for the game winner — a three-run pull shot to left field in the seventh inning. Cheng has slowly returned to live action following a multi-game absence due to a concussion. He was a late-inning substitution at second base on Tuesday.

“It’s been a rough few weeks,” Cheng said, “but I’m just glad to be out here.”

Ole Miss (22-6) next travels to Kentucky (17-9) for a Thursday-Saturday series this weekend. The included highlights were provided by Ole Miss Athletics.

You may also like