HOOVER, Ala. – May 24, 2025 – The Ole Miss Rebels defeated the LSU Tigers by a score of 2-0 in the Southeastern Conference Baseball Tournament at Hoover Met.
Ole Miss scored two runs on three hits. Their scoring began in the first inning with a run. Will Furniss (#36) hit a solo home run to left field to give Ole Miss a 1-0 lead. Furniss stated he was sitting fastball but hit a “hanging slider” that the pitcher left over the plate. He tried to hit it hard and didn’t expect it to get out due to the wind, but it did. The second run came in the fourth inning. Isaac Humphrey (#51) singled and advanced to second on a throwing error by the pitcher. Campbell Smithwick (#12) then singled to right field, scoring Humphrey. Smithwick was also intentionally walked later in the game. Ole Miss left six runners on base.
Ole Miss pitching was outstanding, holding LSU scoreless on just two hits. Mike Bianco, Ole Miss coach, called it a “pitching duel” and thought both teams pitched outstandingly. He felt the story of the game was the Ole Miss performance on the mound. True freshman Cade Townsend (#10) started for Ole Miss, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing two hits, no runs, three walks, and striking out three. Bianco commented that Townsend’s performance was his “best outing of the year” in a tough environment. He noted that the league is tough for freshmen, but Townsend handled the stage and made pitches to get off the field. Gunnar Dennis (#32) earned the win, bringing his record to 4-1. He pitched 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, one walk, and striking out two. Bianco praised Dennis’s performance in the middle part of the game as “huge” and “terrific”. Will McCausland (#17) pitched a scoreless eighth inning, striking out two. Connor Spencer (#22) earned his seventh save of the season. He pitched the final inning, allowing no hits, one walk, and striking out one. Spencer described pitching the ninth inning with the game on the line in front of LSU fans as “awesome” and a moment he “really live[s] for as a closer”. He felt he thrived in the last three outs. Spencer noted the pitching staff has been hanging out and coming together, not just as teammates but as “buddies,” which helps with encouragement and understanding each other. He also described Cade Townsend (#10) as a “little 19-year-old freshman” whom he rooms with on the road and tries to guide like a “big brother”.
LSU was shut out, managing only two hits and one error. Their hits came from Cade Arrambide (#0) and Chris Stanfield (#1). LSU left six runners on base. Tegan Noot (#27) took the loss for LSU, his record falling to 2-1. He pitched 4.0 innings, allowing three hits and two runs, one of which was earned. Chase Shores (#34) pitched 2.2 scoreless innings, allowing no hits, three walks, and striking out three. Jacob Mayers (#35) pitched the final 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out four. LSU coach Jay Johnson stated Ole Miss did a “great job” and pitched “very well”. He credited Ole Miss, noting they had given up very few runs in the tournament. Johnson said he was happy with how Jaden Noot (#27) took a step forward and thought Chase Shores (#34) was “outstanding”. He also highlighted Jacob Mayers (#35) who had been working hard. Johnson felt the team’s offensive effort was “poor” and acknowledged that Ole Miss “outplayed us today”.
Jared Jones (#22) of LSU called the offensive struggles “baseball” and said the team needed to be “tougher mentally”. He described Ole Miss starter Cade Townsend (#10) as having a “good heater, upper 90s, and then obviously a low 90s slider”. Jones felt LSU let Townsend “off the hook a few times in three-ball counts”. When facing a team they haven’t seen, Jones said you are “not really facing the pitcher, you’re facing the ball,” noting it’s the “same thing pretty much day in and day out, upper 90s fastball with some sort of slider or changeup”. He praised the LSU relievers, Shores and Mayers, for their performance, stating it was “huge for us” and gave them “a really good opportunity to win this game”. Jones said facing the quality opponents in the SEC is a “great training ground for Omaha” and a “30-game playoff”.
Mike Bianco felt the Ole Miss team was “together” and had more “fight” than in recent years. He described them as a “very mature group of guys” who are like “family”. Will Furniss echoed this, saying the team is “older” and “tighter,” staying “even keeled” through ups and downs. Bianco credited the older players, including four Mississippi guys and others who came from different programs, for meshing into the culture and providing leadership. He stated that “older teams win in our league,” and this is an older team. Spencer also noted the comfort having a closer like himself brings the offense. Bianco highlighted catcher Austin Fawley’s (#24) performance behind the plate, calling him “terrific” and saying he’s as good as anyone in the country at receiving pitches. He added that Fawley’s defensive work often “goes really unnoticed”.
Attendance was 14,775.
This post was generated with the assistance of an AI, drawing upon the provided source material.
