A run rule victory over UT-Martin was the expectation for fans on Tuesday night in Oxford, but the ones who were in attendance or watching on TV got to see program history as well.
In the first inning, Judd Utermark sent the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for his 49th career home run at Ole Miss breaking the all time program record of 48 by Kyle Gordon. Utermark also became the first Rebel baseball player ever to have 20 home runs in two different seasons really putting him in a class
of his own.
The game itself was not ever close with the Rebels (35-18, 14-13 SEC) getting out to a 16-2 lead at one point. Will Furniss notched five RBIs, Austin Fawley added four for himself along with a home run, and the Rebels scored 17 runs on only 12 hits in a 17-6 game that ended at the 7th inning stretch.
There have been a lot of talented players who have come through Oxford in the last four decades with Tim Elko and Matt Smith both coming close to setting the home run record. The overall consistency from Utermark over last season and this season is what is impressive. Having a season where you hit 20+ bombs is a great accomplishment but doing it in back to back years when the entire sport knows you are a guy to avoid really shows his ability to wait on the right pitches and execute when it matters.
Next up for Ole Miss is a road trip to Tuscaloosa and a three game series to cap off the regular season. The series starts on Thursday, May 14, and everything you can read on the world wide web points to Ole Miss needing two more wins to lock up a regional hosting bid. Personally, I’m not sure if the Rebels don’t need that plus a couple wins in Hoover at the SEC Tournament to cinch things up.
But first, the Rebels have to take care of the Crimson Tide on the road. We’ll have our preview up tomorrow with the projected starters and how to watch the final regular season series of the season.
