Battling through injuries, No. 9 Texas A&M secured one win in Oxford, Miss., against the 20th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels (34-18, 14-13 SEC) in their second straight series defeat in SEC play. A run-rule victory in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader felt like a much-needed win for the Aggies (37-12, 16-10), sandwiched between two tight contests. Picking up a 16th SEC win likely secured postseason baseball in the Brazos Valley, but there is still work to be done in order to solidify and secure a double bye
in the SEC Tournament as well as a top-eight national seed for the NCAA bracket.
GAME 1: #20 Ole Miss 5, #9 A&M 3
The Aggie offense fell silent in Oxford, Miss., failing to win the series opener for a third straight SEC series against No. 20 Ole Miss (33-17, 13-12) at Swayze Field. Texas A&M (36-11, 15-9) did not generate enough scoring chances, punched out 15 times, and went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position (RISP) to drop their sixth total game one in conference play.
In his first start as an Aggie and first in over a year, Ethan Darden struggled to settle in. The Rebels scored three early runs across the first four frames, with two off the newly anointed senior starter. Shane Sdao took over for Darden in the third and weathered a storm. He threw 4.1 innings of relief in his first appearance this season out of the bullpen, allowed two runs, gave his team much-needed length, and kept the game within striking distance.
After back-to-back singles opened the fifth, the Aggies finally cashed in. Sawyer Farr drove home his seventh RBI of the year on a fielder’s choice. Another run later scored with two outs, after Caden Sorrell reached on an error to get the game within one at 3-2.
Sdao retired the next seven Rebels he faced before a one-out single in the seventh. He exited and gave way to Gavin Lyons. With two outs, Ole Miss scored twice on a double and single to extend the advantage to 5-2.
In the eighth, A&M loaded the bases with no outs and looked primed to get back in the ballgame. The 6-7-8 hitters produced just a lone run, courtesy of Jorian Wilson’s fielder’s choice, but squandered an opportunity to draw any closer going to the bottom half down 5-3.
A fielding error brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but a strikeout and lineout ended the contest and gave Ole Miss the series opener ahead of a Saturday doubleheader as the series was adjusted due to weather concerns.
GAME 2: #9 A&M 18, #20 Ole Miss 5 (Final/7 inn.)
No. 9 Texas A&M’s (37-11, 16-9) power surge put the lights out early in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader, winning 18-5 over ranked Ole Miss (33-18, 13-13) in a seven-inning run rule at Swayze Field in Oxford, Miss. The Maroon and White tied a program record with seven longballs in the victory to set up a rubber match in the nightcap.
Ben Royo was the storyline in Saturday’s twin bill, having the most complete game in his collegiate career in game one. Coming off the bench to fill in for an injured Boston Kellner and having only four total at-bats in 2026, the shortstop from Corpus Christi, Texas, went 3-for-3 with two homers, a walk, four RBI, and scored four times.
Three homers in the third inning broke the ice and gave A&M the lead. Blake Binderup and Royo went back-to-back before Chris Hacopian punctuated the big inning with his three-run shot. Binderup’s blast was the team’s 100th longball this season, the third campaign in program history to reach the century mark and second in three seasons. Royo’s first hit of the year came on his solo shot, while Hacopian delivered his seventh longball in 2026.
Ole Miss trimmed the lead to 5-3 in the bottom half, using a two-run double and RBI single in their immediate response. Starter Aidan Sims exited after this frame but finished his three innings of work with one of his five punchouts.
The Aggies got another big inning in the fourth via the homer. Royo once again left the yard in the fourth, a two-run shot to make it 7-3. After a Sawyer Farr single, Caden Sorrell pummeled the fifth Aggie homer of the day, a moonshot that grew the lead to 9-3.
Gavin Lyons entered in the fourth and saw the Rebels battle back again. The hosts scored twice to work the score back to 9-5. The A&M reliever was able to escape without further damage, leaving the bases full of Rebels, an effort that saw him pick up his ninth win of the season.
A&M added three more in the fifth, using a wild pitch and a Gavin Grahovac two-run double that pushed the advantage to 12-5. Bear Harrison made it four straight innings with crooked numbers with the sixth homer of the game, a 435-foot two-run blast that made it 14-5. Later in the frame, Royo collected his fourth RBI of the game and put the visitors in front by double-digits at 15-5. Grahovac tallied two more RBI to his Saturday ledger with his second two-run double in as many innings to stretch the Texas A&M lead to 17-5 and well into run-rule territory.
In the seventh, Hacopian added a solo shot for good measure, the seventh Maroon and White homer in the game. The Maryland transfer’s second longball of the game helped the Aggies match their program record for home runs in a game, doing so for the fourth time ever and first since April 6, 2025, at top-ranked Tennessee.
Junior Hunter Bond shutdown the Ole Miss bats over the final two frames to put a bow on the opening game of the doubleheader and even the series heading into the finale later in the evening.
Note: As mentioned above, Boston Kellner was ruled out for Saturday’s twin bill, forcing Royo’s career day. The freshman was hit in the face by a pitch in Friday’s opener. He was confirmed to have a facial orbital bone fracture, sidelining him for at least the remainder of the regular season.
GAME 3: #20 Ole Miss 6, #9 A&M 5
A home run or bust offensive approach backfired for Texas A&M, falling 6-5 to No. 20 Ole Miss (34-18, 14-13) in the series finale at Swayze Field in Oxford, Miss. Despite a herculean relief effort from Clayton Freshcorn, the Aggies (37-12, 16-10) could not muster any runs outside of a big fourth inning and were handed their second straight SEC series defeat.
Rebels starter Taylor Rabe diced up the hot A&M offense, holding them in check for most of his 6.1-inning outing. The sophomore punched out 14 Aggies, doubling his previous career high. He faced one over the minimum through three innings, tallying eight strikeouts around a Ben Royo single. Meanwhile, at the plate, Ole Miss’ offense responded, using back-to-back home runs to take a 3-0 lead.
One inning later, Weston Moss issued a two-out walk. The Rebels made him pay, hitting their third longball of the nightcap and grabbing a 5-0 advantage. Moss struggled with the 6-7-8 hitters as all three Rebel homers came from that group. The junior did strike out six in three frames in his shortened outing.
Three straight A&M singles loaded the bases in the fourth, looking to put a dent in the deficit. A balk brought home the Aggies’ first run and moved everyone 90 feet. Two quick outs brought up Blake Binderup. The College Station native did not waste the opportunity, connecting for a three-run blast. Six pitches later and sensing déjà vu, Royo tied the contest with his third homer of the doubleheader, marking the time those two hitters completed back-to-back longballs on Saturday.
Tied at 5-5, Freshcorn entered in the fourth for his first appearance of the weekend. The reliable closer was just that and kept the Rebels scoreless over his first three innings of work. The junior continued his stellar appearance into the seventh, marking his longest outing in his two seasons in the Maroon and White.
Ole Miss put together a threat in the seventh. A walk and stolen base put the go-ahead run at second, and with two outs recorded, the Rebels went back in front on an RBI single. Freshcorn got out of the frame but pushed the narrative back to the Aggie offense.
Caden Sorrell singled to start the eighth and stole second. Sorrell got to third, but with two outs, Bear Harrison was plunked, which extended the frame and brought up Jorian Wilson. The freshman pushed the count to 2-2, but notched A&M’s 16th strikeout of the night and ended the inning.
Freshcorn struck out the side in the eighth, which completed his fifth inning in relief and gave his squad a shot in the ninth to tie or take the lead.
Royo’s seventh hit of the doubleheader, a one-out single, put the tying run on base. Head coach Michael Earley brought in pinch-hitter Wesley Jordan, but the senior grounded into an inning-ending, game-ending and series-winning 6-4-3 double play that helped Ole Miss escape with a one-run result.
A tip of the cap goes to Royo. The senior came into Saturday’s twin bill with a 0-for-4 ledger at the plate in 2026. He was called upon to start at shortstop in both games on Saturday and delivered a strong case for SEC Player of the Week honors. The Rice transfer had a doubleheader for the ages, going 7-for-7 with three home runs, a walk, five RBI, and five runs scored. He also held his own in the field, playing in the place of injured Boston Kellner.
The Aggies return home to close out the regular season in an important three-game set with Mississippi State (38-14, 15-12). The second straight series against a ranked Magnolia State school begins one day earlier than usual, commencing on Thursday, May 14, from Olsen Field at Blue Bell Park in College Station, Texas. Game 52 of 52 will have national attention as the regular season finale is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. first pitch on Saturday, May 16, on the SEC Network.
