Jacob Gonzalez’s sharp single on Sunday was foreshadowing and a sign as much as a leadoff base hit that gave the Rebels their first runner of the day.

After striking out in the first inning, Gonzalez was locked in against Cade Horton, the Oklahoma right-hander stymied Ole Miss with a high 90s fastball and a wicked slider that ranged around 90 MPH.

Ole Miss didn’t score in the fourth, but over the next five innings of the Rebels 4-2 win that delivered the national title back to Oxford, Gonzalez kept firing away, showing his talent that eventually came through.

“He’s terrific, and we’re glad he’s on our team,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said.

D1Baseball.com and ESPN had Gonzalez as the top-rated prospect in the College World Series for the 2023 class.

Gonzalez, in the sixth inning, hit a 1-1 elevated fastball into the right-field seats to give Ole Miss the lead. After being hitless in his previous three games and 3-for-22 in the College World Series prior to Sunday, Gonzalez sent the thunder bolt in what was a marquee duel between Horton and Hunter Elliott.

And while that was the loudest at-bat of the game, his final turn two innings later was just as crucial. With two on and one out and Ole Miss trailing by a run, Gonzalez sent an offering from OU closer Trevin Michael through the right side — his third hit of the day and Ole Miss’ third hit in a row.

“That's just how we are,” Gonzalez said. “We're going to put the pressure on. We're not just going to strike out and sit down. We're going to fight. And luckily I got a hit, and I finally got to help the team out this week. I'm just glad I got to help out.”

Gonzalez had three of the Rebels’ six total hits in the game.

This last one tied the score, and he came around also thanks to two wild pitches in a span of two minutes. The Rebels had insurance, and their star showed up when needed most.

It had been a tough World Series for Gonzalez partly because of matchups. Left-handers with sliders — such as Arkansas’ Hagen Smith and Oklahoma’s Jake Bennett — had given the sophomore fits, and the shift has affected him this season, taking away a lot of would-be hits to the right side.

Gonzalez ends the year hitting .273 with a .963 OPS.

He worked the other way more in recent weeks, but OU gave him room to the pull side twice on Sunday, and he made them pay.

“It’s been some bad matchups for him,” Bianco said. “I grabbed him (Saturday) and told him, I said, ‘take a deep breath, you're a superstar, you're going to be fine.’”