OXFORD — What a difference a day makes.
On Sunday, Swayze Field was a glorified carnival. Baseballs and beers were flying everywhere, the Ole Miss dugout was a joyous dance party and fans had turned a ballgame into a party.
On Monday, the same park was first shellshocked and then subdued for the better part of seven innings.
Down 12-3 after six and a half innings, Ole Miss rallied furiously, scoring five runs in the seventh and three more in the eighth to pull within 12-11.
Mason Nichols, one of the players who helped Ole Miss to a national title in 2022, calmed down Murray State’s electric offense. Ole Miss ace/College World Series hero Hunter Elliott, who won the first of three straight games out of the losers’ bracket over the weekend, made a relief appearance for the first time since April 2022 and retired Murray State in order, leaving the field one final time as if his long locks were on fire, firing up the Swayze faithful.
A storybook ending, however, wasn’t meant to be. Graham Kelham retired Isaac Humphrey, Campbell Smithwick and Hayden Federico in order in the bottom of the ninth.
Ole Miss’ season ended at 43-21. Murray State (42-14) advanced to this weekend’s NCAA Super Regional round. The Racers will travel to Durham, N.C., to face Duke in a three-game series that begins Friday or Saturday.
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco’s voice cracked a bit as he tried to put Monday’s game and this team into perspective.
“We didn’t think we were going to lose, but unfortunately, we did,” Bianco said. “I’m really proud of them in so many ways, but the truth is, there were some older guys that didn’t have to come back. It would’ve been easy to (go pro) and it would’ve been easy to move on and they chose to stay. And that’s special.
“We had some underclassmen who could’ve went in the portal but they chose to stay and they stayed because they wanted something like they just experienced. They signed to come here and play in Swayze Field and play in front of 12,000 people, and for some of those, it hadn’t happened in their career yet and they wanted a part of that.”
Murray State had 19 hits. The Racers scored two runs in the second, three in the third, four in the fifth and two more in the seventh. Ole Miss committed two critical errors, giving Murray State five unearned runs.
In the end, the Rebels’ defense, combined with a slow-starting offense on Monday, proved to be fatal. It was an odd ending to a season that was built on consistency. The Rebels were never swept in Southeastern Conference play, winning 16 of 30 games in the regular season and then three in the SEC Tournament in Hoover.
It was a close-knit team, one that fought all season, including in the Oxford Regional. Ole Miss lost to Murray State on Friday and then fought its way out of the losers’ bracket, beating Western Kentucky, Georgia Tech and the Racers to set up Monday’s winner-take-all showdown.
“They were the best team here,” Bianco said. “They played the best. Unfortunately for us, that happened in our regional.”
Third baseman Luke Hill, fighting back tears, said he’ll remember “an unbelievable group of guys,” adding that “it’s going to be hard” to not have more time with his teammates.
“All those emotions hit you at once,” said Hill, who drove in two huge runs in the seventh inning to pull the Rebels close. “It’s a tough feeling. …We never give up.”
Bianco said his team “emptied the tank” Monday. Walker Hooks started and was relieved by Mason Morris, Will McCausland, Riley Maddox, Nichols and Elliott.
Nic Schutte (8-3) got the win for Murray State. Hooks (1-2) absorbed the loss, giving up eight hits and five runs in 2.1 innings. Kelham picked up his seventh save despite giving up six hit sand three runs in 2.2 innings.
“We just got beat,” Bianco said. “You can try to dissect it all you want, but they beat us. It’s tough to swallow right now but you have to tip your hat to the team that played the best.”
