OXFORD | Taylor Broadway was looking for people to hug.

The Ole Miss closer, extending his school record for saves with 16, got the strikeout looking to end it, seven hours after the scheduled first pitch and multiple delays on the day -- and through uncharted adversity though the year.

Broadway embraced with Hayden Dunhurst, his teammates followed and a mini pileup around the mound started the five or so minutes of immediate jubilation following Ole Miss’ 12-9 marathon win over Southern Miss (40-21) to take the Oxford Regional and move to a super regional in Tucson against Arizona.

The hugs, handshakes and emotional movement through each other turned into a short team meeting in right field and a dash toward the students, as players climbed the fence before a victory lap started and ended just past the first base dugout.

Held together by what seems like duct tape, WD-40, Doug Nikhazy and Broadway’s guts and arms and Tim Elko’s one ACL, this Ole Miss (44-20) team fought through injuries and COVID protocols to win its 44th game, overcome Sunday night’s sputtering first shot at the Golden Eagles and fly to the desert two wins from Omaha.

“The team has a lot of fight,” Elko said. “The stuff we’ve had to go through this year is unreal. We’ve handled it better than I could imagine.”

Co-ace Gunnar Hoglund and important reliever Max Cioffi were both lost for the season, and Elko, Peyton Chatagnier, Cael Baker and others missed considerable time. Elko is hobbled still but plenty able to swing a bat. Yet, Ole Miss is one of 16 teams remaining.

The adversity-addled Rebels have lost back-to-back games just twice all season and just once since mid-March.

Instead of any lingering tightness from the loss to Southern Miss less than 24 hours ago, Ole Miss put up four runs in the first and led by nine runs in the second inning. Then, they held on, survived six USM home runs and outlasted the Eagles with enough pitching and five long balls of their own.

“I’m proud of my guys for hanging in there,” Mike Bianco said. “It wasn’t easy, but one mantra is don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. We were good today.”

Ole Miss will play in its seventh super regional and second straight, as there was no 2020 postseason. The Rebels are 6-11 collectively in those games with the one College World Series appearance in the super regional era in 2014.

Arizona swept through the Tucson Regional, beating Grand Canyon once and UC Santa Barbara twice.

Elko was named MVP of the regional, as his second-inning grand slam — his second grand slam of the tournament — gave Ole Miss the nine-run cushion. Chatagnier and Justin Bench each hit two-run home runs in the first inning, and Elko hit another home run, a solo shot, in the fourth inning. Calvin Harris also added a two-run home run in the fifth.

“He’s a big-moment player,” USM coach Scott Berry said of Elko. “He wants to thrive when the game is on the line. He's Kirk Gibson every day.”

Broadway finished the regional with the last six outs and his third save in four days. An eighth-inning infield single was Broadway’s only blemish.

Ole Miss threw six different pitchers including Nikhazy, who gathered four outs on 28 pitches two days after throwing 119 pitches in a win over Florida State.

Nikhazy entered with the bases loaded in the sixth inning and two outs with the Rebels up five runs. He struck out pinch hitter Slade Wilks on three straight pitches.

Bianco told all the pitchers on Sunday night to let him know on Monday morning if they were available, reminding them to get any treatment that night or first thing on game day before he asked them if they felt OK to pitch.

“I got a text message from Doug Nikhazy last night that said, ‘I’ll start or relieve or whatever you need me to do. I’m ready to go,’” Bianco said. “That’s special kids who care about the program… all they want to do is win.

"He would have fought me if he didn’t pitch today.”

Ole Miss started Jack Dougherty on Monday, a fitting personification of the all-hands-on-deck deal with the Rebels. Dougherty was expected to redshirt for half the season but was charged with saving Ole Miss’ season.

The freshman allowed two runs on three hits in four innings and returned in the middle of this start after a half-hour lightning delay. Ole Miss kept him out of the air conditioning and his arm loose and warm, making it an easy return to the mound.

Friday starter Derek Diamond also picked up two outs during a stretch where three different Ole Miss pitchers lasted less than a full inning.

It wasn’t pretty at times, but it was done when Broadway fell to the ground. Tested and victorious, Ole Miss gets the No. 5 national seed Wildcats who lead the Power Five in multiple offensive categories including runs scored.

"Just surreal,” Broadway said. “Everything we’ve been working toward is this moment, grabbing everyone and the hugs. Finally that feeling, especially after last night. We’ll enjoy it a little bit, but the job isn’t done.”