AUBURN, Alabama – The good times don’t mean quite as much unless you’ve had some awfully bad ones. No one knows that more than Will Furniss.
Furniss, Ole Miss’ senior first baseman, enrolled in school following the Rebels’ historic march to the College World Series title in 2022. In 2023 — following the departure of stalwarts like Tim Elko, Justin Bench and others — the Rebels went a program-worst 6-24 in SEC play, missing the conference tournament entirely and finishing with the first overall losing record in head coach Mike Bianco’s tenure. Things were a bit better in 2024, though Ole Miss lost its final six games and was walked-off in the SEC Tournament by Mississippi State, missing the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
A handful of Ole Miss’ stars left after the 2024 season, including Andrew Fischer and Liam Doyle, who became first-round picks following stellar 2025 campaigns at Tennessee. But Furniss, fellow classmate Judd Utermark, former star Luke Hill and Hunter Elliott — one of the stars of that 2022 team — remained committed to righting the ship.
The Rebels hosted a regional in 2025 before losing a heartbreaking finale at the hands of Cinderella upstart Murray State, who eventually made it to the College World Series. Furniss stewed on that loss until opening day of 2026, when he hoped to make good on his dreams of taking the field at Omaha with his brothers.
Furniss and Utermark didn’t let the moment pass them by on Saturday. Their time is now.
Tied 2-2 against top-seeded host Auburn in the bottom of the eighth inning of the Auburn Super Regional, Furniss launched a go-ahead two-run home run that sealed No. 2 seed Ole Miss’ 5-3 win over the Tigers at Plainsman Park.
With the victory, the Rebels are headed to the College World Series for the seventh time in program history and third time under head coach Mike Bianco.
“It means the world to me. We had a really rough first two years here. And after that, everybody just started kind of jumping ship. And that’s when you learn what people are made of,” Furniss said. “Some core guys stuck around, and we brought in guys that we thought would make a big difference for our team — not only as players, but as teammates. And we focused hard on, as a team, hanging out a lot more last year and being close-knit. And it worked for us, and then we fell a little bit short (last year). And this year we really hammered down on it again.
“ … It’s just a really close group of guys, and sticking through it has really paid off.”
After being held hitless for the first four innings Saturday, the Rebels stormed back in the sixth, as Utermark’s two-run double tied the game 2-2. Following Furniss’ go-ahead homer, senior outfielder Tristan Bissetta padded the lead with a monstrous solo shot to right, the icing on the Rebels’ Omaha-shaped cake.
Redshirt sophomore Taylor Rabe started for Ole Miss on the mound and threw a career-high seven innings – the most by any Rebels starter this year – surrendering two earned runs and striking out eight batters.
The Rebels took down a pair of No. 1 seeds on the road and played a pair of extra-inning games against Arizona State’s vaunted lineup en route to Omaha. Yet here the Rebels are, 5-0 in the postseason with a trip to the Midwest in store.
“Early on, we talked about Hunter (Elliott), who has been here like ten years. He was part of the National Championship, but Judd and Will came here the year after. Their road to this point hasn’t always been easy, but man, the way they hung in there, stuck by one another early on, just great teammates, then developed into great leaders and the faces of the program,” Bianco said. “Guys have heard me say ‘To win, you need your stars to show up.’ And certainly Will and Judd and those guys showed up this weekend.”
The Tigers got to Rabe in the top of the fourth inning, scoring two runs on an RBI single from Bub Terrell and subsequent rundown that allowed a runner from third to come home.
Auburn’s Alex Petrovic retired the first 10 Ole Miss batters he faced – seven on groundouts – before Utermark walked with one out in the fourth. Utermark was eventually wiped out via a double play.
Sophomore outfielder Hayden Federico notched the Rebels’ first hit in the bottom of the fifth, a single that advanced Bissetta to third. Federico was caught between bases and thrown out at first, though, and sophomore shortstop Owen Paino and junior catcher Austin Fawley each struck out to end the scoring threat.
Ole Miss got a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the sixth, and Utermark tied the game with a two-run double to deep right-center. A pair of hit batters put runners on first and second in the seventh, but junior outfielder Brayden Randle and senior designated hitter Collin Reuter struck out to end the inning.
Sophomore JP Robertson entered the game in the eighth and got two quick outs before issuing a pair of walks. Ethin Bingaman hit a ball hard to center, but Federico managed to leap and snowcone the ball to preserve the tie.
Furniss and Bissetta went back-to-back in the pivotal three-run eighth inning, and sophomore Walker Hooks closed out a ninth inning that saw Auburn score a run on a sacrifice fly.
Somewhat poetically, the final out of the night was a throw from Utermark at third to Furniss at first. Two of the key cogs who helped the Ole Miss program weather the storm were the ones who ensured that the better days promised came to fruition.
“That was the first time we lost players and that we felt that. Maybe I was a little naïve, maybe I wasn’t ready for that. But you know, in this era sometimes that happens. And when I think back to Will — guys that were good players — Judd, and those guys looking in your face and said, ‘No, I’m here,’” Bianco said. “ … In this era of NIL and the transfer portal, so much is put on the kids, and it’s hard. It’s pressure. It’s pressure from the parents, pressure from the agents, pressure from a lot of different people. But you appreciate the guys that stick it out.
“And, you have to think about guys like Will and Judd, they weren’t stars at that time. … For those guys, you look back at it … how cool that is, for those guys to be in that dogpile, and guys that stuck it out, guys that love Ole Miss. Their parents … are here every weekend. The way it’s supposed to be. And so I think that part of it makes you feel good.”
Ole Miss will play North Carolina in its College World Series opener this week.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
