Ole Miss baseball series win vs Kentucky includes huge grand slam, hot Will Furniss
· Yahoo Sports
OXFORD — Ole Miss baseball came from behind to beat Kentucky and lock down its first SEC series win of the season.
No. 24 Ole Miss beat No. 18 Kentuckybeat 12-9 on March 21 at Swayze Field. It was the rubber match of a three-game series, and it featured four lead changes.
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Kentucky took the lead on a go-ahead grand slam in the fifth inning, but the Rebels battled back by scoring runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to win the game.
"Seeing how we fought back towards the end, that was really cool to see," Ole Miss infielder Collin Reuter said.
Here's what to know from the series.
Daniel Pacella's leadership, grand slam mean a lot in Ole Miss dugout
Two aspects of a big play in the bottom of the fourth inning sent the players in the Ole Miss dugout into a frenzy.
Part of it was because Ole Miss hit a go-ahead grand slam. The other part is that Daniel Pacella hit it.
"(Pacella) has been one of the best teammates I think I've ever had," first baseman Will Furniss said. "He obviously hasn't played as much as he wanted to and done as much as he wanted to, but he comes in the locker room every day with a smile on his face and is one of the greatest teammates ever."
Pacella has hit .188 since transferring from Illinois State. The start to the season been a step down from what the outfielder did with the Redbirds, where he batted .310 over three years.
The grand slam was Pacella's second home run of the season. It was the only game against Kentucky that he played.
"That's one of the really neat things that I think sometimes you guys don't see, is you don't know what kind of teammates guys are," Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. "You can always tell the great ones when they have success and the dugout just acts different. It doesn't matter if it's a pitcher or a hitter."
Will Furniss' bat is getting going again
In Game 3, Kentucky forced Furniss to the plate in the eighth inning. He made the Wildcats pay.
Furniss batted after Kentucky intentionally walked Tristan Bissetta to load the bases. He hit a two-RBI single to left field to break a tie and put Ole Miss up 11-9. It was the final lead change of the game.
"Proud of him," Bianco said. "He's obviously one of our main guys, and a guy that we really count on. He's had that kind of tough year."
A 3-for-5 day bumped Furniss' season batting average up to .302. He has two home runs this season. Last season he had 12.
Furniss said his key in the batter's box in the eighth-inning at-bat was to remember a tip his assistant coaches have been working with him on.
"I've been pulling off the ball a little too much, which has led to my recent, not necessarily failure, but it's not been as good as I want it to be," Furniss said.
Bianco said that Furniss had two of the team's five hits with an exit velocity over 95 mph in Game 2.
"He's swinging it well, and he's hit too much in this league," Bianco said. "We need to get him going."
Cade Townsend injury update after Ole Miss pitcher misses series
Kentucky won the second game of the series 3-1. Hudson Calhoun started in the place of injured Cade Townsend in that game.
Townsend, Ole Miss' No. 2 pitcher behind ace Hunter Elliott, has been exceptional in 2026. Townsend was 4-1 with a 0.92 ERA and 32 strikeouts before sustaining a shoulder injury on March 14.
Bianco said Townsend has been feeling good, and he hopes to re-evaluate him on March 22. Bianco wants to see him pitch a full bullpen session, and possibly some live batters, before returning.
Bianco said he is trying to be careful to not set anything in stone because, if it takes longer than expected, it creates a sense that something is going poorly.
"That's where you get the proverbial coaching speak of 'day-to-day' but that's what it really means is we've got to evaluate something like that," Bianco said.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at [email protected] or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss baseball beats Kentucky with Will Furniss, Daniel Pacella