It’s often said that pitching and defense win championships in the postseason.
Those are proving to be true for Ole Miss baseball with Hunter Elliott and Cade Townsend, as the Rebels came out of the Lincoln Regional and are one of six non-seeded teams left in the 2026 NCAA Baseball Tournament. A spot in the College World Series is just two wins away.
Townsend was viewed as a potential MLB draft pick out of high school after going through the combine, but ultimately went unsigned. He has developed into the Rebels’ usual No. 2 starter this season behind his lively fastball, which sits at 96 mph, and five-pitch arsenal. He’s also a projected first-round pick.
The 6-foot-1 right-hander enters the Auburn Super Regional with a 5-3 record in 14 starts with a 3.94 ERA in 64 innings of work. He bounced back slightly from an outing in the SEC tournament in his last start in the Lincoln Regional last weekend vs. Arizona State, pitching five innings and striking out seven while allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits.
He’ll be an option for the Rebels in Game 2 (and potentially Game 3) with Elliott written in for the Game 1 start against the fourth-seeded Tigers, according to the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Here’s what to know about Townsend’s MLB draft projections and more:
Townsend is projected to be a first-round draft pick in July’s MLB draft.
Here’s a breakdown of exactly where MLB draft analysts have Townsend being taken:
ESPN (as of May 29): No. 23 overall to the Chicago Cubs
MLB.com/MLB Pipeline (as of June 4): No. 25 overall to the Milwaukee Brewers
The Athletic (as of May 7): No. 9 to the Atlanta Braves
MLB.com/MLB Pipeline (as of June 4): No. 25 overall to the Milwaukee Brewers
The Athletic (as of May 7): No. 9 to the Atlanta Braves
MLB Pipeline has Townsend ranked as the No. 27 best prospect in this year’s MLB draft class.
His fastball has a 55 scouting grade — an individual tool used with the MLB draft, where players are graded on a scale of 20-80 in different categories — according to MLB Pipeline. Flora’s other scouting grades include a 60 for his curveball, slider and cutter, and then grades of 50 for his change-up and control. He has an overall scouting grade of 55, which Major League Baseball defines as “average.”
As noted by USA TODAY, the scouting grades assigned to a player are usually based on what the player will eventually develop into rather than where they stand at the time of being drafted or early on in their professional career.
“Townsend usually operates at 94-97 mph with a fastball that features high spin rates and nice carry, though it doesn’t have a lot of life and gets hit more than it should. He also ratchets up the rpms on a pair of power breaking balls, with both his low-80s downer curveball and upper-80s slider with nice depth grading as plus offerings, as does his cutter that averages 90 mph. He also flashes some aptitude for throwing a fading upper-80s changeup as well.
“More athletic than physical, Townsend works with some effort in his high three-quarters delivery. He has improved his control as a sophomore, doing a better job of landing his fastball and cutter while getting a lot of chases with his entire arsenal. He missed a start with mild shoulder inflammation in mid-March but his stuff remained overpowering when he returned.”
Here’s a year-by-year breakdown of Townsend’s stats:
2025: 1-0 record and 6.35 ERA in 34.0 innings pitched with 43 strikeouts and 20 walks
2026: 5-3 record and 3.94 ERA in 64.0 innings pitched with 88 strikeouts and 22 walks
2025: 1-0 record and 6.35 ERA in 34.0 innings pitched with 43 strikeouts and 20 walks
2026: 5-3 record and 3.94 ERA in 64.0 innings pitched with 88 strikeouts and 22 walks
