Ole Miss Pitcher Cade Townsend's Status Uncertain for Kentucky Series

Rebels' Friday starter still listed as 'TBA' as Townsend deals with shoulder inflammation

Mar. 19, 2026 at 12:26am

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Ole Miss baseball has uncertainty surrounding its starting rotation for this weekend's series against No. 15 Kentucky. Pitcher Cade Townsend is listed as 'questionable' after dealing with shoulder inflammation, and his normal Friday starting slot is currently listed as 'TBA' in the Rebels' announced rotation.

Why it matters

Townsend has been a key part of the Ole Miss pitching staff, so his potential absence would be a significant blow as the Rebels look to bounce back in SEC play after a 1-2 start to conference action.

The details

Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said Townsend's MRI results came back 'clean' and he has started a rehab process, but his availability for the Kentucky series remains uncertain. Bianco noted Townsend threw on Tuesday and 'felt no pain', but the team will continue to evaluate him leading up to Friday's game.

  • The Ole Miss-Kentucky series begins on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
  • Townsend's MRI results were announced on Tuesday, March 17, 2026.

The players

Cade Townsend

An Ole Miss pitcher who is dealing with shoulder inflammation and is listed as 'questionable' for the upcoming series against Kentucky.

Mike Bianco

The head coach of the Ole Miss baseball team.

Joel Mangrum

The pitching coach for the Ole Miss baseball team.

Josh Porter

The athletic trainer for the Ole Miss baseball team.

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What they’re saying

“We tried to say it's day-to-day and really don't want to get ahead of ourselves. I know you got to ask the questions, but we don't know the answers. All we can answer is he threw (on Tuesday) and felt no pain. Felt good and we'll continue to progress from there. So, (we'll) leave it up to (pitching coach) Joel Mangrum and (athletic trainer) Josh Porter with each day leading up to it. To this point we don't know what his availability will be, but he felt really good today.”

— Mike Bianco, Head Coach

What’s next

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The takeaway

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