Pete Taylor Park has built a reputation as one of college baseball’s toughest road environments, but during the 2026 season, it also became a showcase for some of the best talent in the MLB Draft.
Southern Miss welcomed UC Santa Barbara, Alabama, Mississippi State and Ole Miss during the regular season before Virginia arrived for the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional. By the end of the first four rounds of the MLB Draft, several players who had stepped onto the field at The Pete had heard their names called.
Some dominated. Some struggled. Others were on the roster but never entered the game.
Here is how the Day 1 MLB Draft selections performed specifically against Southern Miss at Pete Taylor Park during the 2026 season.
First Round
Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (Round 1, Pick 4 Giants)
Against Southern Miss: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K — Winning pitcher
Jackson Flora delivered one of the strongest performances by any opposing pitcher at Pete Taylor Park all season.
Starting the season opener on February 13, Flora held Southern Miss scoreless across six innings in UC Santa Barbara’s 5-1 victory. The Golden Eagles managed only three hits against him, and Flora did not issue a walk while striking out five.
Southern Miss put several runners aboard after being hit by pitches, but Flora continually worked out of trouble. He retired the Golden Eagles in order in the third and fourth innings and departed after throwing 82 pitches with a 3-0 lead.
It was a first-round performance months before Flora officially became a first-round pick.
AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia (Pick 9, Braves)
Against Southern Miss: 5-for-6, 2 R, 5 RBI, 1 double, 1 triple
No Day 1 selection did more damage against Southern Miss than AJ Gracia.
Playing in an elimination game during the Hattiesburg Regional, the Virginia center fielder collected five hits in six at-bats and drove in five runs during the Cavaliers’ 15-11, 10-inning victory.
Gracia opened the scoring with an RBI single in the first inning. He singled again and scored during Virginia’s three-run third before delivering the biggest hit of the afternoon—a bases-clearing triple down the right-field line in the fourth.
He added another RBI single in the seventh and doubled in the 10th before being removed for a pinch runner.
Gracia reached safely in five of his six plate appearances and accounted for five of Virginia’s 15 runs. It was one of the most impressive individual performances by an opposing hitter at The Pete all season.
Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama (Pick 18, Reds)
Against Southern Miss: 0-for-2, 1 R, 2 HBP, 1 SB, 1 fielding error
Justin Lebron had an unusual stat line during Alabama’s February 24 visit to Hattiesburg.
Lebron did not record a hit, but he reached base three times. He reached on an error in the first inning, stole third and scored Alabama’s second run. He was then hit by pitches in the fifth and seventh innings.
Defensively, however, Lebron was charged with an error as Southern Miss overwhelmed the Crimson Tide 14-4 in eight innings.
Lebron finished 0-for-2 with one run scored and one stolen base, but the Golden Eagles never allowed Alabama’s highly regarded shortstop to become a major offensive factor.
Cade Townsend, RHP, Ole Miss (Pick 23, Cubs)
Against Southern Miss: Did not appear
Cade Townsend was part of the Ole Miss pitching staff that visited Hattiesburg on March 10, but he did not pitch in Southern Miss’ 2-1 victory. He did not appear in the matchup a month later when the Golden Eagles lost to Ole Miss at Trustmark Park.
Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State (Pick 24, Mariners)
Against Southern Miss (2 games): 2-for-8, 3 runs scored, 1 RBI, 1 walk
Reese faced the Golden Eagles twice during the 2026 season, first in Hattiesburg before seeing Southern Miss again three weeks later at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville.
At Pete Taylor Park, Reese finished 1-for-4 with two runs scored and a walk as Mississippi State rallied from a five-run deficit before Southern Miss held on for a 7-6 victory. Both times Reese reached base, he eventually came around to score.
In the rematch on March 24 in Starkville, Reese helped Mississippi State cruise to a 12-0 victory. Batting third, the future first-round pick went 1-for-4 with a run scored, collecting a single during the Bulldogs’ 14-hit offensive outburst. Reese crossed the plate on Noah Sullivan’s RBI single as Mississippi State scored in five of its first six innings to complete the season split with Southern Miss.
While Reese never delivered the big extra-base hit Southern Miss fans had feared, he quietly reached base twice in the season series and scored three runs across the two meetings, showing why professional scouts viewed him as one of the SEC’s premier power hitters entering the MLB Draft.
Taylor Rabe, RHP, Ole Miss (Pick 30, Royals)
Against Southern Miss: 2â…” IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Taylor Rabe was nearly perfect in his start at Pete Taylor Park.
The Ole Miss right-hander retired all eight Southern Miss hitters he faced, allowing no hits or walks over 2â…” scoreless innings. Rabe struck out one and needed only 24 pitches to record eight outs.
He left with two outs in the third inning and the game still scoreless. Southern Miss eventually broke through against the Ole Miss bullpen, tying the game on Kyle Morrison’s fifth-inning home run before Tucker Stockman delivered a walk-off single in the ninth.
Although Rabe did not pitch deeply enough to factor into the decision, he was arguably the sharpest Ole Miss pitcher used that night.
Who Had the Best Performance?
Among the hitters, AJ Gracia stands alone.
His five-hit, five-RBI performance in an NCAA Regional elimination game was one of the biggest offensive showings by any visitor at Pete Taylor Park. Southern Miss had taken an 11-9 lead into the late innings, but Gracia continually helped Virginia respond before the Cavaliers finally pulled away in the 10th.
Among the pitchers, Jackson Flora produced the most complete outing. He threw six scoreless innings, earned the victory and held Southern Miss to three hits in front of an opening-day crowd of 5,498.
Taylor Rabe deserves recognition as well. He did not allow a baserunner during his 2â…”-inning start, although his shorter outing kept him from earning a decision.
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