By Billy Watkins
With a baseball in one hand and a Sharpie in the other, the little boy would beg for an Ole Miss player or coach to stop and grant an autograph.
Many did. It made his day every time.
But on some occasions, the player or coach would sign and then have a short conversation, ask him if he played baseball and what position did he play. Those made his day, too, but they also made an unforgettable impact on him.
“I think connecting with people and taking time out of your day to maybe make somebody else’s a little better is good for the heart,” said Ole Miss senior third baseman Judd Utermark, who was that little boy. “I’m a person who really believes in fellowship, and I try to get to everyone who might want an autograph. And I also try to connect with them because I think that’s way more important than signing a baseball.”
On the field, he believes in answering the bell every game day. Over the past two seasons, Utermark has started 67 of 68 games — and the game he didn’t start in 2025, he played in.
“I think one of the best qualities you can have is availability,” said Utermark, a 6-5, 250-pound native of Charlotte, N.C. “Earlier in my career, I had some injuries or I simply wasn’t good enough to see the field every day. I knew it was hurting the team and I knew I needed to take on a bigger role in this program.
“Going into (2025), that was a goal of mine, and luckily it’s panned out since.”
Entering this weekend’s series at Arkansas and Ole Miss sitting at 31-15 overall, 11-10 in the SEC, Utermark is batting .310 with 17 homers and 40 RBI.
It appears the Rebels are most likely in the NCAA postseason tournament. But to host a regional, they need strong showings over the final three SEC weekends — which after the trip to Arkansas includes a home showdown with Texas A&M and a visit to Alabama.
Hosting a regional each season is among the program’s core goals. The Rebels hosted a year ago, only to lose 12-11 to Murray State in the championship game.
The players talk among themselves about what they have to do down the stretch, Utermark said — while also focusing on the immediate task at hand.
Utermark knows what Oxford is like when the baseball program delivers a national title. Experiencing that as a player has been on his mind since he first put on an Ole Miss uniform.
He had long been committed when the Rebels won it all in 2022.
“I went to some of the early games in Omaha that year,” Utermark recalled. “But then we had to report to Oxford for school and summer workouts. I was out on the the Square, too young to go in any bars, but I was one of those guys standing in the street and watching the final game on TV. It was a really special moment.”
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With the season seemingly slipping away after a home sweep to Mississippi State the final weekend in March, the Rebels have won seven of nine SEC games, taking two of three at Florida and at Tennessee and sweeping LSU at home.
This turnaround began in the opening game at Florida with Ole Miss trailing in the ninth 2-0. Utermark delivered a tying home run that kick-started a come-from-behind victory.
Utermark felt the importance of the moment. He also felt a lot of hard work had been rewarded, for him and the team. But he showed little emotion as he calmly rounded the bases and while talking postgame to the SEC Network.
“The phrase ‘act like you’ve been there before’ has been instilled in me since I was very little,” Utermark explained. “I think it was a show of maturity. Plus, from a competitive side, I think it sucks the life out of the other team whenever you act like you’ve done this before.”
Utermark and Clemson transfer Tristan Bissetta are putting up solid numbers when it comes to combined runs scored and RBI. They are both at 96.
In pregame batting practice, Utermark said he tries to hit low line drives to the opposite field. “That’s good for your swing no matter who you are,” he said.
He is not a fan of the hitting approach being preached around baseball these days of “get the ball in the air.”
“This sport is too hard to consistently hit the ball in the air — or consistently hit line drives or consistently hit ground balls,” Utermark said. “You’ve had guys training all their lives to hit a five-ounce round baseball as hard as they possibly can with a round bat. This game is too hard to try and manufacture things.
“My approach is to look fastball out over the plate, then adjust to the slider, changeup or curve. And I try to hit it hard. Whether that’s a ball hit 110 miles per hour into the ground or a moon shot over the scoreboard — that’s out of my control. I just control what I can.”
When he he encounters a few bumps in the road of a long season, he tries to keep a level head and understand it’s part of the sport.
“That’s harder to say than to do,” Utermark said. “I think it’s an art. But it’s really important to handle it as part of our culture. On our team, we want guys who are the same person every day. When that’s not the case, that’s when things can get thrown off a little bit. When you’re up one day and down the next, that is not a recipe for winning.”
Utermark credits his personal support group — his fiance, family, roommate and friends — for helping him stay positive.
“You need that support around you to give you praise when you need it or to hold you accountable when needed,” he said.
It wouldn’t be fair to Utermark to ignore that among his statistics this season is a steal of home against Arkansas State in the fourth inning of a scoreless game.
“(Third-base coach Mike Clement) told me I was going about five seconds before it happened,” Utermark said. “The pitcher was left-handed and slow to the plate out of the windup.”
“You do know,” I told Utermark, “that you will be telling your grandkids about that steal, right?”
He laughed. “Oh yeah,” he said. “But I was able to get a video of it so I’ll have proof of it.”
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