OMAHA, NE — In its first time staring down elimination, Ole Miss baseball is turning to its veteran star.
Hunter Elliott will start for Ole Miss against Troy in the College World Series on June 14 (1 p.m., ESPN). Because both teams lost their opener, the loser of the Rebels vs Trojans will be eliminated.
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Elliott, a junior, spoke June 13 at Ole Miss‘ open practice at Creighton University’s campus. He isn’t changing his approach because of the stakes. Ole Miss is 7-0 when Elliott starts an NCAA Tournament game over his career.
“I don’t think the mindset is going to change much,” Elliott said. “I think that’s why a lot of people sometimes fail in win-or-go-home situations. Because they think they’ve got to change what they’ve been doing all year.”
Elliott is the face of the Ole Miss baseball program, but his statistics this season are down from the lofty standards he’s set. Elliott is 5-3 with a 5.15 ERA. In 2025 he was 10-3 with a 2.94 ERA.
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Ole Miss won Elliott’s start in the Auburn Super Regional, but he lasted just 4⅓ innings, allowing two earned runs and walking four and with two strikeouts.
Even though Elliott has been the Friday starter all season and started the first game of regionals and super regionals, Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco went with Taylor Rabe to open the College World Series vs North Carolina.
In his last six starts, Elliott has pitched 28 innings with a 7.71 ERA.
Elliott has honed in on what specifically he needs to fix while facing a good Troy offense.
“I need to get ahead in counts a little better,” Elliott said. “I need to control the first pitch. Throw a lot of first-pitch strikes. The main thing is get ahead and put guys away. I didn’t do that great the last start.”
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Statistics don’t capture the extent of Elliott’s worth. He is the last remaining player for the 2022 national championship team and started the game that clinched Ole Miss’ first title.
Bianco called Elliott one of the guttiest players to wear an Ole Miss uniform after the super regional, and said it’s what makes Elliott good in big moments.
“He’s an ace in every sense of the word, but I think the true aces are the guys that just win when you run them out there,” Bianco said. “They seem to have success even when they don’t have their best stuff. Even when things maybe don’t go their way.”
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss needs Hunter Elliott to find form vs Troy in elimination game
