Mike Bianco provides injury update on pitcher Hunter Elliott

Ole Miss baseball had a magical run to the College World Series last season and a big part of that team that propelled them all the way to the national crown was their incredibly dominant pitching. A critical piece of that pitching staff was freshman pitcher Hunter Elliott, who went on to earn freshman All-American honors in 2022, after finishing second on the team in ERA (2.70) and strikeouts (102). On Wednesday evening, Rebels’ fans got an injury status update on their gifted sophomore pitcher. According to David Eckert of The Clarion Ledger, Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said that Hunter Elliott has a sprained UCL. He’ll need three weeks off from throwing, but he’s already done two. Elliott will be looking to return to game action sometime in mid-April.

While Ole Miss fans would like to have one of their star pitchers back sooner than later, the fact that he’ll return at some point this season is big news. UCL injuries can be particularly problematic for quarterbacks and pitchers, so it’s wise for them to be cautious in bringing him back. Elliott is a bright, young star at his position, so the Rebels are very smart to keep his long-term health in mind.

Hunter Elliott was dominant from the start of his college career

As a freshman, Hunter Elliott appeared in 20 games, making 12 starts and eight relief appearances. He was dominant from the very beginning of his college baseball career, not allowing a run in his first two collegiate appearances with the Rebels. In his first collegiate start against Louisiana Monroe, Elliott just allowed three hits while striking out nine batters. His best performance of the season came against Southern Mississippi in the Hattiesburg Super Regional title clinching game, striking out 10 batters in 7.1 innings of work, allowing zero runs.