Mike Bianco assesses Hunter Elliott's performance during potential championship clincher

Ole Miss finds itself in a position its baseball program has never been before — just one win away from a national championship. After taking care of Oklahoma on Saturday night, the Rebels have a chance to win it all on Sunday afternoon. Head coach Mike Bianco decided to give the nod to freshman pitcher Hunter Elliott and thus far, it’s paying off.

Elliott has thrown five scoreless innings, keeping Ole Miss in the game as they still attempt to get their bats rolling. Bianco was asked how Elliott is handling the big moment so well and he said sometimes you can’t know they are thrown into the fire.

“I wish I knew because we’d get everybody to do it,” Bianco joked. “There are special ones occasionally — the stage is never too big for them. Hunter, we knew he was talented but sometimes you don’t know until you put him on that stage. Especially through postseason, he’s been terrific for us.”

Elliott has been throwing strikes all day, getting ahead in the count against Oklahoma hitters. Bianco say that’s the key to facing the Sooners, making sure strikes are on the board as they are more selective.

“Really good,” said Bianco. “And one of the keys to Oklahoma — because they are so selective at the plate, you have to pound the strike zone and he’s done that today.”

On the other side, Oklahoma has seen Cade Horton do really well as well. He has matched Elliot to this point, throwing five scoreless innings. Bianco said his hitters need to be better on fastballs as they work on getting runs on the board.

“They’ve been terrific,” Bianco said. “Unfortunately, Horton is on the mound and he’s really good on the other side. So, we’ve got some better swings off but we got to catch up to a couple fastballs.”