Ole Miss isn’t asking Anthony Calarco to be Tim Elko, but the comparisons are inevitable
Anthony Calarco can see the path.
Like Tim Elko, a three-time Ole Miss baseball captain over his national-championship-winning career, Calarco felt the sting of MLB Draft disappointment.
Like Tim Elko, he’s returning to college for one final season, whether he originally intended to or not.
And like Tim Elko, Calarco will likely be penciled in as the starting first baseman and a middle-of-the-order stalwart for an Ole Miss baseball team with championship aspirations.
“That’s what the thought is,” Calarco, formerly of Northwestern, said. “Obviously got to go in and earn everything. Nothing’s going to be handed out in this program, but that’s definitely the thought.”
Calarco was one of two decorated transfers to exit the portal and commit to Ole Miss on Sunday.
The other was Ethan Groff, a slugging outfielder out of Tulane. Both were signed to step into the starting lineup immediately.
Ole Miss had glaring needs at first and right field. Head coach Mike Bianco and staff addressed both in one fell swoop.
“I was getting some calls throughout the draft,” Calarco exclusively told the Ole Miss Spirit. “No one ended up pulling trigger. I got some undrafted opportunities with some different ball clubs, but I thought if I have one more year in college, might as well go and get my Master’s degree and play for a national championship and go back and have another chance to get drafted after this year.”
Elko was never supposed to be back at Ole Miss for what turned out to be a dream final campaign.
However, an ACL injury, to go along with a trimmed-down draft, which featured half the rounds of drafts of old, resulted in another Ole Miss season not just for Elko, but additional Ole Miss legends Kevin Graham and Justin Bench.
The trio was the heart and soul of the title chase.
While the regular season was up and down, Ole Miss, as the last team selected, won 10 of its 11 NCAA Tournament games and the program’s first-ever title.
“That would be a perfect track,” Calarco said. “Tim Elko’s a legend around here.”
Calarco isn’t trying to be Elko.
However, he’ll be asked to take over many of his responsibilities, as well as compensate, offensively, for some of his lost production.
Elko set the single-season Ole Miss record (24) for home runs last season, and he hit .300 with a 1.049 OPS. He drove in 75 RBI in 65 games and batted .372 with 14 RBI and five home runs in the NCAA Tournament.
He was rewarded by the Chicago White Sox as the No. 311 pick in the 10th round of the MLB Draft last week.
“I can’t tell you how clear this decision was for me” Calarco said. “At the end of the day, I’m hopefully going to be stepping into the middle of the lineup for the defending national champion and a team I think and the coaching staff thinks is going to be loaded again.”
Calarco started 51 games for Northwestern in 2022.
He hit .325 with a team-high 13 home runs and led the team with a 1.051 OPS, 48 runs scored, 34 walks and 54 RBI.
All were career-highs.
Groff, meanwhile, appeared in 41 games with 39 starts. He finished the year with a .404 batting average and slugged .709. He also hit nine home runs and totaled a league-leading 15 doubles and 35 RBI.
“I think I can get more consistent, if I can put the bat on the ball a little bit more,” Calarco said. “I think I struck out a little too much this year. If I can put the bat on the ball more, that’ll turn into more doubles and home runs.
“If you make more contact, you’re going to have more chances to produce. That’s something I can definitely get better at.”
