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Ole Miss in MLB: Elko and Gonzalez headed to spring training with Chicago White Sox

Ben Garrettby:Ben Garrett•01/25/25•

SpiritBen

MLB: Spring Training-Chicago White Sox at Chicago Cubs
Chicago White Sox designated hitter Tim Elko (91) celebrates with teammates after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs in the second inning at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss’ Tim Elko and Jacob Gonzalez are one step closer to Major League Baseball. 

Elko and Gonzalez were among the 24 players invited to spring training with the Chicago White Sox. Elko was promoted to AAA Charlotte in July. Gonzalez hit .238 with eight home runs and 57 RBI over two levels last season.

Elko and Gonzalez were the primary first baseman and shortstop, respectively, for Ole Miss’ title-winning team in 2022. The Rebels have suffered back-to-back losing seasons since.

Elko topped the Rebels in slugging percentage (.642), RBI (75), home runs (24) and total bases (154). He set a new single-season program record for home runs.

“Ole Miss means the world to me,” Elko said after winning it all as a Rebel. “I remember following the (2021) draft, I was praying and trying to figure out what I was going to do. God told me that I’m not done at Ole Miss.

“I listened to that, and I was like, ‘All right, well, let’s do this thing then.’ I came back, and it was the best decision I could have ever made.”

Elko, 26, hit .289 with 18 home runs and 73 RBI last season. 

He split time between AA and AAA. Elko belted 28 home runs the year prior. The White Sox did not tender a contract to starting DH/1B Gavin Sheets, possibly opening the door for Elko. Both Elko and Gonzalez are no-roster invitees to spring training.

Elko was an almost-unprecedented three-time team captain at Ole Miss. He started every game for the Rebels during the title run. Elko got off to a slow start in the College World Series. Even still, he finished with a .280 batting average and hit two home runs. 

The most consequential was in Game 1 of the finals, when Elko was 4 for 5 with a homer and three runs scored against Oklahoma. Ole Miss swept both games.

“After we lost to Mississippi State at home I called my sister in the car,” Elko recalled of the struggles prior to Ole Miss, as the last team named to the NCAA Tournament, reeling off 10 wins in 11 games en route to a championship. “She knew, obviously, we were struggling. 

“She said, ‘You’ve got just to trust God. He didn’t bring you back here for no reason.’ I was praying out loud, talking to God, and just asking Him, ‘(Why) did I come back here? This isn’t going how I thought it was going to go.’

“One word He was telling me in the back of my head was ‘believe.’ I was like, ‘All right, I’m going to believe.’ Boy, was God right. We did it. National champs.”

Jacob Gonzalez
Ole Miss baseball shortstop Jacob Gonzalez

The White Sox drafted Gonzalez with the No. 15 overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft. 

Elko was a 10th-rounder.

Gonzalez was a sophomore in 2022. He had a career-high 18 homers and team-highs in runs (73), walks (50) and triples (3). 

Gonzalez was 3 for 4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in the clinching win of a two-game sweep of Oklahoma in the finals of the College World Series.

“Jake would rather get four hits and then just go to the clubhouse, eat the spread and then head back to the house,” long-time Ole Miss hitting coach Mike Clement told the Ole Miss Spirit of Gonzalez’s laid-back demeanor. 

“Let Elko do all the interviews and all that stuff. I think they’ve got that dynamic going. “It’s really cool that they’re back together again as teammates. Calvin (Harris) isn’t far behind.”

Harris is a former Ole Miss catcher drafted by the White Sox in the fourth round in 2023. He’s in high-A Winston-Salem.

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