Ole Miss' Hunter Elliott not shying away from the big stage of postseason baseball
Hunter Elliott is still in his first season at Ole Miss but already has proven he can handle the big time environments that SEC baseball offers. Now, he is proving the postseason lights are not too bright either.
Elliott has become a major cog in the machine that is the newly built Ole Miss pitching staff. A machine that had to be taken apart and rebuilt from the ground up essentially in the middle of a season no less.
Despite being a freshman and just having to adjust to life as a SEC and Division I baseball player, Elliott also had to adjust to starting out in the bullpen then months later becoming a Saturday starter.
Through all of it Elliott has thrived and helped bring Ole Miss from having the worst record in the SEC to being two games away from a College World Series berth. The Rebels stay in state and travel to Hattiesburg to take on Southern Mississippi in this weekend’s Super Regional round.
The left-hander has also had to do it all in a trial by fire, playing in some of the most hostile environments and stadiums not just in the SEC but in the country.
Elliott pitched at Baum-Walker Stadium and dealt with the frenetic Arkansas fans. He also stood on the mound in the middle of Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge and the passionate LSU fans.
“Baum-Walker helps you. I mean 12,000-13,000 standing up calling the hogs when it’s a tied ballgame when you just allowed a home run, it’s tough,” Elliott said. “I don’t think Southern Miss is going to be that crazy but they’re going to have a good crowd, they’re going to have a good environment but the SEC’s battled tested you so we’ll be ready.”
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Elliott’s confidence is high when talking about performing in high-pressure situations and environments but his numbers back it up.
Between playing at Arkansas, LSU and against Miami in this past weekend’s Coral Gables Regional he averaged just over five innings a start. His longest outing was 6.2 against the Tigers and he also went six innings against the Razor backs.
The start in Fayetteville was his worst of the three, giving up three runs. Elliott gave up one run in Baton Rouge and also in Coral Gables.
Putting up those performances in back-to-back-to-back road starts in those environments is what Ole Miss needs from Elliott and is also earning his teammates confidence.
“He’s handled it well,” said catcher Hayden Dunhurst. “He’s handled it as a guy not seeming like a freshman. I think that’s good for him and it’s good for us, the way that he carries himself. He’s definitely going to have a lot to handle this weekend so we look forward to that, too.”
Come this weekend Elliott could once again find himself in another crucial situation, only this time it could also have the added pressure of keeping Ole Miss’ season alive or punching its ticket to Omaha. Either way, Elliott has proven he is ready and able for those moments.
