Rebel Roundabout: ‘Captain’ Elko got hot and was named Southern League Player of the Month
Earlier this week former Ole Miss slugger Tim Elko was named the Southern League’s Double-A Player of the Month.
Elko — a three-time captain during his Rebel career — slashed .337/.535/.917 for the Birmingham Barons in May. He recorded a hit in 22 of 25 games and two or more in 11. Mixed in was a 14-game hit streak (May 11-28).
Elko had 34 hits in all, as well as 54 total bases. He was second in the Southern League in RBI (19).
Then-senior Elko sparked Ole Miss’ run to a national championship in June of 2022. He led the Rebels in slugging percentage (.642), RBI (75), home runs (24) and total bases (154). The homer total was a new single-season program record.
The Chicago White Sox drafted him in the 10th round of the MLB Draft a month later. Elko has a statue in his honor posted up at Oxford-University Stadium.
“Just an amazing university,” Elko told MLB.com. “I feel so special and honored for them to do that for me and for that national championship team. It’s pretty awesome.”
Gonzalez with the sac fly.
— Birmingham Barons (@BhamBarons) June 7, 2024
Barons 12-8#bhambarons pic.twitter.com/VCMdsg6ZBB
May also saw the reunion of Elko with his one-time Ole Miss teammate, Jacob Gonzalez.
Gonzalez was a sophomore starting at shortstop for the Rebels for the entirety of the title chase. The White Sox made Gonzalez the No. 15 overall selection in the 2023 draft. They later took Calvin Harris in the fourth round.
He was promoted to Birmingham last month. The Barons won each of their first seven games with Gonzalez in the lineup.
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“Jake would rather get four hits and then just go to the clubhouse, eat the spread and then head back to the house,” Ole Miss hitting coach Mike Clement said last week, in a sit-down with the Ole Miss Spirit. “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 isn’t far behind.”
OLE MISS’ MACNAB EARNS GOLFWEEK ALL-AMERICAN HONORS
Ole Miss women’s golfer Caitlyn Macnab, on Wednesday, earned All-America honors for the second time this month.
Golfweek came through with its third straight postseason honor for Macnab in naming her to its third team. She was a third-teamer last year and honorable mention as a freshman.
Macnab was stellar for the Rebels in 2023-24. She recently earned her third career medalist finish after tying for the NCAA Bermuda Run Regional individual championship. She also led the Rebels to their first regional title in program history.
Macnab — a native of Johannesburg, South Africa — ranks No. 22 nationally in the latest Scoreboard rankings.
