Tim Elko ready for one last ride at Swayze in final home games with Ole Miss

Ole Miss baseball has had plenty of memorable players that have cemented their legacy and endeared themselves to the fanbase but none may have done it more than Tim Elko when it is all said and done.

The first baseman plays his final three games on Swayze Field of his Ole Miss career this weekend, starting tonight, and the five year journey has been one filled with ups and downs.

Ole Miss is hosting No. 6 Texas A&M with major postseason implications on the line for the Rebels. Through all that Elko is going to soak in the next three days as much as possible.

“It’s going to be fun,” Elko said. “I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be my last weekend playing in Swayze ever. It’s going to be really exciting, probably a little emotional. Just excited to play with these guys and be around these great fans and play in this great stadium.”

While the 2022 campaign has not been what Ole Miss expected it to be, Elko has done his best to enjoy the moments when they come.

“I’ve tried to take in every cool moment that we have and not take anything for granted,” Elko said. “We had a talk with our FCA guy before the Sunday game and he just talked about soaking in the moment. I’ve really tried to take that to heart. It’s my last season here. Just trying to enjoy everything that I can.”

There is no debating that last season was when Elko earned his legend status at Ole Miss with the stuff that Hollywood could not even write.

When Elko went down at first base which resulted in tearing his ACL in April of last season many considered that to be the end of his season. People do not just come back from that injury in less than nine to 12 months.

Elko is not most people.

He returned nearly a month to the day later in the Texas A&M series, which just so happens to be his final SEC series he will play in, and hit a home run.

Then went on to his six more home runs that season, on one good knee.

“It’s just been an amazing journey,” Elko said. “There’s been some ups and downs individually and as a team but I think a huge part of life is just enjoying the good and the bad in your journey. I’ve learned from some of the bad stuff and taken in and soaked in some of the good stuff. It’s been a really fun journey here and I can’t thank my teammates, the City of Oxford and Ole Miss enough.”

What Elko means on the field is known but it is what Elko has meant off the field to his teammates. Before becoming a regular starter he was named team captain.

That was evident as Elko spoke during a players only meeting after the Mississippi State series. Elko’s leadership showed as he, and other leaders, spoke about keeping the belief in themselves.

That meeting might have helped as the Rebels have only lost two of their last 10 games and winners of seven straight.

“We just tried to make sure and hammer home that everyone is still believing,” Elko said. “Still believing in how good we are and still continue to play as a team. Not try to point fingers at certain aspects of the game we weren’t doing as well. Just sticking together and continue to believe and have that conviction that we are still one of the best teams in the country and that we have to believe that to perform.”

Elko and the rest of the Rebels kick off their series against the Aggies at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday.