Ole Miss ace Hunter Elliott isn’t sure if he knows anyone on Arizona State’s, Nebraska’s or South Dakota State’s rosters.
“I feel like, though, with that, you don’t sometimes know until you’re there, and it’s, ‘Oh, shoot, what’s up dude? But I don’t think so,'” he said Monday drawing laughter from the Ole Miss press corps.
Turning to more serious matters, is Elliott going to draw the start Friday night versus Arizona State? The Rebels and Sun Devils tangle at 8 p.m. CT in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in the Lincoln Regional.
“I don’t know,” the rather relaxed Elliott responded when asked. “I think they just kind of are probably going to crunch the numbers and see, but we’ll see.”
Hunter Elliott
Elliott (5-3, 5.07 ERA), a native of Tupelo, is the lone holdover off the Rebels’ 2023 national championship team.
Elliott has been a huge part of the Rebels’ postseason success throughout his career. What is the difference in the adrenaline level?
“I don’t know exactly. It seems things are elevated a little bit. You’re pitching with the knowledge it could be your last time that year. You’re pitching with the knowledge that this could be your last game with this certain team, so I feel like that kind of elevates it a little bit. Then obviously you just realize each pitch means way more this time of the year. Each run is just so important,” related Elliott.
The last time he was o the hill, Elliott worked six innings versus Alabama. That was 11 days ago. How has the time off benefited him?
“It’s been good. I haven’t necessarily spent it without a baseball in my hand. It’s been good. The body feels really good” said Elliott.