Ole Miss (44-21) meet today at 1 p.m. CT in an elimination game versus the Troy Trojans (31-21). The loser goes home, to put it simply, and will become the first squad to end its Omaha stay,
Ole Miss is expected to start RHP Hunter Elliott (5-3, 5.15 ERA).
For Troy, the probable starter is RHP Tommy Egan (6-5, 5.38 ERA), though they could also lean on LHP Hayden Smith (team-best 2.94 ERA, often used as a starter/reliever) early or in a bullpen game.
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- Both teams lost their CWS openers (Troy 5-7 to West Virginia; Ole Miss 2-6 to North Carolina), so the loser is eliminated.
- Troy rested most of its bullpen in the WVU game (only Benjamin Stubbs and Zach Crotchfelt pitched heavily), giving coach Skylar Meade flexibility. Hayden Smith is a strong candidate to appear early given his low ERA.
- Elliott has playoff experience and was confirmed as Ole Miss’ starter by coach Mike Bianco.
Lineups and any last-minute changes (e.g., bullpen usage) will be available closer to first pitch. This is a high-stakes do-or-die matchup with Troy’s offense (averaging nearly 10 runs per NCAA Tournament game) testing Ole Miss’ pitching.