By Adam Brown
Senior left-handed ace pitcher Hunter Elliott met with members of the media on Tuesday during Ole Miss’ Media Day before opening day on Friday against Nevada. The first pitch is set for 4 p.m. and the game can be seen on SEC Network+.
Coming into this season, Elliott put emphasis on getting better and building on one year to the next.
“There are so many things that I can get better at, so many things that I’m constantly trying to get better at,” Elliott said. “I mean, I tell a lot of people all the time that I think and act like I am such an experienced pitcher. I’ve been here forever. That I’ve pitched five seasons. But, I mean, really, this is my third season pitching. I’ve only had two full seasons. That one year, I had maybe seven innings and zero healthy innings. So I’m constantly improving, working on making the change-up better. Working on the breaking balls. You’re always chasing stuff with the fast ball, whether it be velocity or command, and all types of things.”
Last season, Elliott made 16 starts with 17 appearances over 85.2 innings with a 10-3 record and a 2.94 ERA. The southpaw recorded 102 strikeouts to 40 walks, while only allowing 59 hits and 31 runs, with 28 being earned runs.
Ole Miss pitching coach Joel Mangraum called Elliott his right-hand man with the pitching staff.
“I have tried to take a step as a leader, tried to constantly become a better leader for this staff,” Elliott said. “I do what I can to help with the younger guys, helping whoever I can. Sometimes it can be tricky because I still have a lot of work to do on my own. That’s good words coming from him.”
During the press conference, head coach Mike Bianco announced the rotation of Elliott (Friday), Cade Townsend (Saturday), and Will Libbert (Sunday).
“It’s awesome,” Elliott said. “I think B said it really well that we have so much depth going into this. I had no idea who would be our starters. I felt like we had six guys who he could roll out there, and I would be like, “Yeah, makes sense.” He earned that spot. Those two guys are incredible. Both are ultra-talented and can tell, from the beginning of fall to now, that they have made huge strides. Both look like feature big leaguers out there.”