Hunter Elliott happy to return to mound for Ole Miss: ‘Getting back out there, it just felt good’
ARLINGTON, Texas — Ole Miss pitcher Hunter Elliott took the mound Friday in the Rebels’ season opener against Arizona, pitching for the first time since 2023.
The lefty did not disappoint.
He was on a pitch count of 75 and finished with exactly that, striking out three, walking three and allowing just two hits in five shutout innings against a very good No. 21-ranked Wildcats team.
As Advertised https://t.co/FlIH9oyPuL pic.twitter.com/YAb1HDnRXk
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 15, 2025
“I don’t know when it truly hit me — I think it hit me during the national anthem. My heart was pumping,” Elliott said when asked about what it was like to finally make his way to the mound after missing so much time.
𝗪𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛: Hunter Elliott talks his return to the mound and our season-opening win over the Wildcats!@elliotthunter10 | @FloCollege 📺 pic.twitter.com/gDFG1jwxY4
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 15, 2025
“It was a good walk from the bullpen to the mound to kind of slow my heart rate down. It was fine by the time it ended…Getting back out there, it just felt good…My adrenaline was flowing, and I couldn’t feel my body at times. It had been a pretty long time since I had been out there.”
Hunter Elliott on starting his first game since 2023
It had indeed been a long time since Elliott was out there. But who could ever forget his memorable true freshman season where he threw 102 strikeouts to 34 walks in 80 innings of work in 2022. He finished with a 2.70 ERA and helped lead Ole Miss to the 2022 National Championship.
In 2023, the Tupelo native was back and hopes were high the Rebels could make a return trip to Omaha. But fate had other plans as Elliott suffered an injury after just one start and would miss the entirety of the season. The Rebs floundered and did not make the SEC tournament, much less the NCAA.
The 2024 season came and Elliott was again forced to miss the whole season as he needed more time to rehab from surgery. And, again, Ole Miss finished with a losing record in SEC play, failing to make the SEC and NCAA tournaments for the second year in a row.
So after a two-year hiatus, Elliott was back and no one was more happy for him than head coach Mike Bianco.
“I am really proud of him. It’s not easy; it’s the truth. This is what you had hoped for, that a guy like him (Hunter Elliott) would come back like that and then go out there and not make the moment too big, but it wasn’t easy. It truly hasn’t been an easy road for him, but we are sure glad to have him back.”
Head coach Mike Bianco on Hunter Elliott’s return
In the game against Arizona, Elliott’s fastball sat at around 90-92 mph, reaching 94 in the first inning. His changeup was effective and was typically in the 78-80 mph range.
Mid 2 | Hunter comes back from down 2-0 to get Arizona’s Adonys Guzman swinging! That ends the top of the second for the Wildcats. #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/1JFFKg9Fzv
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) February 14, 2025
“I thought my stuff was really good early, and then I kind of settled in,” Elliott said. “And maybe I got a little tired late. I haven’t had the adrenaline flowing like that in a big game in a long time, so I might have red-lined a little bit. It was good to get those last couple of frames and keep our team in the game.”
Regarding that pitch count of approximately 75 going in to the game, Elliott was sitting at about 60 after the first three innings. But he just seemed to get better as the game wore on. In the first three innings, he got to a count of three balls on seven different hitters — but then in the final two innings he didn’t reach three balls a single time, notching a five-pitch fourth inning and 10-pitch fifth inning.
Good to have 2️⃣6️⃣ back on the bump 💪@elliotthunter10 x #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/YnSc7b1yxT
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 15, 2025
The Wildcats didn’t tally a single extra-base hit off Elliott.
“It was great to add those extra innings at the end and make it through five. I wasn’t in a great spot after three innings, maybe around 60 pitches — so I knew I had to have a couple of good innings…”
Hunter Elliott
That’s exactly what he did before giving way to Mason Morris and Connor Spencer who finished things out in the 2-1 win.
After the game, transfer Isaac Humphrey — who hit the home run that gave Ole Miss its winning advantage — was asked about Elliott’s return.
“It’s awesome, and he’s who you always want to play behind. We love him, and that meant a lot.”
Isaac Humphrey on Elliott’s outing
It also means a lot to the Rebels’ 2024 season hopes to have Elliott back on the mound, better than ever.
Next Up:
Ole Miss faces another ranked team Saturday night as the Rebs play No. 19 Texas in each team’s second game of the Shriners Children’s College Showdown. The 19th-ranked Longhorns dropped their season opener to Louisville, 4-3, in extra innings Friday evening at Globe Life Field. First pitch against Texas is set for 7:00 p.m.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception. Email Evie at: Evie@TheRebelWalk.com
