Ole Miss starting pitchers Elliott, Maddox and Nichols ready to lead Rebels in new era
OXFORD, Miss. – With opening day just one day away, returning Ole Miss pitchers Hunter Elliott, Riley Maddox and Mason Nichols are set to anchor the weekend rotation under the guidance of new pitching coach Joel Mangrum.
Two of the recently announced weekend starters spoke on media day with head coach Mike Bianco and teammates, previewing the season, discussing offseason improvements and highlighting Mangrum’s impact.
Our rotation for Arlington is set ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/z3pyrVE4oz
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) February 12, 2025
Related: Click here to see the rest of Coach Bianco’s starting lineup to begin the 2025 Ole Miss baseball season.
Elliott’s return
Lefty Hunter Elliott, who helped lead the Rebels to a 2022 College World Series win, has not appeared in a game for Ole Miss since April 22, 2023, when he started against LSU. He re-injured his elbow in that start, which was his return from the original injury to his elbow that came in a start earlier that season against Delaware. Fast forward to today, and Elliott is still repping the Rebel threads as he prepares for his first start in nearly two years as he kicks off the 2025 season.
Elliott reports that he is be fully healthy and ready to go for the upcoming Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Arlington to begin the new college baseball season.
“(I feel) great, the healthiest I’ve felt in a long time. My elbow is feeling good, learned how to bounce back. I think this fall (season) was really big for me to kind of get some starts, get some weekends under me, and just kind of get back to the new routine. I’m feeling great, ready to go.”
~ Elliott on being fully healthy
Although rehab has been a long process, Elliott believes the off time gave him a chance to get better. With the addition of new pitching coach Joel Mangrum, Elliott stated he sees improvements within the whole staff.
“I think the biggest thing that’s improved is my knowledge of my delivery and knowledge of my pitches, where they play, how they play — then just my mindset and how I’m attacking hitters a little bit differently. Of course, everybody on the staff has improved their mechanics. We’ve gotten much stronger.”
~ Elliott on improving
LHP Hunter Elliott (@OleMissBSB) creating angle at 89-91 from xfire deliv. Sells the CH well in 77-81 range w/ nice depth, mixing in slurvy breaker at 77-80. RS-Jr./’25 elig. pic.twitter.com/zBB1wqX9yd
— PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 8, 2025
During media day, Ole Miss infielder Will Furniss said he had only seen Elliott pitch a full outing once. “He’s right, it’s been a while,” Elliott said, “I’m excited to show the competitor that I am. Pretty much everybody except for three or four guys haven’t really seen me healthy and out there doing my thing.”
Riley Maddox, who was named the Rebels’ Saturday night starter by Bianco on Tuesday, happens to be one of the few Ole Miss players still on the team that came in with Elliott a few years ago. The Rebel ace right-hander is also a member of the club that has long anticipated Elliott’s return.
“I’m super pumped to see him back out there. He’s a great pitcher; a great competitor and he’s got that gene that not many people have; he just wins. (And) he’s a great guy along with that.”
~ Maddox on Hunter Elliott’s return
When asked about the elbow rehab Elliott said, “It’s been really hard. I’ve had to play a lot of ping pong…just to keep the competitive juices flowing.” The lefty acknowledged the emotions surrounding his return to the mound and explained what that feeling will be like to step back out there.
“I’m sure it’s going to be a ton of adrenaline. I don’t ever really call it nerves because my favorite place in the world to be is on the mound. I’m going to have a ton of adrenaline, probably not going to be able to feel the body a ton.”
~ Elliott on his return in Arlington
Returning starters
Elliott’s return to the bump is expected to set the tone on Friday nights, while Maddox on Saturdays brings another experienced arm back into the rotation. Senior Mason Nichols also started four games for Ole Miss in 2024 and was named the Sunday starter at media day. Having been his teammate over the past four seasons, Elliott had high praise for the right-hander.
“He’s improved a lot. He’s one of my best friends, my roommate. He’s got a real understanding of what he’s doing out there. Maybe the past couple years, it was just kind of going into games a little blindly, not really convicted of what he’s doing out there…he’s really mature, and he’s developed a lot. He’s throwing harder, he’s got a couple new pitches, and I’m excited to see him out there as a competitor.”
~ Elliott on Mason Nichols
Bianco’s 2025 weekend rotation is one of the more experienced rotations in the country, something he highlighted during his media day press conference. The trio combines for 30 career starts, 296 strikeouts and 270.2 innings pitched.
Going back to what Elliott said about the entire pitching staff improving in some way, Maddox’s improvements are possibly the most noticeable. The senior out of Jackson, Mississippi is now sitting around 91-92 miles per hour on his fastball, topping out at 94 miles per hour during a recent scrimmage, and also continues to refine his off-speed pitches.
“I’ve added a couple miles per hour here and there. We’re still trying to work on some things. My ceiling is probably a little higher than I think, and I think there’s some room to improve, too. So, every day we’re out there just trying to get a little bit better.”
~ Maddox on his improvements
RHP Riley Maddox (@OleMissBSB) bumped 94 early, cruising at 91-92. Gets some sink down in zone, spins big sweeping SL at 80-82. Turning over mid-80s CH & flashed a shorter CT/SL at 84. Sr./’24 elig. pic.twitter.com/G4Gozab4Us
— PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 8, 2025
Although we’re highlighting the Ole Miss pitchers, it’s hard to be an elite gunslinger if you do not have an elite catcher behind the dish. Along with the many returning arms within the Rebel pitching staff, sophomore catcher and Oxford’s own Campbell Smithwick returns as the Ole Miss backstop in 2025.
Bianco named Smithwick the starting catcher for the opener despite bringing in two experienced transfer catchers. The Ole Miss skipper had plenty of compliments for the sophomore, but Maddox, too, praised Smithwick on his development behind the plate.
“He’s developed great, and I think last year he had so much pressure on him, it was tough as a freshman…he’s been receiving the ball well, he’s been throwing guys out and we all knew he could hit.”
~ Maddox on catcher Campbell Smithwick
C Campbell Smithwick (@OleMissBSB) looked great behind the dish, catching 4 runners stealing. Ath & agile, v accurate arm. Soph./’26 elig. pic.twitter.com/rfvSBjoBEt
— PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 9, 2025
Mangrum’s impact
There was clear change set to be made this offseason before Bianco brought in Joel Mangrum, the well-respected developer of arms over the years at the professional level. His arrival has provided structure and consistency for the pitching staff while also raising the bar that much more for an Ole Miss program trying to get out of the hole it has been in since winning the title in 2022.
Mangrum’s background speaks for itself, serving as a minor league pitching coordinator for the Cleveland Guardians organization over the past four years and two seasons as a pitching coach before that. Elliott said the new Rebel assistant was at the top of the game when it comes to development, referring to the new routines set in place by Mangrum that helps prepare pitchers for the professional level.
“He was kind of at the top of pitching coaches in Minor League/Major League Baseball. You’re not just getting that type of development; you’re getting some of the best at that level. He’s got us really locked into our routines. He’s got us really locked in and kind of knowing ourselves and our individual mechanics, and the development’s just been outrageous.”
~ Elliott on Mangrum’s development skills
Maddox echoed those sentiments, praising Mangrum’s ability to connect with the team since arriving in Oxford just a few months ago. “The relationships he’s built with us have been amazing,” Maddox said. “We trust him, and he trusts us. Along with the pitching side, with the development mechanics and pitch design, it’s been terrific.”
Although the senior righty seemed to have had every intention of returning to Ole Miss for the 2025 season, Maddox explained that the hiring of Mangrum played a huge part in the final decision. Having been one of the few players left on the roster that was a part of the 2022 National Championship team, the Saturday night starter has plans to help the Rebels reach SEC elite status once again.
“That was one of the reasons why I wanted to come back, after meeting (Mangrum), because that’s what I was going to get in pro ball. He was a big reason why I wanted to come back, and along with what Coach B (Bianco) said about having a chip on our shoulder and not wanting to leave the program the way it was.”
~ Maddox on returning to Ole Miss in 2025
Up next
Ole Miss baseball is set to head to Arlington, Texas this weekend to participate in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown to kick off the 2025 college baseball season. On Friday, Feb. 14, 2025, the Rebels will take on No. 21 Arizona in the first game of the weekend series. First pitch is set for 3 pm CT and will be streaming on FloCollege.
Kameron Wicker
Kam is a senior at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he's from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn't stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He's a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
