OXFORD | Tim Elko admits he did a bit of a double take the first time he saw Hunter Elliott.
The long hair and the No. 26 on his back with a similar stature and delivery from the left side as former ace and the heartbeat of the Ole Miss program last season, Doug Nikhazy.
“A little bit, for sure,” Elko said.
Elliott is own person and player, but it’s not the hair or the left-handedness that’s most like Nikhazy — it’s the mature way he’s handled his starts and been an elevating presence for the Rebels since taking over the game two starter spot.
In 2019, Nikhazy came somewhat out of nowhere to steady the Ole Miss rotation, push the Rebels within one game of the College World Series and evolve into one of the best starters in program history.
That’s an unfair projection for Elliott, but the first part is what’s happened, and he has his biggest test to date on Friday, as Ole Miss faces Texas A&M at 7 p.m. at Swayze Field after losing game one of the series, 10-5 on Thursday.
The Rebels (31-20, 13-15) need a win or two between this weekend and the SEC Tournament to feel good about their NCAA at-large chances, and Elliott gets the ball with a chance to get Ole Miss (39 RPI) on the path to the postseason.
“He’s just a stud,” Elko said. “There’s no other way to put it really. Composure and confidence. When he goes out there, he knows he can do it, and we believe in him behind him. You put that all together and it’s a recipe for success.”
Elliott is riding a three-game streak of at pitching least six innings and he lasted into the seventh in Baton Rouge during an 11-1 win over LSU to clinch that series last week. He’s made six SEC starts and has allowed three earned runs or fewer in all of them. In four of the six, he’s given up just one or no earned runs.
The Tupelo, Mississippi, native has a four-pitch mix and velocity into the 90s from the left side, but it’s his calmness that’s separated him. Elliott has a knack for stranding runners, especially early in games, and keep the Rebels in it during the opening parts of games. He’s usually found a rhythm after that.
“It’s always been like that for me,” Elliott said. “I can really slow the game down when the moments get big. It’s not anything particular this year, but it’s always been like that. I try to prioritize location over trying to out-stuff guys. It’s about location and hitting spots.”
Elliott was good mostly out of the bullpen, also, as his season ERA is 2.84 and he has 71 strikeouts and 20 walks in 50.2 innings. But as a starter he’s found his changeup, a marquee pitch for him that he struggled to use and command in relief. It was the key complement to his fastball last week against the Tigers when he struck out nine for the second straight week.
“It was a pitch I used a lot in high school and I lost it coming out of the pen,” Elliott said. “I mentioned it’s hard to have a feel for stuff as a reliever. I was more fastball, slider, curveball, but once I’ve gotten in a routine I have a feel for it and it’s back to its usual.”
Elliott has lived up to moments so far, and he’s gotten more comfortable each week. But it was never about belief. He’s just waited on opportunities that came quickly. He said last week he came to Oxford for these exact situations.
“He’s always had confidence,” Mike Bianco said. “That’s never an issue. He wants the ball, and he’s going to have a bright future here. It’s already started.”
