Inside Ole Miss baseball's dogpile celebration: 'I'd rather be there than any other spot'
HATTIESBURG — The first rule of dogpile etiquette? Flip your sunglasses down.
For the first time since 2014, Ole Miss baseball is headed to the College World Series after a 5-0 win against Southern Miss on Sunday. That meant the Rebels' first super regional dogpile in eight years. Led by relief pitcher Josh Malltiz, catcher Hayden Dunhurst and designated hitter Ben Van Cleve sprinting from the dugout, the Rebels piled between the mound and the first base line, savoring the win.
Two batters before Mallitz induced the final out, Van Cleve gathered with some teammates outside the dugout to start planning the approach.
"First thing we said to each other was, 'Put your glasses down so you don't break them in the middle of the pile,'" Van Cleve said.
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Van Cleve got to Mallitz almost as quickly as Dunhurst did. Not that the Rebels didn't have time. Mallitz forced the last out via a high popup in foul territory, caught by first baseman Tim Elko.
By the time the ball hit Elko's glove, Mallitz was already snowed under.
"It was really hard to breathe," Mallitz said. "I think my right arm was trapped. I was trying to squirm my way out. Cleve was right on top of me. So I've got that big body on me. I was like, 'This is enough. I'm going to tell him to move.' Everybody came up. I finally caught my breath. It was just a really good feeling.
"I'd rather be there than any other spot."
Mallitz said it felt like the dogpile lasted 10 minutes. In reality it was about 45 seconds.
It's hard to take care of yourself or your possessions in a dogpile. But Elko, the fifth-year senior, managed to hang onto one: the ball he caught for the final out. After the game, smiling from ear to ear, Elko admitted that he stashed the ball away and has no intention of ever giving it up.
"What an amazing sport this is," Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco said. "Like in the Miami regional championship game, we put Garrett Wood in at third base. First start ever. First ball gets hit to him. Right? Today, the last ball goes to Tim Elko. The guy that came back and wanted to go to Omaha. How fitting?"
Veterans like Elko and Van Cleve seemed to savor the celebration more than anyone. Van Cleve grew up in Indianola, Mississippi, dreaming of playing for Ole Miss. His grandfather played golf at Ole Miss. His cousin played in the College World Series at Mississippi State.
Now it's Van Cleve's turn to make those memories with his team.
"It's an unreal feeling," Van Cleve said. "It doesn't stop here though. We're not satisfied with going to Omaha. We want to go there and win the thing. We're kind of getting to the ending chapters of our book. We're trying to finish the book on a good note and that's with a win in Omaha to win it all. I couldn't be happier right now. It's an incredible moment."
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: What it was like in Ole Miss baseball's dogpile in Hattiesburg
