Ole Miss baseball spins shutout, beats Southern Miss to make College World Series
HATTIESBURG — No matter how many times Ole Miss baseball first baseman Tim Elko warned the world, no one listened. Someone let the Rebs get hot.
Ole Miss baseball shut out Southern Miss 5-0 in Game 2 of the Hattiesburg Super Regional on Sunday, punching the Rebels' first ticket to the College World Series since 2014 and sixth all-time. Freshman left-hander Hunter Elliott dazzled, allowing three hits in 7⅓ shutout innings with nine strikeouts and no walks. In 18 innings against the No. 11 national seed Golden Eagles, Ole Miss pitchers didn't allow a run.
Six weeks ago, Ole Miss had a 7-14 SEC record and was in danger of missing the SEC Tournament. The Rebels won eight of their last 11 to sneak into the NCAA Tournament as the last at-large bid selected. Ole Miss rewarded the committee with five straight wins against Arizona, Miami and Southern Miss to complete the turnaround from the bottom of the SEC to the pinnacle of college baseball.
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Elliott turned in one of the best performances in school history when the Rebels needed him most. He surrendered an infield single in the second inning and allowed the runner to reach third on an error trying to pick him off at first. But Elliott stranded the runner there and proceeded to mow through Southern Miss' lineup.
The freshman retired the next 16 Southern Miss hitters with eight strikeouts. The Golden Eagles didn't put another runner on base until Slade Wilks led off the eighth inning with a single. After a fielder's choice and a second single, Elliott left the game in favor of sophomore right-hander Josh Mallitz. Mallitz walked one batter but stranded the bases loaded to preserve the shutout and the lead.
Ole Miss now has won all five of Elliott's starts since May 1, and Elliott has a 2.10 ERA over that stretch.
Ole Miss' offense did what it's done all postseason and put stress on opposing pitchers in the middle innings. Southern Miss ace Tanner Hall kept the Rebels scoreless through four, but Ole Miss smacked four hits to score three runs in the fifth and take the first lead of the game. Shortstop Jacob Gonzalez chopped the first run in on an infield single, followed by a run-scoring wild pitch and a Kevin Graham RBI single.
In five postseason games, Ole Miss' batters are hitting 16-for-39 (.410) with 13 runs scored their third time coming up in a game.
Before Sunday, Ole Miss was 1-8 in games when a win would send it to the College World Series. The Rebels lost winner-take-all super regional Game 3s in 2019 against Arkansas and 2021 against Arizona.
Ole Miss will open the College World Series later this week against either Auburn or Oregon State.
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss baseball shuts out Southern Miss, makes College World Series
