Ole Miss LHP Hunter Elliott Eager to Return to Action After Prolonged Injury Stint

Ole Miss Rebels LHP Hunter Elliott has not taken the hill in a game since 2023, and he is ready to change that on Friday.

Jun 26, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Ole Miss pitcher Hunter Elliott (26) pitches during the first inning against the Oklahoma Sooners at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

The last time Hunter Elliott took the hill as an Ole Miss Rebel, his team was on a national championship defense tour in 2023.

That tour (and the 2024 version) both failed as the Rebels did not reach the NCAA Tournament. Elliott only saw action in two games with the Rebels in 2023 before being sidelined with an elbow injury that required surgery and kept him out all last season, but he will be the first starting pitcher out of the gate for Ole Miss this Friday in the season opener.

"I'm feeling great, the healthiest I've felt in a long time," Elliott said at Ole Miss baseball's media day. "Elbow's feeling good, learning how to bounce back. I think this fall was really big for me to kind of get some starts, get some weekends under me, just kind of get back in the new routine. But I'm feeling great. Ready to go."

Elliott stated that he doesn't really get nervous prior to his outings, but taking the field in a live game for the first time in almost two years this weekend will be enough to get the blood pumping.

"I'm sure it's going to be a ton of adrenaline," Elliott said. "I don't ever really call it nerves because it's like my favorite place in the world to be, on the mound. So I'm not really nervous, but yeah, I'm going to have a ton of adrenaline. Probably not going to be able to feel the body a ton. We'll be up there trying to let it rip."

Sitting out of game action has not been easy for Elliott who has lived in a baseball mindset for much of his life to this point. He found ways to keep his competitor's spirit alive during his hiatus, but nothing seems to really scratch the baseball itch for the redshirt junior out of Tupelo (Miss.) High School.

"It's been really hard," Elliott said. "I've had to play a lot of ping pong, try and play cards, play stuff where I can get the competitive juices flowing. It's been really tough coming to games knowing that you can't just make a huge impact or get in the fight.

"My entire life, I've never really had an extended period of time off of being out there competing doing what I love, so it's been tough. But that just makes it all more worth the while."

For many of Elliott's teammates on this year's Rebel roster, Friday will be their first time seeing the Ole Miss ace in a live game against another school. The southpaw made his presence felt in the Rebels' national title run in 2022, but very few of these roster pieces were on campus for that trip to Omaha.

"I'm excited to kind of show the competitor that I am," Elliott said. "Pretty much everybody except like three or four guys haven't really seen me healthy and out there doing my thing. I'm excited. I'm ready for this year."

First pitch on Friday between Ole Miss and Arizona at the Shriners Children's College Showdown in Arlington is set for 3 p.m. CT.