Ole Miss Ace Hunter Elliott Out For Series vs. Georgia
Ole Miss baseball will be looking for a series win over Georgia this upcoming weekend at Trustman Park in Pearl but will be doing so without its ace in the hole.
Star left-hander Hunter Elliott suffered another setback in his rehab process and will not be a part of the starting rotation this weekend for the Rebels, a spokesperson for the program confirmed Thursday. Eliott has only pitched two games since the start of the regular season after suffering a sprained UCL.
Elliott, a sophomore from Tupelo, returned to the mound for the first time since February 17 against No. 1 LSU last weekend at Swayze Field. He lasted an inning-plus, allowing five runs on two hits while walking five of the 10 batters faced.
“I felt fine. Obviously expecting better,” Elliott said postgame. “Walked too many people, threw too many pitches, was on a pitch count and reached it way sooner than I’d like to. …I don’t think it was layoff time. I’ve taken time off in my career. Just wasn’t good enough.”
Rebels coach Mike Bianco told reporters following a mid-week loss to Mississippi State that Elliott was sore following his first outing in over two months. When asked about his status for the weekend, Bianco mentioned that Elliott could miss more time after a rough outing.
“Tough after that first time out and just going through rehab now,” Bianco said. “Trying to bounce back from that. It’s hard to say what role he’ll play this weekend.”
Elliott (1-1, 10.5 ERA) has allowed six runs off five hits and struck out 12 batters. He is expected to meet with the training staff and specialist for a second opinion before returning to the mound.
Xavier Rivas ( 5-3, 5.84 ERA) will take the mound for the Rebels (21-10, 3-15 SEC) for the series opener, while JT Quinn (3-0, 5.48 ERA) will get the call on Saturday. Ole Miss has yet to announce its starter for Sunday's series finale.
First pitch from Peal Friday evening is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on SECNetwork+.
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