Ole Miss Bludgeons Arizona, Secures Coral Gables Regional Championship
MIAMI -- After being the last team selected in the NCAA Tournament field, Ole Miss swept action in the Coral Gables Regional over the last three days, including a 22-6 win over Arizona to capture the championship.
Tim Elko rewrote a portion of the record book in Monday's win over the Wildcats, hitting three home runs and securing the single season school record in that category with 22 this campaign. Elko reached base six times and scored each time he was on the base paths.
Derek Diamond exited the game for Ole Miss on the mound when the game was in a 5-5 tie in the fourth inning, but the Rebel bullpen came in and shut the door. The combination of Jack Dougherty, John Gaddis and Jack Washburn did not allow an earned run in relief.
After a season filled with ups and downs, Ole Miss now sits two wins away from reaching the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
"I'm super proud of my guys," Rebel head coach Mike Bianco said. "It hasn't been an easy road for us--not just this weekend but for the last month. They've held it together and just played really well. To get placed here, we were just happy to be somewhere, but we played well, and I'm very proud of our guys."
Ole Miss broke Monday's game open in the fifth and sixth innings, putting up a five spot in the fifth and eight runs in the sixth. Elko was named the regional MVP after Monday's performance, and reaching this point is his final season at Ole Miss is special for both him and his coach.
"Really cool," Bianco said. "It's always disappointing if you don't get in, especially this group and Tim. To watch them get this opportunity and make the most of it, as a coach, that's your reward."
"I was just trying to put good swings on good pitches this weekend," Elko said. "It's a lot easier when you've got a good support system around you. It makes hitting easier when you have so many good guys around you. Props to the whole team for doing such a good job this weekend."
With the Coral Gables Regional championship now in hand, the Rebels are faced with another stiff test at the end of this week. Ole Miss will travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for its super regional against Southern Miss who squeaked past LSU on Monday afternoon to reach the next round.
Even though the Rebels will stay in their home state this week, they will be walking into a hostile environment in an attempt to reach the College World Series for the first time since 2014.
"It's neat," Bianco said. "A population of about 3 million people in our state, it's really cool. Tremendous respect for that program and what Scott Berry has done. They're as good as any program in the country."
"I expect this to be a great series," Ole Miss second baseman Peyton Chatagnier said, "but to be honest, if you had asked us two weeks ago who we wanted to play, it wouldn't have mattered. It's really cool that we get to play Southern Miss, but it's another team we have to beat and keep moving forward."
For Ole Miss to be in this situation after appearing out of the tournament field late in the season, its team captain is trying to take this postseason run one step at a time.
"To us, it doesn't make a big difference who we have to play to get to Omaha," Elko said. "We're happy to have won this regional. We're just excited to keep playing and continue to write our story."
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rebels? Click Here.