Ole Miss is a little over 24 hours away from first pitch in its NCAA Regional game against Arizona State in Lincoln, Nebraska.
It’ll be Hunter Elliott who throws the first pitch of the game.
Because of what’ll be a 10-day break between Friday’s game and the Rebels’ shocking first-round exit from the SEC Tournament last Monday, Ole Miss had every pitcher available.
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco is choosing to go with Elliott not just because he’s the regular weekend starter, but because he gives Ole Miss the best chance to win.
“Done this a while and you want to make sure when it’s announced you look at the teams, look at the best matchups, and not just the matchups but where you are and at the end of the day it’s about winning the tournament,” Bianco said after Thursday practice to OM Spirit’s Jake Thompson. “But it checks so many boxes and to run your Friday night guy out that normally pitches and not split up the rotation. Sometimes you do that because you’re doing what you think is best to win the tournament. But when it goes hand-in-hand where you think it’s your best matchup, your best chance to move forward and all those things, you hand it to the guy you’ve trusted all year long to open up a weekend for you. It’s a really good feeling.”
Landed in Lincoln 🛬 pic.twitter.com/rwGlsuZBii
— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) May 27, 2026
It’s no surprise Bianco is handing the ball to Elliott first. It wouldn’t have been a surprise if Cade Townsend or Taylor Rabe got the start instead, but there’s a reason Elliott gives the Rebels the best chance.
Arizona State hasn’t been very good at hitting left-handed pitchers. As a team, the Sun Devils are hitting .320/.415/.558 overall and .321/.414/.560 against right-handers. Those numbers drop to .318/.403/.515 against left-handers.
That’s a big reason why Elliott, a lefty, is getting the start.
Elliott has had his share of struggles this season, while also pitching like an ace. He’s 5-3 this season with a 5.07 ERA, 1.42 WHIP in 71 innings pitched. He also has a team-high 96 strikeouts and opponents have a .249 batting average against him.
One area of concern with Elliott this season could be a problem Friday. Several times this season, Elliott has given up an early home run or runs via other means. His last start against Alabama saw Justin Lebron hit a two-run home run in the first inning.
Elliott might not be able to afford that against Arizona State who has a leadoff batter that Baseball America said has “compelling case that Hairston authored the greatest season by a leadoff hitter in college baseball history.”
That would be outfielder Landon Hairston, a finalist for that publication’s Player of the Year award and several others including the Golden Spikes Award. Hairston has slashed .413/.518/.897 with 28 home runs, 20 doubles, 79 RBIs, 11 stolen bases, two triples and 41 walks against just 24 strikeouts. He’s the Sun Devils’ all-time home run leader, too.
And he did all of that from the leadoff position in the batting lineup.
That’ll make the first pitches incredibly interesting Friday. First pitch is set for approximately 8 p.m. Friday on ESPN2.
