There’s a certain weight that comes with being the last one.
Hunter Elliott carries it well.
The Ole Miss right-hander is the only remaining player from the Rebels’ 2022 national championship roster and when the No. 2 seed Rebels open the Lincoln Regional against Arizona State on Friday at 8 p.m. on ESPN2.
That distinction matters more than his ERA.
Coach Mike Bianco said it plainly: this isn’t just about what Elliott does on the mound.
“More than the championship, it’s the leadership,” Bianco said Monday talking to the media after the NCAA Selection Show. “Somebody that’s been here and not just through that run, but has seen all sides of it — from an injury standpoint, from a side where we weren’t good.”
Experience Nobody Else Has
You can’t teach what Elliott brings to that dugout. You can’t recruit it. You can only earn it one hard season at a time.
He was a true freshman co-ace when the Rebels scraped in as the last team selected for the 2022 NCAA Tournament and proceeded to win 10 of 11 postseason games.
He earned All-America honors that spring, finishing 2-0 with 28 strikeouts and four runs allowed during that championship run.
Then came the years that didn’t go as planned.
Injuries. Struggles. Last year’s gut-punch exit at home getting bounced from their own Oxford Regional by 4-seed Murray State, a team that rode that momentum all the way to the College World Series.
All of it shaped him.
“Every year’s so different. I’m the last one left, but I think I can just use the experience,” Elliott said. “Every aspect matters. Every pitch, every play matters this time of year. Maybe just getting people to realize that — that would be the biggest thing.”
That’s not a pitcher talking. That’s a leader.
Numbers That Back It Up
The résumé is legitimate. Elliott is one of just five pitchers in program history with multiple 100-strikeout seasons and a 10-win, 100-strikeout campaign.
Earlier this season he became only the third Rebel pitcher ever to reach 300 career strikeouts.
Last postseason he delivered a 7.0-inning, three-run performance across two games that still wasn’t enough to save Ole Miss from Murray State’s upset.
But Bianco made a point that resonated. Elliott’s contributions don’t clock out when he hands over the ball.
“Regardless of how he pitches on Friday night, when he comes out of the game, the way he is in the dugout and the way he’s respected,” Bianco said. “It has a huge effect.”
First baseman Will Furniss agreed.
“I’m always confident when Hunter’s on the mound,” Furniss said. “Every game that is more important, he seems to elevate himself. That’s how much of a competitor he is.”
A Familiar Face on Other Side
Ole Miss didn’t just learn from last year’s loss to Murray State. They recruited part of the reason it happened.
Dom Decker, who delivered the go-ahead hit in the opening round and torched the Rebels in the regional championship game, now wears red and blue.
“He came here and beat us. He has that experience, too,” Furniss said. “He knows how to get there as well.”
Pairing Decker’s Cinderella pedigree with Elliott’s championship DNA is no accident. It’s roster building with postseason intentionality.
Furniss also noted that the last time Elliott entered the postseason well-rested, Ole Miss won a national title. He’s rested again.
The Rebels (36-21) face Arizona State (37-19) Friday in Lincoln. Bianco hasn’t named a starter yet but it almost doesn’t matter.
When it gets hard and it always gets hard, Ole Miss has the one guy who already knows what winning looks like.
