Hunter Elliott shove day is back: Ole Miss vs #21 Arizona Shriners Children's College Showcase game review

That was a lot of fun. It was a great day of college baseball; it was great to have the Rebels back, it was great to have Hunter Elliott, and man was it fun to get, one into that win column to start the year. Picking a big ranked victory, 2-1, over the #21 Arizona Wildcats. The Rebels leaned on a gritty performance from Hunter Elliott, who really made his return after missing the prior seasons, and he did not disappoint.

The Offense left a lot to be desired, but the improved Rebel bullpen was able to go the last four innings and close it out through a combination of Mason Morris and Connor Spencer. It was not without any chest pain. 

1st Inning 
Elliot wasn’t his sharpest in the top of the first, surrendering a lead-off hit and hitting the 3-hole, Mason White. He worked through it with no damage in part due to an assist from catcher Smitchwick, who threw out a runner trying to steal third in the bottom half; Hill got the first hit with a single up the middle. Followed by a walk from Issac Humphrey. Back-to-back Ks from Sanford and Utermark would end the threat. 

2nd Inning
A sharper inning for Elliott. Allowing just one walk and punching out the last hitter. Ryan Moerman hit a stand-up double, but once again, the Rebs left a runner in scoring position.

3rd Inning
A lead-off walk issued by Elliott didn’t last long as he quickly picked the runner off. He would work around a hit and another walk to get through 3 scoreless. In the bottom half, another Luke Hill single and a Sanford HBO would give the Rebs a threat again. Utermark would once again end the inning, this time with a fly out to center.

4th Inning 
A really quick 1-2-3 inning for Elliott. A Moerman walk, but a double play kept the bottom half quiet.

5th Inning
Another 1-2-3 for Elliott, really settling in. With the Rebs putting the pressure on, the Wildcats would go to the bullpen, and starting pitcher McKinney would make it through 4 and a third. Casey Hintz would come in, but Luke Hill continued his good day at the plate, this time driving in the first run of the year via Sac Fly. 

Follow that up with a monster solo shot by Issac Humphrey, who hit it nearly 415 ft to right field for his first Rebel home run and the first of the year. 

6th Inning
Junior Mason Morris would come on for Elliott in the 6th, who was laboring a bit even though he finished very strong. Morris looks to have some extra life to his pitches this year but would work through a single and a walk, thanks to a double turned by Paino and Randle. Hintz would stay on for the Wildcats, actually finishing the game, and sit the Rebels down 1-2-3.

7th Inning
A quick inning of work from Morris, facing four batters, but he did allow a two-out double to Guzman. Hintz would once again go 1-2-3 in the bottom half. 

8th Inning
After retiring the first two batters, Morris would surrender a solo home run to superstar shortstop Mason White, making the score two to one. He would follow that up with a walk, having Mangrum go back to the bullpen to bring in closer Conner Spencer for the four-out save. Spencer would get out of it on the next batter. Ole Miss had a great opportunity to add to their lead in the 8th. After singles from Humphrey and Utermark and a walk from Furniss, they had bases loaded with one out. Back-to-back Ks from Hintz to Moerman on a full count and then to Paino would keep the top half quiet.

9th Inning
Spencer would walk the first two wildcats of the 9th, putting the pressure on. A sacrifice bunt from Arizona would put the tying run on third and go ahead on second with one out. Spencer would respond with a big strikeout for the second out. The Rebels elected to walk the bases load intentionally, and Spencer would get Caulfield to fly out to Utermark to secure the first win of the season. 

Standout Performance

Easily number one is Hunter Elliott. It was great to see him back on the mound, and he flashed some really good stuff, running it up to 93. He struggled with some command stuff early on, issuing several walks that he will hope to clean up. But overall, you could not ask for anything more in his return. The last two innings were stellar and every Friday, he gives, you a shot at winning the ball game.

Next up are 3B Luke Hill and CF Issac Humphrey. The 2 and 3 hitters in the lineup were the only Rebels with multiple hits today and drove in both runs. Humphrey was excellent in his Rebel debut and will be a key player to this team all year. He got on base three times, and his first home run was the difference.

What's Next

The Rebels are back at it today, not until 7 PM Central, on Flo Sports. They will be taking on the #19 Texas Longhorns, who are coming off an extra-inning loss to Louisville. I think the Longhorns have the best lineup we will face this weekend, but they only mustered three runs against the Cardinals in 10 innings.

The Rebels will hand the ball to Riley Maddox. If he is able to turn in a good start for the Rebs and silence the Longhorns bats, there are still a lot of quality arms available to throw in the Ole Miss bullpen. The Longhorns hand the ball to lefty Luke Harrison, who only appeared in 13 games, making one start, throwing 10 innings, and posted an ERA over nine last season. He did a lot of work to improve in the offseason, but I think this could be an opportunity for the Rebels to come alive at the plate.

I expect a reworking of the lineup from Bianco, and we will see some other Rebels make their season debut. Hotty Toddy!