Ole Miss LHP Hunter Elliott Announces Return For 2025 Season

The Ole Miss Rebels received a boost to their pitching rotation on Thursday when Hunter Elliott announced his intention to return to campus.

Jun 20, 2022; Omaha, NE, USA; Ole Miss Rebels pitcher Hunter Elliott (26) greets teammates after being taken out against the Arkansas Razorbacks in the seventh inning at Charles Schwab Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports / Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

Ole Miss Rebels left-handed pitcher Hunter Elliott has been sidelined for quite a while after Tommy John surgery, but he announced his return to campus for the 2025 season on Thursday afternoon.

Elliott had a stellar freshman year in 2022, helping solidify Ole Miss' rotation on its national championship run. That season, he posted a 2.70 ERA in 20 appearances (12 of which were starts), throwing a complete 80 innings in the process. You can view his announcement to return to the Rebels below.

See you at Swayze pic.twitter.com/Z1QA2nEs0F

— Hunter Elliott (@elliotthunter10) July 25, 2024

He was expected to be the main bullet in coach Mike Bianco's weekend rotation in 2023 as well, but his campaign was short-lived due to his elbow injury. He made an opening weekend start against Delaware before being sidelined for about two months prior to another start against LSU. Following that outing, he was put on the shelf with Tommy John surgery, and he has not pitched for the Rebels since.

Still, if Elliott can return to a semblance of pre-injury form, there's a lot to like about his decision to return to Oxford for another season. His 2022 run earned him Freshman All-American honors from three publications, and he was also named to the SEC All-Freshman Team that season. He was one of the top prep players from the state of Mississippi prior to signing with Ole Miss, lettering for four years at Tupelo High School.

Elliott was selected in the 20th round of this year's MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but instead of going pro on a late-round contract, he will try to help right the ship in Oxford after what has been a difficult two seasons on the diamond. Since winning the College World Series in 2022, Ole Miss has failed to reach the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons.