- Ole Miss baseball defeated Florida in the SEC tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals against Arkansas.
- The win improves Ole Miss’ chances of hosting an NCAA regional.
HOOVER , AL — Ole Miss baseball has advanced in the SEC baseball tournament.
The No. 7-seeded Rebels beat No. 10 Florida 3-1 in a game that began on May 21 and stretched into the early morning of May 22 at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
With the win over Florida (38-20), Ole Miss (38-18) will face No. 2 Arkansas (43-12) in the quarterfinals. That game will be on May 23 (3 p.m. CT, SEC Network).
Here are three takeaways from the victory:
Ole Miss ends woes in SEC baseball tournament
Entering the game against Florida, Ole Miss had won a national championship more recently than a game in the SEC baseball tournament.
Ole Miss won the College World Series in 2022, but had lost to Vanderbilt in the first round of the SEC tournament. The Rebels did not qualify for the conference tournament in 2023 after finishing 6-24 in SEC play. Mississippi State beat the Rebels 2-1 in the first round in 2024.
Hunter Elliott looks sharp heading into NCAA tournament
The ace on Ole Miss’ staff is rounding into form at the right time.
Hunter Elliott struggled at times in the regular season. It would’ve been unfair to expect anything different after Tommy John surgery forced him to miss the entire 2024 season.
Elliott’s ERA peaked at 4.04 this season after a start on April 17 at South Carolina, when he allowed three earned runs on 5⅓ innings. He has lowered his ERA in each of his four starts since. He had his best start of the season on May 15, pitching a season-high seven innings against Auburn and holding the Tigers scoreless.
Add his 5⅓-inning against Florida to the list of good recent outings. The Rebels will be a tough out in an NCAA regional if Elliott holds the course.
Ole Miss helped case for NCAA regional host bid
The game carried NCAA tournament implications for both the Rebels and the Gators.
The teams are tabbed as bubble teams for a top-16 seed, which in the NCAA tournament comes with hosting a regional.
Ole Miss entered the game ranked No. 19 in the RPI with 16 Quad 1 wins. The Gators were No. 12 in the RPI with 11 Quad 1 victories. Although it’s possible neither team gets seeded in the top 16, it looks like the Rebels are safely above Florida among the teams jockeying for host position.
Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_
