WATCH: Tim Elko delivers home run shot in CWS Finals despite early injury scare
Tim Elko made his presence known as captain of Ole Miss at the CWS Finals, delivering a solo home run to right field for his second run. After getting on base in the first inning with a single, Elko appeared to walk around gingerly by the base as if he had injured himself. The scare didn’t last long as he managed to take second base on a slide after a wild pitch right afterwards, before coming home for the first run of the game.
Elko didn’t take long to deliver at the plate again for Ole Miss, crushing a ball over the right field wall to open the third inning. The home run was Elko’s second run scored of the game and gave the Rebels a 4-0 lead early in the first game of the College World Series Finals.
Tim Elko starting CWS Finals strong
The home run was Elko’s second of the CWS, making him the first player in school history to have multiple homers in a single CWS. Ole Miss putting up early offense is a great sign for their fans as their defense and pitching has been elite in the postseason so far. Ole Miss has only given up more than five runs one time in the NCAA Tournament and has three combined shutouts in the super regional and CWS.
Wild pitches from Oklahoma proved to be the difference in the game before Elko’s home run. Oklahoma pitcher Jake Bennett threw three wild pitches in the first two innings that led to three runs. Coming into the game, Bennett had only thrown three wild pitches on the entire season in 110.2 innings pitched.
Mike Bianco on the Ole Miss fans
Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco spoke before their CWS Finals matchup with Oklahoma about how the fan support was on “another level” today. Bianco was stopped before the game and asked how it felt to be playing for a national title and how it was impacting his players’ energy.
“We were trying to stay calm until we walked out of the meeting room at the hotel,” admitted Bianco. “We’ve had great fan support here, but it’s at another level today. You can see it coming out of the hotel, pulling up to the stadium, all down the streets — Rebel Nation has showed up proud.”
Bianco was then asked how he felt about watching his team reap the rewards of their hard work and make it to the finals this year.
“Just their belief in one another,” said Bianco. “You’ve documented the story and where we were. I think when you get to this point you look back and you go ‘wow’ — how proud you are of them. Just a neat story and hopefully it’s not complete yet.”