The best moments from a memorable national championship season

The 2022 Ole Miss baseball team had a roller coaster season to remember. 

They started strong and were ranked No.1 among college teams during the early months of the season, but a couple of rough stretches in the middle of the schedule gave fans doubts that this team could accomplish anything significant in the long run. 

Through highs and lows, though, the Rebels were resilient and miraculously came out on top. 

Here are the 15 most memorable moments in the Rebels’ NCAA national championship season. 

Tim Elko launches Ole Miss’ first home run of the year 

In 65 games, first baseman and team captain Tim Elko had a .300 batting average, an OPS of 1.049, 75 RBIs and 24 home runs. Of course, it was destiny that Elko would get the season started with a home run. It came in the first game of the year against Charleston Southern in the sixth inning. 

Rebels sweep Charleston Southern in opening series 

Ole Miss got off to a great start by sweeping their first opponent, Charleston Southern, in a three-game series. None of the games were close, as the Rebs beat CSU by six or more runs in each game. After a performance like this, fans were excited to see what the season had in store. 

Tywone Malone hits a bomb to walk-off VCU 

This game was interesting. VCU started by scoring three runs in the first inning. It was the first time in the season when the Rebels were met with some resistance from the opposing team;  nonetheless, Ole Miss ended up winning 14-3. Tywone Malone came into the game during the seventh inning as a pinch hitter and hit an opposite field home run to walk it off due to the mercy rule. 

Peyton Chatagnier goes from first to home in comedic fashion 

Ole Miss beat Alcorn State 16-1 in the early stages of the season, but it wasn’t the outcome that was memorable. In the second inning, second baseman Peyton Chatagnier reached first base on a walk. Ok, no big deal. Then, Alcorn State’s pitcher attempted to pick off Chatagnier at first base, and Chantagnier made it to second base with his speed. Chatagnier then realized that nobody was covering third base, and he made it there safely. Then, he stood up and realized that there was no one covering home plate because the catcher had run over to third base, so he sprinted home. All you could do was laugh it off in what was a pretty strange play.

Ole Miss ranked No.1 after starting off the season hot 

On March 14, the Rebels were voted the No.1 seed by D1Baseball. After a scorching hot start to the season, with Ole Miss going 13-2 through the first month, there was no team in baseball that was better than the Rebels. Granted, the Rebs were rolling in non-conference play, but Ole Miss definitely deserved the top spot. Unfortunately, they couldn’t sustain that momentum. 

Dylan DeLucia grows before our eyes 

Ole Miss right-hander Dylan DeLucia started off the season in the bullpen. He was in a rough position in nine relief appearances, with an 8.10 ERA. His first start came on April 1 against Kentucky where he pitched 6.1 shutout innings and racked up five strikeouts. He finished the season with a 1.92 ERA as a starter. Head coach Mike Bianco made his best decision of the year in promoting DeLucia to full-time starting pitcher. 

Kevin Graham’s five-hit game vs. Missouri 

Left-fielder Kevin Graham played the game of his life against Missouri. His performance in the third game of the series helped the Rebels sweep the Tigers and add three more wins in SEC play to keep hopes of making the tournament alive. Graham had a career-high hit total (5-for-5) and added 3 RBIs to go along with it.

Elko’s two-home run day vs. LSU 

In the last stretch of the regular season, the Rebels had a three-game series against then No. 9 LSU. Ole Miss needed to win, and they did just that, getting a sweep that helped them gain traction in the SEC standings. In a double-header, Elko hit a home run in each game, which placed him in a tie for the second-most home runs hit by a Rebel in a career. Elko eventually would break the tie and solely secure second place in the homerun rankings. 

Ole Miss sneaks into the Coral Gables Regional

After falling to Vanderbilt 3-1 in their only game and being eliminated from the SEC Tournament, the Rebels’ prospects of nabbing an at-large berth in the College World Series Regional tournament were slim. Ole Miss was 32-22 (14-16 Conference), and their hopes hinged on a solid late-season run. Miraculously, the Rebels were one of the last four teams selected for the tournament, and they headed to Coral Gables, Fla., to extend their season. 

Elko goes off vs. Arizona 

After winning their first two games of the Coral Gables Regional against Arizona and Miami, the Rebels had to beat Arizona again to lock up a place in the Super Regionals. Ole Miss didn’t just beat Arizona that day, they absolutely demolished the Wildcats, 22-6. Elko had a monster day at the plate, going 4-for-4 with 5 RBIs, two walks and three home runs. The Regional MVP had a great three games, batting .778 with seven RBIs and a slugging percentage of 2.111. His three-homer game was the highest of his career and the highest by a Rebel in an NCAA tournament game.

Hunter Elliott strikes out 10 vs. Southern Miss 

After Ole Miss won the first game in a best-of-three games Super Regional series against Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, freshman left-hander Hunter Elliott, unphased by the pressure, led the charge. He pitched 7.1 shutout innings, allowed just three hits and struck out a career-high 10 batters. The game of his career couldn’t have come at a better time and the Rebels headed to Omaha and the CWS for the sixth time in program history. 

Rebels beat Auburn in first game of CWS 

Auburn and Ole Miss had faced each other earlier in the season with Ole Miss winning two-of-three against the Tigers, so the two teams were familiar with each other. DeLucia was the starter and pitched a great game, retiring the first 14 Auburn batters. He ended the game with 7.2 innings pitched, allowed just one run and four hits and struck out 10 en route to a 5-1 Rebel victory. 

Ole Miss fends off Arkansas to reach the CWS Finals 

The Rebels faced the Arkansas Razorbacks in a best-of-three series, and Ole Miss got off to a great start, blowing out the Razorbacks in Game 1 by a score of 13-5. But Game 2 was a whole other story. The Razorbacks edged Ole Miss 3-2 to force a do-or-die Game 3 of the semifinals. DeLucia was given the start in what was the biggest game of the season, and yet again, he delivered when the Rebels needed him most. He allowed just four hits and struck out seven in a complete-game shutout victory. Ole Miss won 2-0 and advanced to the CWS Finals. 

The boys go back-to-back-to-back 

Ole Miss played against Oklahoma in the CWS Finals, and the Rebel offense showed up in perfect situations. In the eighth inning of Game 1, the Rebels held a 4-2 lead, but they knew that it was too close for comfort. With a runner on second base and two outs, the impossible happened. Centerfielder TJ McCants hit a ball over the right-field wall to give the Rebels a 6-2 lead, and the crowd went crazy. Right-fielder Calvin Harris was up next to bat and he hit a ball into the seats himself, making Ole Miss’ lead grow more. Before the fans could settle down, third baseman Justin Bench hit a home run to left field that gave Ole Miss a commanding 8-2 lead. The Rebels went back-to-back-to-back. That’s a moment not only Ole Miss fans, but all fans of baseball will remember for a long time. 

The Rebels are National Champions 

Ole Miss was sitting at a 1-0 lead against the Sooners in the CWS Finals. One more win and they would be crowned the 2022 national champions. Pressure was at an all-time high for the Rebels. Elliott was on the mound for Ole Miss, and the game was tied at 0-0 through five innings until shortstop Jacob Gonzalez hit a solo home run in the sixth inning to wake up the Ole Miss fans. However, after the home run, the Sooners took back the lead 2-1. The Rebels showed resilience and scored three runs of their own in the bottom of the eighth to take a 4-2 lead into the ninth. Right-hander Brandon Johnson was the last hope for the Rebels to close out the game, and he struck out three batters to give Ole Miss baseball the first national championship in program history. What a remarkable run by this Rebel team in a season that we will remember for the rest of our lives.