Ole Miss is preparing for a must-win elimination game against Troy in the men’s College World Series on Sunday after their first postseason loss to UNC on Friday. Manager Mike Bianco said his team is ready to return to the field despite Friday’s defeat. “We played well last night but not good enough, against a really good club, and in the end it comes down to a couple pitches, at-bats, and they had more than us last night,” Bianco said. “Hopefully we’ll bounce back, and our guys are excited to get back out on the field tomorrow.” The Rebels will turn to junior ace Hunter Elliott, who was part of the 2022 national championship squad and pitched in the championship-clinching win over Oklahoma. Elliott said he plans to stick to his usual routine despite the high-pressure situation. “I don’t think the mindset changes much. I think that’s why a lot of people fail in win-or-go-home situations; they think they gotta change what they’ve been doing all year. Just sticking to my process,” Elliott said. Ole Miss must win four consecutive games to reach the championship bracket, a feat achieved by only 12 teams in history, with just three accomplishing it in the past two decades. Infielder Hayden Federico said the team is confident despite the challenging circumstances. “Yeah, I mean, you know, it’s obviously not ideal to start off 0-1. But at the end of the day, we trust our arms. We trust our team. And, you know, our backs have been against the wall this entire postseason. So it’s nothing that we can’t handle. And, you know, we’re excited for this next few set of games,” Federico said. Elliott emphasized the importance of competing with everything they have and highlighted the team’s deep pitching staff as a key advantage. “I mean, it’s simple. Go out there, compete like your season’s on the line. Give it everything you got. The good thing about us is we got a really good and deep pitching staff. And that’s like, number one on the list of things you need to come out of a loser’s bracket and win four games in a row,” Elliott said. Ole Miss will take the field against Troy at 1 p.m. Sunday. A win would send the Rebels to another elimination game on Tuesday, while a loss would end their time in Omaha.

OMAHA, Neb. —

Ole Miss is preparing for a must-win elimination game against Troy in the men’s College World Series on Sunday after their first postseason loss to UNC on Friday.

Manager Mike Bianco said his team is ready to return to the field despite Friday’s defeat.

“We played well last night but not good enough, against a really good club, and in the end it comes down to a couple pitches, at-bats, and they had more than us last night,” Bianco said. “Hopefully we’ll bounce back, and our guys are excited to get back out on the field tomorrow.”

The Rebels will turn to junior ace Hunter Elliott, who was part of the 2022 national championship squad and pitched in the championship-clinching win over Oklahoma. Elliott said he plans to stick to his usual routine despite the high-pressure situation.

“I don’t think the mindset changes much. I think that’s why a lot of people fail in win-or-go-home situations; they think they gotta change what they’ve been doing all year. Just sticking to my process,” Elliott said.

Ole Miss must win four consecutive games to reach the championship bracket, a feat achieved by only 12 teams in history, with just three accomplishing it in the past two decades.

Infielder Hayden Federico said the team is confident despite the challenging circumstances.

“Yeah, I mean, you know, it’s obviously not ideal to start off 0-1. But at the end of the day, we trust our arms. We trust our team. And, you know, our backs have been against the wall this entire postseason. So it’s nothing that we can’t handle. And, you know, we’re excited for this next few set of games,” Federico said.

Elliott emphasized the importance of competing with everything they have and highlighted the team’s deep pitching staff as a key advantage.

“I mean, it’s simple. Go out there, compete like your season’s on the line. Give it everything you got. The good thing about us is we got a really good and deep pitching staff. And that’s like, number one on the list of things you need to come out of a loser’s bracket and win four games in a row,” Elliott said.

Ole Miss will take the field against Troy at 1 p.m. Sunday. A win would send the Rebels to another elimination game on Tuesday, while a loss would end their time in Omaha.