OXFORD — While First Champions Plaza won’t be fully constructed outside Swayze Field for a bit, fans can get a sneak peak of the statue commemorating Ole Miss’ run to the 2022 College World Series crown this weekend.
Swayze Field will begin major renovations once this season ends, with a plethora of projects that will likely cost about $20-25 million and finish in 2026, Ole Miss athletics director Keith Carter told the Daily Journal. Among the new pieces to the stadium will be a statue “in the likeness of Tim (Elko),” Carter said, in addition to other “visuals” in a plaza ultimately located near University Place.
The statue, in addition to other commemorative artwork, will have a temporary home down the third-base line this season. Ole Miss officials unveiled the statue on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s series against High Point.
The statue doesn’t specifically have Elko’s name on it, Carter said — though it has his number and says, “The Captain,” — it is easily recognizable. The reasoning is so no individual takes the entire shine for the national title, as it “was not a one-person event.”
Elko finished his Ole Miss career with 46 home runs, including 24 in 2022, and a .293 career batting average. He hit five home runs and knocked in 14 RBIs in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, including a three home run performance against Arizona in the clinching game of the Coral Gables regional. He had seven hits in the College World Series, highlighted by a four-hit performance in the first game of the finals against Oklahoma. He was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 10th round of the 2022 MLB Draft and hit .295 with 28 home runs and 106 RBIs in the minor leagues in 2023, advancing to Double A. He was invited to spring training by the White Sox this year.
The Rebels went 10-1 in the 2022 NCAA Tournament after being one of the last teams selected into the field. Pitcher Dylan DeLucia was named the MVP of the College World Series. DeLucia started two games in Omaha, went 16.2 combined innings — including a complete game shutout of Arkansas — and struck out 17 batters without a walk.
“We wanted to find kind of a sweet spot where we honored (Elko) for his accomplishments and what he obviously meant to the team, but we didn’t necessarily want that to overshadow, obviously, the team accomplishment,” Carter said. “ … People will certainly be able to see that it’s him, but we wanted to make sure that it didn’t necessarily overshadow the national championship team.”
The home dugout has also been named after donors Evelyn and Jeff Johnson, who have donated $1 million to the CHAMPIONS. NOW. campaign.
Other substantial changes at Swayze Field will begin taking place after the 2024 season ends and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2026 season. The project includes the addition of around 450 premium club seats down the third-base line. There will also be 11 new boxes added next to the Diamond Club suites.
Additionally, there will be a new entrance added to the stadium near where the new seating and boxes are down the third-base line. While it hasn’t necessarily been a consistent point of complaint over the years, Carter said it will ease life for everyone, from stadium workers to fans.
“A lot of people were converging on that one area. It was tough, especially after games when you had games that went down to the ninth inning and everybody’s trying to leave at the same time, it just got clogged up,” Carter said. “And so, we’re hoping this will space people out a little bit … so they can have a better experience.”
Carter said the goal is to eventually upgrade the outfield at some point as well and, while it was initially part of renovation plans, it has been put on hold and is “next on the docket.”
The Rebels opened their home slate Wednesday, falling to Arkansas State 4-2. It’s the first loss in a home opener for Ole Miss since losing to Louisville to begin the eventually-shortened 2020 campaign. The Rebels struggled in their defense of the national title in 2023, finishing 25-29, the first time the program has finished with a losing record under head coach Mike Bianco.
While Ole Miss is off to a 2-3 start to 2024, Carter said he believes last season’s results were an “outlier” to the overall success of the program and that he fully expects the Rebels to be back in the hunt this year. The expectation “is certainly to get in the tournament every year” and to “be in the hosting conversation.”
“Mike (Bianco) has set the standard that we win and win big, and that the expectation this year is to get back on track and make it into the tournament and make a run, just like it is every year with Ole Miss baseball,” Carter said.
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