Ole Miss' baseball championship validated Tim Elko's decision to come back for a fifth year

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Tim Elko's presence as a leader has loomed so large over the Mississippi baseball program that coach Mike Bianco has suggested, maybe only half-jokingly, that a statue should be built of him.

Elko had his own idea for a statue after the Rebels swept Oklahoma in the College World Series finals for their first national title.

"I kind of just want one of all of us holding the national championship trophy," he said. "That’s all I want."

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Mississippi's Tim Elko holds the trophy while celebrating a win over Oklahoma in Game 2 of the NCAA College World Series baseball finals, Sunday, June 26, 2022, in Omaha, Neb.  (AP Photo/John Peterson)

The Rebels returned to Oxford, Mississippi, on Monday and were to be feted during a welcome-back celebration at the Walk of Champions on campus. A championship parade is scheduled for Wednesday in Oxford.

Elko came to symbolize Ole Miss' rocky journey to the title, not just because he was team captain the past two years but also his perseverance through a devastating injury.

He was a freshman on the 2018 team that lost a home regional final against Tennessee Tech. Then there was a three-game super regional loss at Arkansas, a 16-1 start when the 2020 season shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a three-game super regional loss at Arizona.

The legend of Elko took off when he played nearly half the 2021 season on a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and still batted .325 with a team-leading 16 homers.

When he and roommates Kevin Graham and Justin Bench weren't selected in the Major League Baseball draft, the three decided together to run it